Politics

We have a race! The following is from our Shrewsbury neighbor's blog "ShrewsBuried", titled ' Denis Leary To Run For State Representative'

by Mark Adler

Shrewsbury Democrat Denis Leary has taken out nomination papers to run for State Representative from the 11th Worcester District, which covers Shrewsbury and part of Westborough. The seat is being vacated by Republican Karyn Polito, who's running for State Treasurer.

Leary is a 57 year old resident of Shrewsbury. He is the Executive Director of Veterans Inc, which provides shelter, food, and training to homeless Massachusetts vets. This organization recently brought its operations to Shrewsbury in the former Calvary Retreat Center on South Street.

He is not the famous comedian/actor from Worcester, but rather is a graduate of Stonehill College and Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. He has more than 15 years experience in the administration and management of human service programs.

Mr. Leary was previously employed by Community Healthlink, a subsidiary of UMassMemorial Healthcare System, where he was a Division Director for 11 years. He is also the former President of the Central Massachusetts Substance Abuse Association, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and he was the 2000 recipient of the T&G's Vision Award.

The deadline for nomination papers is May 4. The primary election is September 14.

Mr. Leary will be challenging Mr. Beaton, who is running as a Republican for 11th Worcester District.

Have you heard of Matt Beaton?  I'm sure you will, if you're in Westborough precincts 1 and 4.

Since Karyn Polito is running for State Treasurer, this opens up the seat for State Representative in the 11th Worcester District (Westborough Pcts 1 and 4, and Shrewsbury).  One candidate (the only?) is Matt Beaton of Shrewsbury.  See excerpts from his campaign kick-off rally and speech on YouTube:

You may also read more about him here.

Republican initiative adopted during supplemental budget debate

State to reimburse cities and towns for special election costs

BOSTON—Representative George Peterson is pleased to announce a critical Republican initiative was adopted during Wednesday’s supplemental budget debate.

The proposal, which was offered as an amendment on the House floor, will appropriate $7.2 million to reimburse cities and towns for the costs related to the special election held earlier this year.

Representative Peterson was surprised this appropriation wasn’t included in the House Ways and Means supplemental budget as the State Auditor had previously confirmed that the special election represents an unfunded mandate that must be covered by the state.

“This was promised to all of our cities and towns after my Democratic colleagues changed the law to fill a vacated US Senate seat, twice”, stated Representative Peterson. “Hopefully the Senate will agree with this change when they take up the supplemental budget. I know how critical every dollar is to our cities and towns. I am happy that we approved this additional money for our communities”.

The Town of Westborough will be receiving $23,240.60 in reimbursement funds. The amendment was nearly adopted unanimously, with all but one lawmaker voting in favor of the amendment.

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Prohibits Bullying and Cyber-bullying

MAR 19, 2010. BOSTON – Last night, State Representative Carolyn Dykema joined her colleagues in the House of Representatives in passing legislation to prohibit bullying and cyber-bullying. The bill requires school staff to report bullying, while also requiring schools to develop a bullying prevention plan and integrate bullying prevention instruction into their curriculum.

“The outpouring of support for this bill has been tremendous,” said Rep. Dykema. “It was very meaningful to vote for a bill that will help put a stop to bullying, an issue that clearly touches so many lives.”

The bill prohibits bullying at school, including at school-sponsored events, on school busses and at school bus stops, as well as the use of electronic devices to carry out cyber-bullying. The bill also bans bullying or cyber-bullying that takes place outside of school if the bullying affects the school environment.

In an effort to protect against incidents of bullying across the Commonwealth, the bill requires schools to add bullying prevention instruction to their curriculum and offer information about bullying prevention to parents. It also provides for the training of teachers and staff in the identification, prevention, and response to bullying among students.

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State Representative Carolyn Dykema represents the towns of Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway (pct. 1), Southborough (pct. 2 & 3) and Westborough (pct. 2).