Clark, Ryan & Youth Special Guests at Framingham Democratic Town Committee

Press release from the Framingham Democratic Town Committee

The Framingham Democratic Town Committee hosted several Framingham High School students, and provided a meet and greet opportunity for the students to discuss various political issues with Massachusetts Fifth Congressional District Democratic Nominee, Sen.Katherine Clark; Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan; Senator Karen Spilka, Rep. Chris Walsh and Rep. Tom Sannicandro on Sunday night.

The students had an opportunity to discuss issues of concern to them, and stayed to listen as each of the officials addressed a large turnout crowd of Committee members and guests.

In a very heartfelt introduction, Sen. Spilka introduced her colleague Sen. Clark, who prevailed as the nominee in a very hard fought primary. Clark stressed the difficulty of running against colleagues for whom she had great respect, and with whom she shared many values. She discussed the importance of taking on the Tea Party in Washington, and what values separate her and her Republican challenger.

In her comments, she stressed equal pay for all workers, the sanctity of the rights of women to make choices for themselves, educational equity, and discussed several issues of global importance such as climate change, subsidies to corporations that give nothing back and equality under the law. She fielded several challenging questions, and engaged in some discussion with several in the crowd.

Clark discussed the unique contribution Framingham makes to the Congressional District, citing our biotech industry, our cultural diversity and the respect for our State Representatives and Senator. 

When discussing her opponent, she said, “You name it, I bet we don’t agree on 
just about anything.” 

District Attorney Ryan, who has announced her intention to run for that 
office, gave an extremely insightful speech in which she detailed several of her administration’s efforts aimed at social justice.

She stressed that her vision of a district attorney’s office includes far more than the 3,500 prosecutions of criminals Congressional District Democratic Nominee, Sen. her office conducts, and stressed how her office must remain totally apolitical. 

She detailed her efforts to curtail domestic abuse, which include a program called “Cut it Out,” which educates hairdressers to listen and watch for certain telltale signs of abuse that they are in a better position to detect.

She discussed the response of her office by releasing people from jail whose cases were tainted by the state crime lab scandal. 

Another of her initiatives is a program to re-examine the evidence in cases where a convicted person may have been wrongfully convicted. She acknowledged that there are cases that her office does not do well resulting in recidivism and further damage to society.

One of her most proud accomplishments is the reduction of child fatalities wherein her staff looks at every death of a child under 18 years of age to study trends and causes. This initiative has demonstrated a sharp decline in preventable deaths of children from such causes as drowning, citing the fact this was the first summer that there were no drowning of children in Middlesex County.

Another concern she discussed is elder abuse, and scams aimed at senior citizens, discussing a new scam where seniors are called by a purported federal worker claiming that during the government shutdown, the information was erased, and they are seeking social security numbers and dates of birth to “reboot the system!”

Finally, she addressed workplace safety, citing a disturbing statistic that 98% of nurses claim to have been assaulted on their job.

Spilka addressed the attendees discussing her initiatives on raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction for children in need of services.

Spilka will be receiving a national award for her work in the area of juvenile justice in Washington later this month. She reviewed her record on tax restructure to make more equitable tax tables, and her work on anti-violence legislation. She has filed legislation for a MetroWest Commission on Women and Girls. 

Spilka’s highlight of the evening was a discussion of legislation she has pushed very hard to raise the minimum wage in Massachusetts to $11.00 per hour over the course of the next three years.

The attendees heard the latest legislative updates from State Reps. Sannicandro and Walsh. The discussion involved welfare reform in the attempt to move people out of poverty, and that effort garnered a unanimous – bipartisan – vote. Student debt was also discussed as a major initiative. The Affordable Healthcare Act was also discussed, and  Walsh made a statement that, “one person’s unfunded mandate, may be another person’s civil right.”

The students and guests were treated to a lavish spread for dinner, and had a 
chance to mix and discuss issues and to just enjoy one another’s company, which was followed by a business meeting of the Committee.

During the business meeting, two new members were elected to the Committee. They are Dr. Barbara LeDuc and Brian LeFort, a legislative aid for Rep. Walsh. Their terms run until 2016.

The next gathering of the Town Democratic Committee will be their annual 
Holiday Party, on Sunday Dec. 8, 2013 at the Framingham Green 
Apartments, 136 Maynard Rd. at 5 p.m. All Democrats are welcome to join 
in on the celebration, which will attract several candidates for state-wide office. 

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Editor's Note: Thanks to Kevin Cummings of Cummings Photography in Framingham for covering the Framingham Democratic Committee meeting for Framingham Patch.