Newton Resident, Longtime Activist Heads to Democratic National Convention

Heyman, a local realtor, is a member of the Newton Democratic City Committee. This is her first Democratic National Convention.

Newton Centre resident Susan Heyman has been around politics her whole life -- before she could even vote, she was helping her family pass out leaflets and listening to the political discussion around the dinner table.  After moving to New York City with her husband, Martin Heyman, Susan became politically active in her community of Greenwich Village, including in the opposition to Tammany Hall.  Active in civil rights issues, her and her husband also stood with Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington D.C.  Susan and Martin eventually left New York City for Boston's Back Bay, where they continued to be involved with local ward politics and worked on Barney Frank's first campaign (for the Mass. Legislature). They then moved to Newton in 1973 …

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Obama Campaign to Hold Organizing Convention in Newton Saturday

A number of Obama supporters from across the state will gather at Lasell College to talk strategy.

Volunteers, supporters and activists from across Massachusetts will gather in Newton this Saturday for a training session with President Barack Obama's reelection campaign According to a newsletter from the Newton Democratic City Committee, the campaign will offer training on motivating volunteers, organizing voters as well as how to run successful canvasses and phone banks. Obama campaign leaders and Massachusetts activists will be on hand to provide the training. Neighborhood team leaders, campaign team members and new volunteers are invited to attend the training session, which will take place at Lasell College in Auburndale.  The Obama "Neighborhood Team Convention" will take place Sat., June 16 from 12:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

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Adam Maleson

1:17 am on Friday, June 15, 2012

Obama is not impressive to me. The only thing he has going for him is that he may be less insane than Mitt Romney. Merely the same old "lesser of two evils" garbage that has been poisoning our society for a long long time. It's not what "democracy" is supposed to be about, and it's certainly not what freedom is about. The only thing anyone really ever cared about Obama for was the fact that he is…   more ›

Newton Democrats Elect New Officers

Last Thursday, the Newton Democratic City Committee elected its citywide leadership for the next two years.

Some familiar faces will be heading up the Newton Democratic City Committee (NDCC) for the 2012-2014 term.  In an email sent last weekend, the NDCC announced its newly elected co chairs, who were voted in during last week's organizing meeting at Newton South. The new co-chairs are: Jackson was running on a re-election ticket with her previous co-chair, Tim Snyder, and Fitzgibbons was running for chair on a ticket with Hannah Banks as vice chair. However, the open voting lead to Fitzgibbons and Jackson as co-chairs and Sharon Stout as vice chair. The local Village 14 blog has more details on how the voting in the committee works, and information about Jackson passing out during the meeting (she appeared to be OK afterward).  According to …

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Local Dems, Diane Patrick Head to Newton for Obama Fundraiser

The fundraiser will be held at a home in Newton Thursday evening.

A number of notable Massachusetts Democrats will gather at a home in Newton tomorrow night for a Barack Obama fundraising event.  According to an email from the Newton Democratic City Committee, Massachusetts First Lady Diane Patrick will attend the event as well as Massachusetts State Treasurer and Newton resident Steve Grossman.  Mayor Setti Warren will co-host the event along with Newton's Democratic legislative delegation including State Sen. Cindy Creem and State Reps. Kay Khan, Ruth Balser and John Lawn.  The house party and fundraiser will be held at the home of Treff LaFleche on Prince Street in West Newton.  

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Letters to the Editor

Letter: Fitzgibbons Announces Candidacy for NDCC Chair

A letter from NDCC Vice-Chair Shawn Fitzgibbons announcing his candidacy for chair of the committee.

Campaign 2012 will be a year of change for Newton Democrats. We must elect new Democrats to the U.S. Senate and House while also ensuring Obama's re-election. Here in Newton, we must be as prepared as ever to deliver the votes for our candidates.  The benefit of such a tremendous election year is the opportunity to improve our local Democratic organization. It is critical that we focus on moving forward with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Our campaign organization should be stronger than ever. We need to welcome those who would like to be involved for the first time in our work and encourage new ideas. For those reasons, many have concluded that it is time to have new City Committee leadership.  Thus, after considerable thought and …

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U.S. Senate Candidate Tom Conroy Meets with Newton Dems Tonight

Conroy, a state representative from Wayland, will speak at the Auburndale Community Library.

U.S. Senate Candidate and State Representative Tom Conroy will meet with the Newton Democratic City Committee tonight at the Auburndale Community Library, 375 Auburn St. Conroy, who is the state representative from Wayland, made a stop in Newton back in August as part of his walking campaign across the state. During his time in The Garden City, Conroy argued that his legislative and business experience make him the candidate of choice to beat Scott Brown. Over the summer, Conroy and his campaign walked more than 650 miles across the Commonwealth to reach out to voters. Recently, Conroy's camp spoke with Patch about the changes in the race, including the addition of Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Setti Warren's decision to drop out.  The "…

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Local Legislators Visit Newton Tonight, Provide Update from Beacon Hill

The local state representatives and senator will look for community feedback.

If you're wondering what the latest word is from Beacon Hill, stop by the Newton Senior Center tonight to receive an update from your local legislators.  State Sen. Cindy Creem along with State Representatives Kay Khan, Ruth Balser and John Lawn will be at the senior center tonight to provide information on the latest activity from Boston. Locals are encouraged to come by the meeting and provide their feedback or questions.  The event, which begins a 7 p.m., is being put on by the Newton Democratic City Committee. 

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Newton Wednesday Night: U.S. Senate Candidate DeFranco Speaks to the Few

DeFranco tells Democratic gathering that she is the one who will stand up for the little guy.

On a night of wicked Newton weather — tornado watches and intense thunderstorms — only about a dozen people showed up in Auburndale Wednesday to hear U.S. Senate candidate Marisa DeFranco speak at the latest "Coffee with the Candidates" hosted by Newton Democrats. But DeFranco is clearly used to small groups; she even mentioned Barack Obama's strategy of working the small groups of the Democratic caucuses as a model for building support for her ideas, and stands person by person. "Building the base," as she put it. DeFranco didn't get the turnout Brookline resident Alan Khazei got a few weeks ago, as a local guy; DeFranco's base is north of Boston, with an immigration law practice in Salem and a home in Middleton. The audience, many of …

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Khazei Shares His Vision with Newton Democrats

Alan Khazei makes his case for becoming the man to beat U.S. Sen. Scott Brown.

Newton is Alan Khazei's kind of crowd. The crowd of more than 75 people posed articulate questions with progressive (or liberal) views to the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate at an open meeting of the Newton Democratic City Committee. The Brookline social entrepreneur talked a lot about Republican Scott Brown, but he only mentioned fellow challenger and Newton Mayor Setti Warren once: "My pitch is, let's keep Setti as mayor..."  His comment drew a round of audience applause. Khazei, the co-founder of City Year and a big booster of community service, started by saying he loved that the gathering was held in the Auburndale Community Library — which is kept open only with volunteers and donations. Khazei asked audience members what they felt …

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