Message from the Chair, August 2020

Posted on August 10, 2020 by Gloucester Democratic City Committee

Fellow Democrats! I hope the the summer is going well for you all!

After all we have endured so far this year, I know we would all like to make the most of our time during these warm days on beautiful Cape Ann, so I won’t keep you long today by going on and on about what you already know. However, there is one critical point that I must harp on…

We are now less than NINETY DAYS from the election.

Joe Biden is beating Donald Trump all across the board in polling data, but polls don’t vote. We need every single Democratic voter across the country to hit the polls hard this election, whether in person or by mail. To hammer this home in the swing states (and to flip the Senate) we need your help reaching out to voters

This year’s campaign is going look and feel very different than those in years past. Our usual method of voter outreach – knocking on doors – is less than ideal during a pandemic. We are going to need to make a lot of phone calls to make sure voters get to the polls and overwhelmingly elect Joe Biden to be the next President of the United States.

I know a lot of people are hesitant to contact voters by phone, but truthfully, it has never been easier, and it is the most effective way to reach voters whose doors we can’t knock. We can’t cut any corners on this one – we need results – and we can’t do it alone. Now is the time for all hands on deck!

Join us (virtually) this Thursday at 6:00 PM to kick off this year’s Cape Ann Coordinated Campaign! Information on how to join the meeting can be found here. You will be playing a critical part in what may well be the most consequential election in American history. I look forward to seeing you there!

Democratically yours,
Matthew C. Murray

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GDCC Monthly Meeting – July 9, 2020

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Gloucester Democratic City Committee

The Gloucester Democratic City Committee will be holding a virtual meeting on Thursday, July 9th at 7:00pm. Members and friends may participate with video using Zoom on a computer or mobile device or may call in using a traditional phone.

This month’s main event will be a GDCC panel discussion on youth activism of the 1960s and today. Organized by GDCC Vice Chair Deanna Fay and DEI Committee Chair Lenore Maniaci, our panel includes local community members Activists of the 60s and today: Bill Fonvielle, Ruth Salinger, Paul Wasserman, Willa Lepionka Brosnihan, and Jillian Oliveira.

Read on below for more info on our panelists and check out the panel handout on ways to support Black and Brown communities in their call for justice, accountability, and the end of racism, inequality, and brutality.

To join the meeting using Zoom, click or tap here (https://bit.ly/GDCC-July-2020) when the meeting is scheduled to start. Alternatively, you can enter meeting ID 819-6038-4971 and password 328541 into Zoom to join. To join the meeting by phone, dial 1-929-436-2866, enter meeting ID 819-6038-4971, press pound (#) when asked for a participant ID, and enter password 328541.

Bill Fonvielle
(he/him)

Bill grew up in the forties and fifties before the era of civil rights. Entering college at 15 and a PhD program at 19, he immersed himself in social activism at an early age, participating in the march on Washington in 1963 and forming a civil rights organization, Northwestern Students for Civil Rights, a year later. Merging that organization with the North Suburban Chicago chapter of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) to tackle open housing legislation in Illinois.

Bill has been an elected local official (Gloucester Ward 5 City Councilor and Trustee of the Village of Carol Stream, IL, a Chicago suburb.) He has served on many civic, arts, educational, charitable, social service and governmental boards, commissions, and committees, including the GDCC.

He is an author, educator, entrepreneur, business owner, and an active consultant to international and Fortune 500 companies. Widely traveled, he has been to 65 or so countries and 49 states. He holds a MBA from Yale University and has lived in Gloucester for 28 years with his wife, business and civic leader Carole Sharoff, along with two of his three grown children and a granddaughter who is a rising senior at Essex Tech.

Ruth Salinger
(she/her)

After earning her B.S., in Education from Wheelock College in 1953, at the height of the Brown v Board of Education decision and Civil Rights movement, Ruth started a teaching job in Lakeland, GA. She was driven by the issues of the times, and challenged the traditional Southern curriculum and ultimately lost her job because she taught her students about racial inequality in America.

Ruth has established several solution oriented programs and organizations dedicated to promoting citizenship and equal justice. She cofounded the Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council to confront differences, promote equality and settle refugees from Cambodia and Vietnam; the Greeley Foundation, a nonprofit to promote peaceful resolution of conflict, global environmental decision-making, women’s voices, and better US/RU relations; and The Salinger Group, Inc. in Gloucester, to introduce American companies wanting to do business in foreign countries including Russia. She also lectured on citizenship at Boston College, Wheelock College, Boston University, Alfred University, and co-founded the “Traveling Road Show on Prejudice.”

Ruth held elected office as a member and chairperson of the Concord and Concord-Carlisle School Committees (1973 to 1979). Later, she worked as a District Case Worker for the MA Senate Ways and Means Office, (1983-1984) and as the District Director for Congressman Chester G. Atkins, 5th Congressional District, MA, (1984- 1985). As longtime member of Concord and the Gloucester Democratic City Committees, she has volunteered for countless local, state and national elections as well as committees and events.

Ruth has traveled the globe on missions to help others, and has worked or volunteered with President Jimmy Carter, Vladimir Pozner, Coretta Scott King, Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s, Don Henley, Sen. Paul Tsongas, Gov. Mike Dukakis, and Sen. John Kerry.

Paul Wasserman
(he/him)

Paul has worked for racial equality and economic justice his entire adult life. As a 16 year old college student (in 1960) he was active in the Civil Rights movement, desegregating public facilities, organizing and leading boycotts, marches and sit-ins. The first year was under the leadership of Eleanor (Holmes) Norton, now the long time Congressional Representative for Washington DC.

Paul completed a Graduate Degree in Clinical Psychology in the early 70s. As a student and after, he was active in civil rights, including work with the Black Panthers to establish a freedom school, a health clinic and a food pantry. He also started and led an Antiwar Tax Resistance Movement and was active in demonstrations where he functioned as a Marshal and trainer of other Marshals.

Paul’s consulting experience includes an extensive range of projects in diversity, inclusion and cultural competency for an array of clients including Harvard and Boston Medical Center, and a multi year Cultural Competency Project for the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. He was an original member of the Boston Dialogues on Race and Ethnicity, co-leading sessions and developing a Strategic Plan. He also participated in a series of committees over the years in his Church (St. Paul in Lanesville) that focused on race relations and racial reconciliation.

Willa Lepionka Brosnihan
(she/her)

Willa is a 17 year old student living in Gloucester. She is a poet, artist, and organizer focused around social justice and class issues. She attended Gloucester High School and then finished her high school courses at Salem State University as a nondegree student. There, she studied political science, philosophy, and intersectional understandings of “Americanness” and American imperialism, through the lenses of both history and literature.

In her political considerations, she comes from a leftist, specifically anarchist perspective, viewing the structures of capitalism and the then resulting colonialism to be the most foundational origins of institutionalized racism. Coming from this political standpoint, Willa is a police and prison abolitionist and views liberation from capitalism as one of the essential steps towards liberation from white supremacy, male supremacy, and the suppression of queer people.

Jillian Rose Chávez-Oliveira
(she/they)

Jillian has lived in Gloucester for her whole life and currently is a student going into her senior year at Hampshire College. Her concentration consists of Critical Dance Studies and Indigenous Studies. While she is a dancer and choreographer, she also enjoys writing, painting, and fusing her creative mediums with her research.

Specific themes and objectives surfaced in her work include working to dismantle anti-black racism in Latin American culture and analyzing its history, Mexican-American identity, dismantling people of color’s suppression of voice, and centering indigenous ideology while utilizing Critical Race Theory (CRT) for developing her own decolonizing methodologies and practices incorporating movement. Jillian’s ultimate goal is to heal by centering Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) knowledge. She takes an approach that emphasizes the interconnection of mind, body, and soul for healing and decolonization starting from within.

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Message from the Chair, July 2020

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Gloucester Democratic City Committee

Three and a half years ago, right before his inauguration, a friend here in Gloucester assured me that one day I would see the “good” in Donald Trump. I probably gave a half-hearted chuckle or sideways glance, as I most definitely did not share the same certainty in the redeeming qualities of the President-Elect.

For a long time I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I didn’t see any good in children separated from their parents at the border. I couldn’t fathom faith in his decency when calling neo-Nazis “fine people” after they marched in Charlottesville, even killing a counter-demonstrator. I utterly failed to see the divine light of the man and his family as they engaged in the profligate use of the most sacred office for their own profit. Nor did gleefully abandoning our post-war alliances in favor of cuddle sessions with violent dictators seem like the act of a misunderstood man who meant well. And now his complete and astounding failure to contain or even attempt to care to mitigate the loss from the worst health crisis in a century seems to be out of a very different playbook than that of a “good man.”

However, it has dawned on me that Donald Trump, despite all of his flaws, is in fact a profoundly inspiring man. In these three years we have seen a true renaissance of genuine political engagement on the left. Folks have come out of the woodwork in droves, stood up, and found their voices. A whole new generation, of people of all ages, is awake and marching so that men like Donald Trump and his supporters never have unchecked power again. He inspired them. Apathy, the chief ally of backwardness, and the bulwark of bullies, is dying, and no one intends to lend it a ventilator.

Across the nation, millions of people are marching for equality. Young and old, of all races, standing up for social justice. Here in our own community our young people are leading marches and organizing activism that will become central to their lives beyond the trials of 2020. They are committing us all by example to seek a more conscientious, diverse, and equitable future.

It is not only the youth of our community that has found its voice. A few months ago, I saw people from around our city stand up and defend our nascent Human Rights Commission from becoming a bastion of Trumpism. Dozens of our citizens independently stood up in the face of potential legal intimidation to say that folks that pal around with the notoriously homophobic and transphobic Mass GOP Chair Jim Lyons, should NOT be arbiters of “Human Rights” in our community. The genie is most definitely, and forever, out of the bottle.

So perhaps there is some good to be had from the experience of Donald Trump after all. A whole new generation of souls who will fight for justice have found their voices, and they are singing.

Democratically yours,
Matthew C. Murray

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Gloucester Democratic City Committee Awards 2020 Public Service Scholarship to Danielle Denman

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Gloucester Democratic City Committee

The Gloucester Democratic City Committee (GDCC) has awarded this year’s Public Service Scholarship to Danielle Denman. The GDCC awards a scholarship each year to a graduating Gloucester High School senior that has demonstrated a sustained commitment to helping others through public service.

“Whether it has been on the phones and doors during campaign season, in front of Market Basket collecting tuna for The Open Door, or one of a number of other volunteer opportunities, Danielle has consistently demonstrated her commitment to public service in our community,” said Bernadette Merenda, chair of the GDCC Scholarship Committee. “While we did not lack exceptional candidates for this year’s scholarship, Danielle continues to stand out. We are proud to award her the GDCC Public Service Scholarship for the Class of 2020.”

“I am truly honored and grateful to be this year’s recipient of the GDCC Public Service Scholarship,” said Denman. “I have been fortunate to work with the GDCC to further my work in community service and social activism.”

Denman’s involvement with GDCC outreach and public service projects began during the presidential campaign season, when she knocked on doors and made calls to inform voters about issues and candidates while asking them to exercise their right to vote. Between campaigns she has helped with GDCC public service activities that benefit The Open Door and other local organizations, as well as volunteering independently with Cape Ann Animal Aid, Wellspring House, and Pathways for Children.

“I began working with the committee during the 2012 Presidential election, where I participated in canvassing and the Get Out The Vote campaign. The hands-on work the GDCC has done for the Gloucester community has inspired me to continue my service throughout high school,” said Denman. “As the Vice President of the Young Democrats Club at GHS, I worked with the GDCC to participate in the annual Ton of Tuna food drive, and learned with their guidance how to show support for local politics through public service.”

A member of the National Honor Society and many other GHS clubs, including service as a writer and editor for The Gillnetter, Denman cites her personal experience and Gloucester’s community spirit for her devotion to public service.

“At times in my life, my family and I have faced adversities that have led us to seek assistance from The Open Door and other local community organizations. The help and kindness we have received from these people has inspired me to give back,” said Denman. “Through the National Honor Society, the GDCC, and other organizations, as well as my own determination, I am proud to say that I believe I have made my community a better place. I will continue to work hard to improve my community, largely because I know the impact public service can have on families and individuals.”

Denman plans on attending Emmanuel College as a member of their honors program and hopes to become a professional in the communications field.

In addition to the scholarship awarded to Danielle Denman, the Gloucester Democratic City Committee awarded two secondary scholarships to Gloucester High School seniors Ruby Mills and Kevyn Ann Chandler.

“We were extremely fortunate to have such high-quality candidates competing for this scholarship, a testament to both the students and our public school teachers here in Gloucester,” said Merenda. “In a time when students are facing the prospect of taking huge loans to pay for their education, we want to make sure we do what we can to encourage public service in our students. We are glad to offer awards to Ruby Mills and Kevyn Ann Chandler.”

Mills is a Sawyer Medal winner and member of the Student Council and National Honor Society. Her commitment to public service started in elementary school, when she would walk around with her wagon and pick up trash. She has volunteered at Cape Ann Animal Aid and West Parish Elementary School, as well as The Open Door, where she has helped to prepare and serve community meals to those in need. This past summer, she volunteered over forty hours at Addison Gilbert Hospital in the emergency department and the senior adult unit, where she observed the workflow of the hospital and interacted with patients. Mills plans on attending Saint Anselm College to study nursing.

Chandler is a member of the Student Council and National Honor Society. Throughout her years at Gloucester High School, she immersed herself in a variety of extracurricular activities, including the varsity cheerleading and tennis teams, as well as the Interact Club, where she received an award for her dedication of service. In her public service work, she has volunteered at Pathways for Children, The Open Door, the Sawyer Free Library, and a number of after school extracurricular events. She has also taught at a youth cheer camp, emphasizing the importance of teamwork to her students. Chandler has been accepted to a number of New England area colleges and universities.

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GDCC Members Share Their Stories About Joe Nogelo, 2020 McCarthy Award Winner

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Gloucester Democratic City Committee

The Gloucester Democratic City Committee honored Joe Nogelo with the 2020 Charles McCarthy Lifetime Achievement Award during our June meeting last week for how he has dedicated much of his life to the service of others and promotion of the common good. Now, GDCC members who have worked and volunteered alongside Joe are sharing their stories about Joe’s leadership, dedication, and contributions to the common good.

Catherine Bayliss

Joe Nogelo with Catherine Bayliss and Helen Wiseman

Joe Nogelo, door-to-door canvasser and political guru extraordinaire, and I were canvassing partners one damp gray late afternoon in Magnolia. Perhaps we knew it was going to rain and perhaps we had rain jackets on and an umbrella ready. I remember a sudden heavy downpour as it was getting dark. We stood dripping at voters’ doors, grateful for any who had porches to shelter us as we felt in our pockets for tissues to wipe foreheads, noses, and my glasses. We would try to get somewhat presentable and then ring the doorbell while struggling to find the voter’s name on the soaked pages of our canvass list. As we went along, it required a delicate hand to move the soggy page we had just completed to the back of the clipboard, and some pages disintegrated in the process. Knowing Joe, we probably carried on until we had finished our assigned route, since a rainstorm meant it was more likely the voters would be home.

Karen N. Bell

Joe Nogelo with a canvass team outside the 2016 campaign headquarters

I got to know Joe Nogelo late in the day of the 2012 general election. Just beginning to learn the ropes myself, I had been assigned the title of “Precinct Captain,” which involved getting out the vote. Joe and I were sitting in a home located near the polling place, where we were checking off the names of Obama supporters on paper lists as the poll watchers brought them in. As the hour approached for the polls to close we realized that canvassers would not have sufficient time to visit homes on foot. Joe decided to dispense with the “knocking on doors” protocol and we began making phone calls. In this way he located some supporters who needed a ride to the polls, picked them up and made it to the polling place just minutes before closing!

Joe has worn many hats for the Democrats in Gloucester, including Finance Chair, Ward Chair, Canvassing Captain, and Brunch Committee chair. He tackled the most physically challenging tasks from setting up the sidewalk bazaar tent to affixing the GDCC banner high above the Elks entrance on Brunch day. His friendly fundraising letters helped us raise thousands of dollars to support campaign headquarters. Joe trained dozens of volunteers to knock on doors, telling them to engage with the person who appeared, and to ask them questions to elicit their concerns and hopes rather than trying to “sell the candidate” immediately. His warm and inviting manner could charm most any undecided voter — no doubt through identifying areas of common interests. His lessons and example continue to serve all of us who want meaningful reforms and solutions to our current state of democracy.

Mike Wheeler

Joe Nogelo hangs the HQ banner with an assist from Mike Wheeler

There must be many Joe Nogelos. No single person could rack up so many accomplishments.

Look! There’s Joe, the U.S. Navy veteran. And over there is another Joe, the champion community builder with decades of work at the Y. Gosh, here’s another. It’s crack of dawn at Cannon Mt, and Joe is first in line for the chair life. And my goodness, it’s another season. I just spotted surfer dude Joe, hanging ten.

Time flies. Now it’s evening in the Gloucester House and see: there’s yet another Joe at a GDCC meeting, greeting new members with a broad smile.

Whoa! We’ve just zipped to Lowell for a state convention. Wouldn’t you know it, here’s Joe amping up enthusiasm for the Democratic slate. What a whirlwind! Better slow down a bit, now that we’re canvassing. And lucky us, we’re teamed up with, you guessed it, it’s Joe again! Savor his company and learn from his example. That warm smile is genuine. He never challenges or scolds. People who open the door recognize that he wants to hear their concerns and priorities. It’s obvious that here is an extraordinarily good and decent guy. And that wins them over.

Maybe you’ll insist that there is only one Joe. If that’s the case, he’s a marvel. We’ve got to clone him. And if that’s not in the cards, we all must do our best to emulate him.

Mary Kingsley

Joe Nogelo getting ready to canvass with the team in New Hampshire

The first time I worked with Joe we were running numbers. For Cape Ann TV, on a local election day about fifteen years ago. Everyone was gathered in Kyrouz Auditorium awaiting results. As each precinct reported, Joe or I would carry the information to Sinnika, who was then the manager of CATV, enthroned in a red, white and blue bower, to broadcast the news and interview the newly-elected city councilors.

During our years together on the GDCC Executive Committee, he was the hardest-working and best organized leaders I’ve ever worked with: Organizing the brunch and the wine and cheese: marshalling us to make phone calls and hand-write envelopes to the people on his lists, and he had a lot of lists; presenting us with a choice of wines and cheeses for the W&C (his taste was excellent); moderating the sometimes endless discussions about a theme for the brunch; making sure all the positions were covered – set-up, name-tags, etc., and cleaning up after the wine and cheese.

Canvassing and outreach: Teaching us the rationale and the techniques at GDCC meetings and on Democratic Dialogue. Joe’s soapbox on the art of the elevator speech was probably the most memorable and most useful in the history of GDCC soapboxes. Setting the pace for the canvassers. I was paired with him often and remember juggling papers while we barreled down Rte. 133 at ten miles over the speed limit, so we could finish this walk sheet and he could start another.

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