September 23 2025 Minutes

Minutes SDCC September 23, 2025

401 Bridge St. Salem, MA

Attending: Elizabeth Bradt, Michael Cusack, Nancy Anderson, Diane Fawley, Lydia King, Alex Brumfield, Jason Sydorian, Joanne Moar

On Zoom: Justin Bates, Shey  Jaboin      , Linda Stark

6:00PM Welcome from the Chair. 

Treasurers Report

Guest Speaker: Kendra Bowker

Building a Climate Bank for Massachusetts

Summary

Introduction and Background

The discussion begins with Kendra Bowker from the Climate Bank Bill Coalition, a collective of people and nonprofit groups advocating for housing development in Massachusetts through state support. The main goal is to educate the audience about the Climate Bank Bill to encourage them to lobby their representatives.

The Climate Bank Bill

- Definition: The Climate Bank Bill aims to leverage public funds to attract significantly more private investment for green energy initiatives, clean energy projects, emission reductions, and climate resiliency efforts.

- Context in Massachusetts: This is a novel approach in the state, differing from smaller existing bills focused solely on housing.

- Case Study: Connecticut's Climate Bank, created in 2011, successfully leverages $8 of private money for each public dollar, serving as an inspiration.

Legislation Details

- Governor’s Executive Order: Governor Healey issued an executive order for a Climate Bank Bill dealing with low-income housing in 2023, which works alongside the Climate Bank Bill.

- Resiliency and Reporting: Unlike the executive order, the Climate Bank Bill also mandates benefits reporting, focusing not only on carbon emissions but also on resiliency.

- Initial Funding: The bill proposes an initial investment of $100 million annually for five years, with ongoing negotiations on the final amount.

- Operating Structure: An 11-member board would oversee the bank, with representation from various expert groups, including environmental and social governance.

Benefits and Implementation

- Flexibility: Funding can be applied to diverse projects such as small businesses and public infrastructure, especially targeting underserved communities, which must receive 20% of the loans.

- Self-Sustainability: The aim is for the bank to become self-sustaining, using innovative financial strategies to attract private investments, such as loans for solar panels with attractive rates.

- Permanent Legislation: The goal is to establish the Climate Bank as a permanent fixture through legislation, ensuring stability beyond temporary executive orders.

Lobbying (Advocacy) and Community Involvement

- Individuals are encouraged to join the coalition and participate in lobbying efforts. Templates for letters and step-by-step guidance for meeting with legislators are available to support advocacy.

- Notable sponsors of the bill include Senator Paul Mark and Joe Moschino, with Representative Manny Cruz also actively supporting it.

Coalition and Broader Support

- Many organizations, including Elders Climate Action and Votes for Climate, support the initiative.

- Lobbying needs to be strategic, targeting both House and Senate, with a focus on getting written testimonies to support the bill.

- The initiative also appeals to conservative perspectives by emphasizing leveraging private money, which aligns with fiscal conservatism principles.

There was a Q&A session after the presentation

Second Guest Speaker:  Jesse Littlewood

Open Primaries and Transparency for Massachusetts

Summary

Introduction

Jesse introduced the discussion on advocating for the open primary ballot question for 2026, highlighting the need for early action to gather signatures by November.

Background on Jesse

- Lives in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

- Engaged in democracy advocacy work.

- Passionate about enhancing democratic processes for better governance.

Coalition for Healthy Democracies Initiatives

1. All-Party Primary System

2. Public Records Law

Problems with the Current System

- Massachusetts legislature ranks last in competitiveness.

- Slow legislative progress amid critical national and federal issues.

- Low voter turnout, especially in partisan primaries.

- Intra-party competition and debate are minimal.

- Restrictive party ballot access, especially statewide candidates needing 15% of delegates at the party convention.

- Lack of knowledge about state government activities due to blanket exemptions in public records law.

Impact of Broken System

- Gridlock, delays, and challenges in legislative progress.

- Loss of public confidence in the state's direction.

- Problems in housing, affordability, healthcare persist without adequate response from the government.

Proposed Solutions

- All-Party Primary System:

  - A single primary ballot for all voters.

  - All candidates appear on this ballot with their respective party endorsements.

  - Top two candidates advance to the general election.

  - Expected Benefits: Increased competition, higher and more diverse voter turnout, improved electoral accountability.

- Public Records Law Reform:

  - Apply the state's public record law to the governor and the state legislature.

  - Make committee votes, final drafts of bills, expenditures, attendance records, public meeting minutes, and testimonies public records.

  - Maintain some exemptions to protect privacy and legislative deliberation processes.

Benefits and Political Implications

- Increased electoral competition and participation.

- Enhanced voter information and confidence in government processes.

- Potential increase in Democratic voter registration, as evidenced by California’s success with a similar system.

- Strong public and bipartisan support, with notable backing from left-leaning Democrats and moderate Republicans.

Campaign Efforts

- Active petition signature gathering.

- Volunteer shifts and virtual training sessions.

- Efforts to engage the public through letters to editors and discussions on proposed reforms.

Conclusion

Jesse emphasized the urgency of the campaign and invited questions, underscoring the necessity of public participation in reforming the political system for a more equitable and functional democracy.

There was a Q&A session following the presentation

Salem Democratic Committee Updates

Summary

Executive Committee Membership

- Voted for Justin Bates to become a member of the Executive Committee.

- The vote passed with a quorum present.

Secretary Vote

- Vote for co-secretaries Passed: Joanne Moar and Dianne Yates were elected as co-secretaries

Fund Donation and Endorsements

- Discussion on donating funds to Democratic city candidates.

  - Determined most city candidates did not need funds.

  - Some candidates may seek endorsements from the Democratic City Committee.

Formation of Committees

- Alex initiated the formation of a committee for direct mailers and political candidacy.

North of Boston Health and Wellness Expo

- Julie Curtis announced the event scheduled for Saturday, September 27^th

 from 9 to 1.

- Informational sheets were distributed.

October Meeting Location

- Initial need for a new meeting place was discussed.

- October meeting at “Far From the Tree” in Salem

  - Meeting scheduled for October 14th at 6 PM

Meeting Adjournment

- The meeting concluded at 7:49 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Joanne Moar, Secretary SDCC 

written with assistance of the Voicepen app