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Providing accurate and timely information about what matters in Franklin, MA since 2007. * Working in collaboration with Franklin TV and Radio (wfpr.fm) since October 2019 *
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Auchincloss on New Congressional Map
"Our district has always been a powerhouse of talent, work ethic, and civic engagement. That tradition continues."
The following statement can be attributed to Congressman Jake Auchincloss in response to the release of the newly proposed Massachusetts Congressional map:
"I applaud the work of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting and the leadership of Co-Chairs Senator Brownsberger and Representative Moran. They made certain this process was transparent and collaborative. The committee listened closely to constituents, tracked the letter and spirit of the law, and made thoughtful decisions."
"Representing a District like ours – rich in economic, geographic, and ideological diversity – gives me a valuable perspective in Washington. The new map preserves that vital diversity. The voters of the Fourth will continue to come from urban, suburban, and farmland communities. They will continue to vote both blue and red. They will continue to commute to both Boston and Providence. And they will continue to have a strong voice advocating for them in the halls of Congress during my tenure.
"Though the basic contours of the Fourth District persist, there is one major change. I am thrilled that all of Fall River will now be in the district. Through my strong partnership with Mayor Paul Coogan, Senator Mike Rodrigues, Representative Carole Fiola, Representative Paul Schmid, and Representative Alan Silvia, I have been working to ensure Fall River builds back better from the pandemic. That work will continue with full force in this Congress and beyond.
"It has been an honor to share representation of Fall River with my friend, Congressman Bill Keating, and I know he'll continue to fight for the new cities and towns he's taking on next term.
"I am excited to hit the campaign trail in the newly drawn Massachusetts Fourth this coming election cycle and I look forward to a continued partnership with state and local leaders in all of the cities and towns I represent. Our district has always been a powerhouse of talent, work ethic, and civic engagement. That tradition continues."
New Congressional Map for District 4 |
CommonWealth Magazine coverage of the proposed map
https://commonwealthmagazine.org/politics/congressional-redistricting-map-unites-fall-river/
Boston Globe coverage of the proposed map
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/01/metro/lawmakers-propose-new-congressional-maps-mass/
Attention #CD4 residents! The district lines for Congress, State Senate, State Rep, and Governor's Council are about to be redrawn.
The #redistricting committee wants to hear from you on Monday 7/19, 12-5 PM.
More info and testimony sign-up: https://t.co/mvqVtmsRAn
#MApoli #democracy https://t.co/swTRiuhfGf
Special Joint Committee on Redistricting - Congressional District 4 Hearing - July 19 |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"As Sept 2 dawned, the race for the 4th Congressional District House seat showed no sign of ending.
According to the Associated Press tabulation, fewer than 1,000 votes separated the top two Democrats, former Brookline city councilor Jesse Mermell and Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss. Mermell had led for much of the evening, with the gap between the two dwindling as more towns reported.
As of 12:45 a.m., 76 percent of the towns had reported results; outstanding were: Bellingham, Berkley, Dover, Franklin, Lakeville, Milford, North Attleboro, Norton, Raynham, Rehobeth and Seekonk.
In a statement issued shortly shortly before 1 a.m, Mermell’s campaign acknowledged the tight race."
TAKE A LOOK at our interviews with the Dems running to replace Joe Kennedy in #MA04. They're all here, available for your viewing pleasure at your convenience https://t.co/sulDNKfn9k #mapoli via @wgbhnews
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WGBH Interviews the 4th District candidates |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
A second Democrat in the 4th Congressional District race has decided to suspend his campaign and back Jesse Mermell ahead of next week’s primary.Chris Zannetos, a tech entrepreneur and founder of STEMatchMA, announced his decision on Wednesday, less than a week before the final votes will be cast at the polls on Sept. 1. He pointed to Mermell’s focus on economic equality and support for working families.
“The easy path for me would be to finish this campaign on Election Day,” Zannetos said in a statement released by the Mermell campaign. “But that would only take votes from a candidate who is committed to fixing this issue, who can win this race. There is one candidate who has shown in her career a consistent commitment to helping working people and those disenfranchised, and a willingness to create the public-private collaborations required to solve this challenge.”
"The Supreme Judicial Court has upheld the Sept. 1 deadline for local election officials to receive mail-in primary election ballots.
The court ruled Wednesday in a lawsuit filed by Fourth Congressional District candidate Becky Grossman, who sought a 10-day extension of the period allocated for counting mail-in primary ballots.
The 22-page decision, authored by Justice Scott Kafker, comes six days before a primary where several contentious races are set to be decided including the contest between U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, and the race featuring a crowded field of Democrats running in the Fourth Congressional District.
At least 1 million registered voters in Massachusetts requested mail-in ballots this year under a new law aimed at boosting voting options, but questions have been raised about the law’s deadlines and the reliability of the U.S. Postal Service, which has been thrust into a major role in the elections."
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Supreme Judicial Court upholds Sep 1 deadline |
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4th Congressional District Race: A Town Hall on Race and Racism |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"A significant majority of the Democratic candidates in the Fourth Congressional District race support the initiative petition on the Nov. 2 ballot that seeks to implement a ranked choice voting system in the 2022 elections.
The field includes eight contenders who are seeking to fill the seat that U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III is giving up as he challenges U.S. Sen. Ed Markey this election cycle. Out of the eight candidates who responded to a News Service request for their positions on the major voting reform, seven voiced concrete support for the ballot question — an initiative that appears designed to come into play in races with large fields just like the one the candidates are competing in in the Fourth Congressional race.
Natalia Linos, Ihssane Leckey, Ben Sigel, Jake Auchincloss, Jesse Mermell, Becky Grossman, and Alan Khazei all voiced support for the initiative, saying ranked choice voting increases representation of people of color, boosts election participation and encourages candidates to appeal to a wider base of voters."
"U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed fellow Democratic House member Joe Kennedy III on Thursday in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Edward Markey in the Democratic primary.Pelosi said when Democrats were working to take back control of the House from Republicans during the 2018 elections, Kennedy stumped for candidates across the country.“From climate change to health care to racial justice, Joe has been a leader in our Caucus organizing us around our core values,” Pelosi said in a press release. “We need leaders who are willing to give every inch of themselves to the causes and concerns that unify Democrats. Joe Kennedy represents this Party’s future,”
FM #333 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 333 in the series.
This session shares the 4th District Candidates Town Hall facilitated by the “Franklin Area Against Racism” and “Medway Marches” and broadcast by Franklin TV. The Forum was conducted via Zoom to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.
Angelica Crosby, Raj Seelam, and Justin Bates moderated the forum providing time for each candidate to respond to the questions on a random rotation.
All Democratic and Republicans were invited. The Democratic candidates participating (alphabetic order by last name) Jake Auchincloss, Becky Grossman, Alan Khazei, Ihssane Leckey, Natalia Linos, Jesse Mermell, and Ben Sigel.
Photos of the event participants (including screen captures of the questions and response order shared via Twitter - tagged as “#4thDist0819”) are available in this Google Photo Album https://photos.app.goo.gl/DQYMEE1ZVRq8g8yh9
The recording runs just about 1 hour and 40 minutes, so let’s listen to the 4th District candidates discuss their positions on a series of issues.
Audio file = https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HXg6gkXK
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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FM #333 4th District Candidates Town Hall - 8/19/20 (audio) |
A Virtual Town Hall on Race and Racism for the candidates of the 4th Congressional district race to have a discussion while answering YOUR questions on addressing racism/combating systemic racial inequality.
Democrats: (7:00-8:40)
Republicans: (8:45-9:00)
- all Democrat and Republican candidates were invited -
This will also be broadcast via live stream https://franklintv.vod.castus.
Follow the event on Facebook for updates https://www.facebook.com/events/332521414591118/
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4th District Candidates - Town Hall on Race and Racism |
"Our own Frank Falvey has been interviewing the many candidates running for the Fourth District seat. Listen to wfpr●fm Tuesdays from now until the primary election.
Each week we will feature three of the candidates on Tuesday morning, afternoon and evening. Listen and learn all about the candidates – in their own words – on 102.9 FM.
------ Tuesday 8/18/20 ---------
JESSE MERMELL - 9 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM
ALAN KHAZEI - 10 AM, 1 PM, 7 PM
BEN SIGEL - 11 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM
------ Tuesday 8/25/20 ---------
JESSE MERMELL - 9 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM
NATALIA LINOS - 10 AM, 1 PM, 7 PM
BEN SIGEL - 11 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM
For more about the wfpr.fm and Franklin.TV programming schedule https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/zooming-into-future-part-6.html
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WFPR.FM: 4th District Candidate Interviews with Frank Falvey |
"Dave Cavell, a former Obama speechwriter running in the Fourth Congressional District, dropped out of the congested Democratic primary on Thursday and quickly endorsed Jesse Mermell, a similarly progressive candidate, setting off a series of moves in the once-sleepy primary.
The surprise exit, announced just 19 days before the Sept. 1 primary and with mail-in voting already underway, is also strategic.
Cavell, 36, said he is backing Mermell, a former Brookline selectwoman, in an attempt to avoid splintering the vote in the now eight-person field and to block Jake Auchincloss, a Newton city councilor and former Republican and state GOP employee who has polled near the top of other campaigns’ internal surveys."
Jesse Mermell backs Medicare for All and supports the Green New Deal, and has carved out support from a swath of unions and reproductive rights groups.CRAIG F. WALKER/GLOBE STAFF |
Frank Falvey interviewed a number of the 4th District candidates competing in the Sep 1 primary to replace current Representative Joe Kennedy who is running for the US Senate against Ed Markey.
You can listen to wfpr.fm on the internet via your browser or on the radio dial at 102.9 within the Franklin area.
The radio broadcast schedule is like this:
------ 8/18 ---------
JESSE MERMELL - 9 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM
ALAN KHAZEI - 10 AM, 1 PM, 7 PM
BEN SIGEL - 11 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM
------ 8/25 ---------
JESSE MERMELL - 9 AM, 12 PM, 6 PM
NATALIA LINOS - 10 AM, 1 PM, 7 PM
BEN SIGEL - 11 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM
wfpr.fm radio broadcasts to help with Sep 1 primary election information
US House Candidates
Our primary is September
1, but you can vote by mail now, take advantage of Early Voting beginning on
August 22, or vote in person on September 1. You also have until August 22 to
register to vote in this primary.
Remember – if you are enrolled
in a party you MUST vote in that party’s primary, but if you are unenrolled you
may choose which ballot you want.
Of particular note is
the race to represent us in the US House of Representatives. There are NINE candidates on the Democratic primary
ballot and TWO on the Republican Ballot.
There are no Libertarian or Green Party candidates.
REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS - FOURTH DISTRICT
JAKE AUCHINCLOSS
Democrat https://www.jakeforma.com/
DAVID FRANKLIN CAVELL
Democrat https://www.davecavell.com/
BECKY GROSSMAN
Democrat https://beckygrossman.com/
JULIE A. HALL Republican http://hallforcongress.com/
ALAN A. KHAZEI Democrat https://alankhazei.com/
IHSSANE LECKEY Democrat https://ihssane.org/
NATALIA LINOS Democrat https://www.nataliaforcongress.com/
JESSE R. MERMELL Democrat https://jessemermell.com/
DAVID ROSA Republican https://www.davidrosaforcongress.com/
BENJAMIN R. SIGEL
Democrat https://bensigelforcongress.com/
CHRISTOPHER Z. ZANNETOS Democrat https://www.chriszforma.com/
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US House Candidates - September 1 Primary |
A Virtual Town Hall on Race and Racism for the candidates of the 4th Congressional district race to have a discussion while answering YOUR questions on addressing racism/combating systemic racial inequality.
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Virtual Town Hall on Race and Racism - Aug 19 |
From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
If one of the nine Democrats running for the state’s 4th Congressional District seat wins, voting rights, the environment, racial justice and tackling COVID-19 will be top priorities during his or her first term.
All 11 candidates vying for office, including two Republicans, discussed their experience and goals during the Aug. 5 League of Women Voters’ virtual forum. Questions came from league members and the public ahead of time.
Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
"All nine Democratic candidates competing for Rep. Joe Kennedy III’s U.S. House seat will face off Wednesday night in a livestreamed debate hosted by six local Democratic town committees.
“All of the candidates are from ... wealthier parts of the district. The issues that are at the forefront there are not the same issues we have out here,” Milford Democratic Town Committee Chair Bryan Cole said. “So we want to make sure that our concerns, that Milford’s concerns, are at the forefront of their minds.”
Kennedy is running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Edward Markey.
Six of the Democratic candidates are from Brookline, two are from Newton, and one is from Wellesley. They are Brookline’s David Cavell, Alan Khazei, Ihssane Leckey, Natalia Linos, Jesse Mermell, and Benjamin Sigel; Newton’s Jack Auchincloss and Becky Grossman; and Wellesley’s Christopher Zannetos.
Two Republicans are vying for a spot opposite the winning Democrat on the ballot – David Rosa of Dighton and Julie Hall of Attleboro."Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
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go direct to Milford TV https://www.milfordtv.net/ |