CMGR report to State Committee

July 8, 2017

Since the April 2, 2017 State Committee meeting, the Central Massachusetts chapter has met three times, with an average attendance of 8.7. 

In April we elected a new slate of officers for the coming year: Bryan Moss and Charlene DiCalogero are the incoming Co-Chairs, Carol Sotiropoulos is the new Secretary, John Helfrick will continue as Treasurer, Roni Beal will serve as chapter representative to AdCom, and David Spanagel will assume duties as the chapter’s Facebook group page administrator.  

In May, the chapter officially approved an overhaul of its bylaw language to reflect the new name and accumulated changes in ongoing practices.  Two chapter members won election to municipal public offices: Sharon Moss is now a Representative Town Meeting member in Shrewsbury and Charlene DiCalogero is a Library Trustee in Berlin.  Many CMGR members attended (and helped to host) the annual Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party’s State Convention on May 13, 2017 at the First Unitarian Church of Worcester.

In June, CMGR selected its two 2017 Central Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Award winners and initiated planning for an awards presentation event to take place by the beginning of the fall. 

Throughout the spring, chapter members have continued their extraordinarily active involvement in organizing local towns to challenge natural gas pipeline expansion projects (seen most notably through our members’ leadership roles in Grafton and in Shrewsbury, but also in our Westminster members’ growing participation in Sugar Shack Alliance pipeline protest events in Amherst and the Otis State Forest).  Other chapter members support Worcester’s anti-foreclosure movement by attending eviction/auction protests and staffing MAAPL outreach efforts.  Finally, CMGR has reached out with offers of materials, experience, and advice to assist folks in northeastern Massachusetts who are trying to form a new GRP regional chapter there.

Respectfully submitted by David Spanagel, member, CMGR