On Saturday at the BCYF Paris Street Community East Boston Democrats elected 12 female delegates, 10 male delegates and one female alternate for the Democratic State Convention during the Ward 1 Democratic Caucus.
The 23 Eastie delegates elected Saturday will gather virtually, as well as at the DCU Center in Worcester, to endorse candidates for statewide office, including Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary, Attorney General and Auditor on Friday, June 3rd and Saturday, June 4th during the convention.
The female delegates elected are Narda Pena, Heather O’Brien, Lisa Melara, Gloribel Rivas, Bessie King, Liana LaMattina, Ashley McCarthy, Giordana Mecagni, Rita Lara, Jo Ann Fitzgerald, Sandra Nijjar and Zaida Adames. Tricia Briand was elected as a female alternate during the caucus.
The male delegates elected are Brian Gannon, Steve Gingras, Jordan Frias, Angel Donhue Rodriguez, Anthony Gesualdi, Ricardo Patron, Owen Kane, Zach Hollopeter, Luis Garcia and Jesse Purvis.
During Saturday’s Caucus Eastie Democrats got the chance to hear from the two Democratic Candidates for Governor, Maura Healey and Sonia Chang-Diaz, who both attended virtually.
“As the “People’s Lawyer” I have worked hard to center the work of the people of this state,” said Healey who is currently the state’s Attorney General. “I’ve never been afraid to take on tough problems and stand up to powerful people whether it was the Sacklers or Exxon Mobil, predatory lenders that preyed on student borrowers and homeowners in neighborhoods throughout Boston and beyond. As Governor, I will be investing in people and infrastructure, transit and housing. I’m going to work to make childcare more affordable because it’s holding so many people, especially women back. I’ll be the most aggressive governor in the country when it comes to climate change and environmental justice and the work to build a robust workforce. Right now, in a state with so much prosperity, not enough people are sharing in that prosperity. I want to change that for Boston and change that for Massachusetts.”
Chang-Diaz, who currently serves as a State Senator, said she is running for Governor because every day it is getting harder and harder for families living in our state.
“For 13 years I have been fighting like hell alongside some of you to tackle the biggest challenges that we face as a state in terms of education and funding for our kids’ schools, criminal justice reform, police accountability, LGBTQ rights,” said Chang-Diaz. “But in the course of that work, I have also seen firsthand that we still have too many folks in government who are more concerned with holding on to power rather than doing something with it. It does not have to be this way because we can deliver debt free quality education to every kid in Massachusetts from birth into adulthood. We can pass a Green New Deal in Massachusetts to win the fight against climate change and create tens of thousands of new good paying jobs in our state. We can solve our housing crisis and close the racial wealth divide. We got to see each other’s sides as our own and elect a governor who does not just say the right words, but who has shown that they will take on our toughest fights even when it is not politically convenient. I didn’t make it into this race because I thought it was going to be easy, or because I saw a good career opportunity–I got into it because I have stood on the frontlines with families across our state for my whole life.”
Also, both Rep. Adrian Madaro and Sen. Lydia Edwards addressed Eastie Democrats and both said no matter who they support for state office it is important to stay involved and push for a Democratic majority in the state.
While the point of Saturday’s Caucus was to elect delegates to the state convention there is still a Special Election for the District 1 City Council seat. The Democratic Committee gave both candidates, Gabriella Coletta and Tiana Del Rio, the opportunity to introduce themselves to the crowd of Eastie Democrats.