BYLAWS OF THE BROCKTON DEMOCRATIC CITY COMMITTEE

Posted on by Debra Garland -Chair Person

BY-LAWS OF THE BROCKTON DEMOCRATIC CITY COMMITTEE
I.                   NAME

The name of the organization is the Democratic City Committee of Brockton, Massachusetts.

II.              PURPOSE
The purpose of the organization is the furtherance and expansion of the Democratic Party in Brockton
III.                  MEMBERSHIP
Elected members of ward committee shall comprise entire body of membership.
IV.                  MEETINGS
Committee shall meet at least four times each year, at least once in each quarter, at the call of the Chairperson.  Notice of each meeting shall be sent to each member at least five days in advance of regularly scheduled meeting.

A.                   All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rule of Order
B.                   Special meetings may be called in either of this following ways:

(1)     By any elected office of the Democratic City Committee

(2)     By petition of at  least 25 members

C.                  A quorum shall consist of at least 25 members
D.                  All matters properly brought before the committee shall be decided by a                              vote of the majority of the members present and voting
E.                   There shall be a five (5) day written notice in advance of all meetings,                                    including  special meetings.  In the event of special meeting notice shall                            appear on  two(2) consecutive days in the local daily newspaper.  In all                                such cases, the  Secretary shall mail said notice.

V.                   OFFICERS
The City Committee shall consist of the following officers to be elected by majority vote:

A.       Chairman
B.       First Vice-Chairman
C.      Second Vice-Chairman
D.      Secretary
E.       Treasurer

All officers shall be elected by secret ballot.

VI.                  TERM OF OFFICE
The above officers shall be elected at the organizational meeting for a term of two years unless otherwise provided by law.
VII.                DUTIES OF ELECTED OFFICERS
Chairman:
Shall call and preside at all meetings: appoint standing committees; appoint Parliamentarian, Affirmative Action and Outreach Officer; any other duties covered by statute. The Chairman shall serve ex-officio on all standing committees.
Secretary:
Shall record and verbally report minutes of all meetings; notify all members, five (5) days in advance, of all meetings in accordance with statutory requirements; any other duties so designated by the Chairman; shall send to all committee members a complete list of City Committee membership, City Committee by-laws, O’Hara Commission Guidelines, and extract of Chapter 52, Mass General Laws.  The Secretary shall provide a copy of the minutes of any meeting to any member so requesting.
Treasurer:
Shall collect all monies; shall make a financial report at all meetings; shall be responsible for all expenditures and receipts according to the direction of the majority of the membership ( all checks and withdrawals shall be signed by the treasurer and countersigned by the Chairman before they shall be valid); shall keep a book of accounts;  shall be responsible for annual financial report to be available to full membership; shall file such report with the Secretary of State or any other office required by law.
First Vice Chairman:
Shall perform Chairman’s duties in the event of Chairman’s absence at meetings or in such circumstance where the Chairman shall relinquish the Chair.
Second Vice Chairman:
Shall perform such duties as Vice Chairman in the absence of the First Vice Chairman.
VIII             FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year shall last from May 15 to May 14 of the following year to comply with statutory requirements
IX               ASSOCIATE MEMBERS:
All associate members may attend meeting and shall be notice of all meeting by mail. Associate member shall not have the right to vote, but shall have other powers and duties as the ward committees may determine, consistent with the by-laws of the City Committee.  The City Committee may authorize the appointment of associate member for ward committees but the actual appoint of said associate members shall be made by each Ward Committee as to their own members  (according to the O’Hara Guidelines, adopted by the Democratic Nation Convention of 1968, as near as is practicable).
X                ELECTIONS

A.                   All officers shall be elected by a majority of the membership then                                  present and voting

B.                   In the event that any candidate fails to receive a majority of the vote of                          the membership present on the first ballot, the two candidates with                               the highest number of votes shall engage in a runoff for election.

C.                  Vacancy in Office.  In the event of a vacancy in the office of Chairman,                            the First Vice Chairman fill the un-expired term of office of Chairman.                         The Second Vice Chairman shall fill the un-expired term of office of                             First Vice Chairman.  In the event of a vacancy in the office of Second                           Vice Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer, an election shall be called and                           held as provided herein.

D.                  Special Election.  In the event of a vacancy, the Secretary shall notify                            forthwith the membership of the existence of a vacancy in the offices                        of Secretary, treasurer and Second Vice Chairman and shall indicate the                        date and time of a special election, such time to be not less than thirty                            (30) days nor more than forty-five (45) days form the date of mailing of                   notice. Said election shall be held by secret ballot and in accordance with Article 10 herein.
E.                   A state of such changes in the personnel of the officer of the Committee shall be sent immediately by the Secretary of the Committee to the Secretary of the Commonwealth; to the Secretary of the Democratic State Committee and to the City Clerk of Brockton.
XI.                  STANDING COMMITTEES
Shall consist of the following and shall be appointed by the City Committee Chairman:
A.       By-Laws Committee
The By-laws Committee shall consist of a minimum of seven (7) persons, one from each ward committee.  The Committee shall formulate the by-laws and kept current with the latest elections laws for amendments as required and shall assist any member in drafting amendments to the by-laws.
B.       Elections Rule Committee
The Elections Rules Committee shall consists of a minimum of seven (7) person, with a minimum of one (1) person form each ward committee.  This committee shall draft rules for the conduct of elections and shall conduct all elections.
C.      Ways and Means Committee
The Ways and Means Committee shall consist of a minimum of seven (7) persons, with a minimum of (1) one person from each ward committee.  This committee shall make recommendations concerning the raising and spending of funds and other fiscal policy.
D.      Executive Committee
The membership of this Committee shall consist of the Chairman of each ward committee and the officers of the City Committee.  The Chairman of the City Committee shall preside at all meeting of the Executive Committee and the Secretary of the City Committee shall act as Secretary of the Executive Committee.  This Committee shall exercise such activity and perform such duties as may be assigned to it by the City Committee.
E.       Other Committees
The Chairman shall be empowered to create such other temporary committee as shall be required form time to time.  Insofar as is feasible, the make-up of such committee shall insure equal representation from each ward.
XII.                   DELEGATES
Delegates shall be elected by statutory rules or rules established by the Democratic State Committee
XIII        ADOPTION OF THE CHANGES IN THE BY-LAWS
A.                   By-laws may be adopted, amended or repealed at any regularly scheduled meeting and/or special meeting of the elected members of the Democratic City Committee provide such proposed change is in writing and is signed by the elected member proposing it and is in the hands of the Secretary before the call of the next meeting at which such proposal is to be acted upon.  The Secretary shall include such proposed change in the call of the said meeting.
B.                   Such proposed change in the by-laws shall be referred forthwith by the Secretary to the  By-laws Committee which shall make a report with its recommendations at same meeting.  A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and voting shall be required for the proposed change to pass.
XVI          BY-LAWS
Unless and until amended or repealed by the elected members, these by-laws shall continue in effect from year to year and no formal motions shall be necessary at any meeting of the City Committee in order that they continue in force

Chair’s Corner

Posted on by Debra Garland -Chair Person

December 20, 2017

2017 Has been a hectic year and unfortunately running for the position of Ward 3 School Committee took up a lot of time, thus this blog took a hit. My Candidacy for School Committee was based on the view that Education empowers people to gain a better future.. to develop their future and build their dreams. These values are inherently Democratic. and are heart and soul of what we are trying to build with the Brockton Democratic City Committee- a team of dedicated people who like empowering people to be the best they can be.

April 20, 2017

Here in Brockton, The Democratic Party is growing, while the Republican Party is SHRINKING. Over the past month a number of  Elected Officials who were Registered Republicans have Changed their Party Affiliation due to the Trump effect. Ward 3 School Committee member Mark D’Agastino who was listed as CHAIRPERSON of the Republican City Committee on paperwork filed with OCPF is now UNENROLLED.

Since May 2016, the Brockton Democratic City Committee has increased membership by 22% from 94 active members to 123 Members who will be working to build a strong  Democratic Party in Brockton.

We are growing as a result of the Trump Presidency.

February 1, 2017

To start the month I would like to share the words of Gus Bickford, the Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Gus talks about how people can get involved and what local Democratic Groups can do. He talks about preparing for the 2018  Massachusetts Gubernatorial  Election and the 2017 Local elections.

Although many Brockton positions are “non partisan” We must work to elect Democrats at all levels. If you choose to sit on the Brockton Democratic City Committee then there  will be an expectation that you will work for the Democratic Candidate.  That includes

  • Mayor
  • City Council
  • School Committee

Gus Bickford

“The highs and lows of this past week since the inauguration of the president have been unprecedented. The highs include the Women’s Marches with estimated attendance over five million at registered marches. That doesn’t include small local marches that people organized including those in nursing homes complete with people using canes, walkers and wheelchairs. I don’t think that there is any need for me to talk about the lows.

I am going to focus briefly on two areas in my remarks here today. What can an individual do to make a difference and be part of our resistance? What can Democratic groups do to reach out to newly energized people to get folks involved?

The success of Saturday’s marches is a testament to the power of an individual action in an atmosphere when people want to get involved. A few people posted on facebook the idea of a women’s march on the day following the inauguration. It went viral. But it took much more than a post on facebook to make it happen.

In brief people can make a difference in three overall areas:
* Involvement with the Democratic Party. Caucuses are coming up over the next few months. We are expanding our infrastructure to increase out effectiveness in the upcoming 2018 elections.
* Issue advocacy. Much can be done right now around issue advocacy either through organizations or your own efforts.
* Involvement with campaigns: Elections will be happening in 2017 in every municipality in Massachusetts. We have a Governor’s election and the midterms in 2018.

A silver lining is that people who have not engaged actively in the past are ready to engage. Every event I attend has people who have never participated in a comparable meeting in the past.

What can Democratic groups do to reach out to newly energized people to get people involved? The answer is simple. Do something and tell people about it.

Now, more than ever. Democratic groups need to publicize what you are doing. Use newspapers, community calendars, social media and word of mouth to spread the word about events. Events don’t have to be large to publicize them. You can plan coffee with a friend on Saturday morning and publicize it as “Coffee and Conversation.” For those who are interested do some voter registration after you gather.

These are longer than my usual opening remarks. The fact that you are reading this newsletter is a testament to the power of the individual. What started off as a group e-mail to a handful of people has become a newsletter that is utilized by thousands of people across the Commonwealth.

January 3,2017

I applaud the efforts of the Massachusetts Legislature on their efforts to restore funding for much needed programs which were de-funded   by Governor Baker’s 9C cuts.  These funding cuts include the following:

$1 million out of a $2 million budget for English Language Learner programs in Gateway Cities. Brockton has been a major recipient of these funds and has a vibrant Service network the Community Partnership for Adult Education  which has built strong ESOL  programs with Training Resources of America, Massasoit Community College and the Adult Learning Center as primary service providers. There are currently 1,504 people on wait lists for the Adult Learning Center, and 480 people on wait lists for Training Resources of America. During my 40 year career with DTA , I assisted many clients use these programs to become self supporting and can personally vouch for the quality of these programs.

December 27, 2016

This website would not be possible without the generous support of Rep. Gerry Cassidy.  We recently sent Gerry a $150 campaign donation which he returned with the instructions “Put this money where it is needed: A Brockton Democratic City Committee Website ” Well my friend, The BDCC Website brocktondems.org is live thanks to you.

I would also like to thank President Archie Gormley , Treasurer  Bill Hill the members of the Brockton Firefighters Union Local 144 IAFF for hosting the Brockton Democratic City Committee Meetings at Keating Hall  during 2016.  Without their help this Committee would not be able to build a strong Democratic Party In Brockton

Thanks

Steve Kelley

The Baker Report- Brockton

Posted on by Debra Garland -Chair Person

Governor Charlie Baker became Governor of Massachusetts due to a public persona that emphasized his connection to the common man. The reality is quite different. Charlie Baker is a typical Republican Governor who balances the budget on the backs of Working Families, State Workers and the disadvantaged.

This page will look at how Governor Baker’s Budget and Administration has impacted Brockton.