Eastie Dems is the Democratic ward committee for Boston’s Ward 1 (East Boston).
All wards have a Democratic ward committee and a Republican ward committee. The Democratic Ward Committee (also known as Eastie Dems) held their caucus on Wednesday July 28, 2021 online. The purpose of the caucus was to elect a delegation to represent East Boston at the upcoming Democratic State Committee convention.
There were over 50 attendees at the caucus. Eastie Dems (Boston Ward 1 Democratic Ward Committee) thanks all those who participated in the caucus. If you ran and did not win, or you missed the caucus but you are interested in being a delegate to the convention, please contact Eastie Dems (eastiedems@gmail.com) immediately so they can advise you of ways you can still go to the convention. The Democratic state committee allows people who belong to minority groups (People of color, LGBTQ, youth [under 35], and physically challenged) to apply as add-on candidates before Aug 6, 2021.
Several candidates (gubernatorial, mayoral, as well as city council) spoke briefly at the caucus, in addition to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. If you would like to meet mayoral and council candidates in person, attend the Eastie Dems Meet & Greet on Aug 3, 2021 6pm at Clippership Wharf (RSVP: bit.ly/ward1meetgreet)
This year’s state convention will be held on September 25, 2021 at the Tsongas Center in UMass Lowell, MA. Over 5000 delegates from around the state will be gathering to finalize the party platform (an official statement of shared values of all Democrats in the state) for the next 4 years. Between now and the convention, any registered Democrat in the state can provide input to the platform. More information on the convention and how to participate in the process can be found on massdems.org
Eastie Dems are sending a full delegation to the convention this year. 10 male and 10 female delegates were elected at the caucus. In case one or two of the elected delegates are unable to make it to the convention due to unforeseeable circumstances, there are 2 alternate male delegates and 2 alternate female delegates on standby. The alternates were also elected during the caucus.
Here is the Eastie Dems delegation to this year’s Democratic state convention:
Elected Delegates
Female
Lisa Melara
Tania Del Rio
Jo Ann Fitzgerald
Sandra Nijjar
Rita Lara
Susanna Starrett
Giordana Mecagni
Lisa Jacobson
Heather O’Brien
Erika Sanchez
Male
Zachary Hollopeter
Andres Del Castillo
Ben Downing
Jesse Purvis
Ricardo Patron
Brian Gannon
Matt Cameron
Steven Gingras
Matthew Barison
Michael Fitzgerald
Elected Alternates
Ellie DiLorenzo
Roberta Marchi
Jordan Frias
Joe Ruggiero
In addition to the elected delegates, the following folks may also attend the convention as ex-officio members: Democratic Members of Congress, Democratic Constitutional Officers, Democratic Members of the State Legislature, Democratic Mayors, Democratic County Elected Officials, Members of the Democratic State Committee, former Chairs of the Democratic National Committee, former Democratic Constitutional Officers, former Democratic members of Congress, Members of the Judicial Council, and City, and the Ward Committee chair.
The following ward committee members may attend the convention as ex-officio members:
Carol Ann Aloisi (State committee member)
Gabriela Coletta (State committee member)
Victoria DiLorenzo (Ward committee chair)
Lydia Edwards (State committee member)
Kannan Thiruvengadam (State committee member)
If you are interested in being part of Eastie Dems, please follow them online bostonward1dems.org, (https://www.facebook.com/ward1dems, https://twitter.com/BostonWard1Dems) for upcoming meetings and activities. Regular and active participation leads to associate membership, when then can lead to full membership. Write to eastiedems@gmail.com if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.
Source: Kannan Thiruvengadam