DRAFT Minutes
CDCC Membership Meeting
April 6, 2011 7pm
Baldwin School
7:10 Avi Green, Chair, calls the meeting to order. We do have a quorum
Motion is made to accept the minutes from the February meeting, seconded, all in
favor, no opposition, no abstentions,
Officer Reports
Chair– No Report
Treasurer - We have $9400 in account, and have paid $200 in rent.
Secretary – Thank you to Ward Chairs for the updated membership lists.
AAOO – All the Wards have AAOOs, thank you to all the wards for working on this.
New Business - Officer Election
Method of voting is as follows:
Chair will be nominated and then have five minutes for their speech
Membership will vote for the chair, majority wins.
VC will be nominated next with 3 minutes for each speech.
Secretary will be nominated next with 3 minutes for each speech.
AAOO will be nominated with 3 minutes for each speech.
Treasurer will be nominated last.
Avi Green - What I submit as chair is to simply do a secret ballot voting, we will do
secret ballot voting. Each person will get one slip, they will be passed in and counted
and we have volunteers to help with counting.
Mushtaque – Suggests that people write their name in their ballot in addition to
their vote.
Avi - Asks if people are in favor of having your name being on the ballot or not so if
you are in favor of putting your
MM – Because this is a public meeting and this is the way we do this in the
Democratic State Committee. I’m on the Dem State Committee and if you want to do
it the way they do it, this is how.
Entertain another point of discussion –
Betsy Dunn - We have been through this discussion, we are a publically election
organization and we are accountable to the people who voted for us and we need to
put our names on the ballots.
Paul Vermouth– Betsy is absolutely right, we are a publically elected and those
names should be available.
Daniel Mann - I am in favor of secret ballot but I think at the end of the day, the
election is only fair when you can feel totally comfortable when you vote is yours
and you need to feel 100% comfortable in that.
Larry Field – My memory from my time of the rules committee is the same as Betsy’s
and Mushtaque's. However, there is more of an issue created by a secret ballot and it
is harder to undo that vote
Martha Older – We have definitely been through this before and the most recent was
for the election commissioner election. And that was different from what we did
before and the election commissioner is different because that person works for the
city.
Avi Green - We take will take one minute to discuss the bylaws
Leadership discusses the bylaws.
Avi - I would like to take a sense of the room and this is not binding, to get a sense of
the room about a secret ballot, in the true sense and those of you who are interested
in a signed ballot for inspection. It is really my decision, it my decision, I was just
asking for the sense of the room.
Those who would like a secret ballot, please raise your hand: Members raise their
hands.
Those who would like a signed ballot, please raise your hand: Members raise their
hands.
Avi - I am making my decision, and whatever happens tonight, you can take it up
with others. We are having a secret ballot with no signature.
And I will now take nominations for Chair of the CDCC.
Marc McGovern – I would like nominate to my ward chair Mustaque Mirza. I’ve
come to know Mushtaque Mirza since I have come back to Cambridge. He has been
working in this community for a long time and I think he would be a highly effective
Chair of the City Committee.
There is a second from the floor.
Donna Barry– I would like nominate Danny Schlozman, I am happy to nominate
Danny and I strongly support his candidacy. I have worked with him on every single
race, I count on him, I turn to him to compare our number, motivate the masses, and
he is an excellent choice for Chair.
Is there is a second for Danny Schlozman?
Seconded from the floor.
Avi - I would like to make a motion to close nominations for chair and I would like to
ask those nominated to come forward and speak.
Danny Schlozman agrees to speak first and talking about leading the committee as a
politically effective body.
Mushtaque speaks second and talks about his credentials and why he is running, he
can bring the people together, Cambridge has been divided.
Avi - The first election color will be hot pink and George and I will collect them
Members are given hot pink slips of paper on which to write their vote. They are
then collected and counted at the counting table with witnesses for each counter.
Avi - I have results to announce with a vote of 33, 71 Danny Schlozman is elected
Chair of the committee…would the new chair would like to say something…and I
would be honored to continue to chair the election.
Danny says a very quick thank you to the CDCC.
Avi - I would like to move to ask for nomination for the Vice Chair. Are there any
nominations for the VC?
Denise Simmons nominates Lesley Philips as VC.
Nomination seconded from the floor.
Larry Field - Every organization has someone who is a quiet leader, someone who
doesn’t always step up to office but always volunteers and always steps up, who is
widely respected and whose opinions are sought. I have known Helen for 16 years,
and I am pleased to nominate her for Vice Chair.
Councilor Denise Simmons –I’ve know Leslie Philips for a very long time and she has
a strong devotion to the principles of the Democratic party and being inclusive to
everyone. I feel someone who really puts her shoulder to the wheel and I feel like
she would be extraordinary in this position.
Avi moves to close nominations, seconded and so moved. Nominations are closed.
Who would like to go first? Avi flips a coin.
Avi: It is tails and Helen goes first, you have up to three minutes for your speech.
Helen speaks about her credentials and how she sees the city committee and what it
means to be a Democrat in Cambridge, to organize and energize and bring people
together.
Lesley speaks about her credential, 10 years on the city committee and 8 years as
the Ward Chair. She represented Ward 6 at the State Convention almost 16 times.
Discusses electoral politics and the importance. Building a vibrant democratic
community in Cambridge. Need a good community to have a good electoral process.
Unique opportunity to bring more people into the city committee and the voting
process.
Avi - So with that we will proceed to a vote and the voting color is yellow.
Members are given yellow slips, they vote, and slips are collected.
Avi – I have results to announce, with a vote of 37 to 68 Helen Glickman is elected as
Vice Chair. Congratulations to both candidates. Helen says Thank You.
Avi - We will now entertain nomination for Secretary.
Mark Jacquith - I nominate Jesse Kanson-Benenav, I worked with Jesse in 2008-2010
and he is very, very informed and has been a great source of information.
Nomination is seconded.
Pam Thomure – I would like to nominate Jefferson Smith. He is one of those people
who you hear about before you actually get to meet him. Etc…
Nomination is seconded.
Avi - Are there further nominations? Nominations are closed.
He flips a penny to see who goes first - Jesse KB goes first and you have three
minutes.
Jesse KB speaks about his credentials. Puts himself forward as young, energetic and
points out his credentials as an admin and using social media tools.
Jefferson speaks about his credentials and experience politically and on the ward
level, and what he would bring to the city committee, moving forward using vote
builder.
The voting commences and votes are counted.
Avi I have the results: With a vote of 55 to 46, congratulations Jefferson Smith is
elected as Secretary.
Jefferson - Thank you to Jesse, he was really gracious and courteous during this
election.
Avi - We will move on to AAOO election.
Joel Patterson - I nominate George McCray. The nomination is seconded.
Mark McGovern - I nominate Brian Corr from Ward 6. The nomination is seconded.
Brian Corr speaks first, Ward 6, lifelong democrat, work at the Peace Commission,
AAOO would bring important values, where we are as a city, what are the
populations. We need to work collaborative and work together. I want to develop a
citywide strategy.
George McCray, thank you for the nomination and I am conflicted…. I have been
involved in politics for 40 years - lists credentials…I am conflicted in that what the
committee needs is newer and younger people and I will be okay with whatever way
the committee decides. All 11 Wards have AAOO officers and I feel we are losing
some, and we need more diversity. Again, I would like to be the officer but would be
okay with as the committee decides.
The voting colors will be Red and thank you to both the candidates. Members are
given slips for voting, voting commences and then the slips are collected.
Avi – I have the results: 53 to 31 Brian Corr is elected as the AAOO. I would really
like to thank George McCray for his service.
Brian Corr - Other than to say thank you for your trust and thank you George for all
your service and I hope to gain from your wisdom.
Avi - With that we will open nominations for Treasurer.
Brian Corr: I nominate Bill McAvinney. Seconded from the floor.
Do you accept the nomination? I do.
Nominations are closed. Seconded.
Bill speaks briefly.
Avi - I hold that these elections are over. Congratulations to all those elected and
thank you to everyone who ran.
Danny takes over, with very quick announcements.
Poly Cobb talks about precinct lines - Here is what has happened thus far in
reprecincting. We don’t have anything to do with redistricting and we don’t want to.
There has been a 3.7% increase in pop in Cambridge, we are in the process of
relooking at block by block population bumber and it is going to be a little bit of time
to do that. Especially in East Cambridge and North Cambridge, a bump over here
causes a bump over here and we are asking people to look at the center and start
from there. We are waiting for some maps to be drawn and the shift is really small
and that is not entirely a pleasure to some people. I have always thought that the
smaller the precinct, the easier it is for people with disability. But you know that the
siting of polling places is fraught with issues.
We are waiting to some firm figures about some block by block populations we
know where the shift have been and we are looking forward to setting up some
meetings in May and we hope to have them done by May and that is where we are
right now
Garrett Anderson - I had the opportunity to attend the Somerville City Committee
meeting. And attend an informal briefing with Rep Moran with Cambridge and
Somerville organizations and the message I hear was that the committee is really
looking for input especially from Cambridge and as a City Committee we need to
continue to think about what voice we want to have. So we really have only two
months to have a voice but there are a number of ways and I will give the website.
What the rep said last night is that the voice he is hearing from Cambridge that we
have one and respect city boundaries. Bu as he said last night, he is not drawing
maps.
Sara Mae Berman - But he has also said that the Republicans have already drawn
their map without meetings and we want to draw a fair map that holds up
The decision has to be finalized by November and it won’t affect this election but it
had to be finalized by November because in order to run for State Senate or Rep you
have to live in the district for a year.
Garrett – And the message is that we should speak with one voice and we need to
decide what that is.
Announcements:
Mellissa announced the Cambridge Somerville for Change meeting
Motion to adjourn, seconded and passed. Meeting is closed.
Respectfully Submitted,
Mellissa de Oliveira