The Chair of Massachusetts Democratic Party came to Lowell last evening as part of a series of regional meetings with local and regional Democratic DSC members, local town/ward/city committee chairs and interested Democratic activists. Chairman Tom McGee had already spent a good part of his day with other Democrats – including President Obama and Vice-President Biden – while attending the dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate next door to the John F. Kennedy Library in Dorchester. The well-attended meeting was held at the East End Club where the LDCC usually meets. Here are some brief notes from the meeting.

Forty or so area Democrats gathered last night at the East End Club in Lowell for a meeting with Mass Democratic Party Chair Tom McGee. Introduced by his State Senate colleague Senator Eileen Donoghue, McGee had traveled up from Boston after attending the ceremony opening the Edward M. Kennedy Institute – headline by President Obama, VP Biden and current and former members of the US Senate. Saying he was there to listen to local Democrats, McGee asked everyone to introduce themselves. Around the room DSC members, Ward and Town Committee Chairs and members, Congressional and State Senate staffers, MDP staffers, elected officials, interested activists, current and former candidates from Lowell and nine area communities (Arlington, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Pepperell, Methuen, Lawrence and Tewksbury) shared information. The Chair noted that the 2015 “Call to Convention” was sent out recently by e-mail and that the window for local caucuses covered the period from May 2 to June 28. He also noted that there are over 21,000 members of the Democratic party organization in the city wards and town committees. Topics from the floor (randomly) included: our role in the presidential and local campaign activities in nearby NH; putting together the ward/town committee lists/legal paperwork for the 2016 primary ballot; the need for vibrant, active local committee; rules for electing delegates to the 2016 Dem National Convention; voter registration polices; MDP communication with locals – new technology, e-mails, Twitter, Facebook, etc; the GOP strength with “unenrolleds” in local towns; sharing a strong, simple direct Democratic message; discussion of the mechanics of the state conventions and delegate difficulties; a new approach to the convention nominating process; having an earlier convention; “leaving no ballot line unfilled”; individual “Letters to the Editor” about “Why I am a Democrat”; coming back to Lowell for the June, 2016 convention; the “Re-occuring Donors” project; the April 27th Roosevelt dinner; the “Promises Watch” campaign; the Chair’s Monthy Newsletter; e-mail updates and events calendar; the “1965 Project” for voter registration; using the MDP’s new Voter campaign technology. A few activists shared their “door-to-door” campaigning experiences. Those present seemed happy with the session and many lingered to speak informally with McGee, his MDP staff and each other.

Among those attending ~ State Rep Tom Golden, Nancy & Richard Pitkin,  Arthur Sullivan, Mike Demaras, Christopher Jenkins, Patti Kirwin-Keilty, Ray Russell, Judith Durant, Jack Mitchell, Geoff Feldman, Carol Carbonell, Linda Copp, Jackie Doherty, Chris Mullin, Tara Keefe – all of Lowell; Tom McGrath and Ginny Wellwood of Pepperell; Marie Sweeney, Cathy Dwyer, Rita O’Brien Dee, Mark Kratman and  Donna Bell of Tewksbury; Jen Mieth of Groton, Pat Deal of Arlington, John Dyer of Dracut, Dan Devlin of Dunstable, Denise Perrault of Lawrence and many more…..