Deval Patrick

Deval Patrick

Template:TOCnestleft Deval Patrick is a former Governor of Massachusetts.

Deval Patrick was reelected to a second term as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in November 2010. First elected in 2006 on a platform of hope and change, Governor Patrick entered office propelled by an unprecedented grassroots campaign.

Deval Patrick presidential campaign

Deval Patrick presidential campaign.

Background

Governor Patrick joined Bain Capital in 2015 and is a Managing Director and Co-Managing Partner of the Double Impact business.

Prior to joining the firm, he served as Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for eight years. Before entering public office, Governor Patrick was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of The Coca-Cola Company. He also worked as Vice President and General Counsel of Texaco, Inc. and served on the company’s Executive Council. Governor Patrick was previously a Partner at Day, Berry & Howard and a Partner at Hill & Barlow. Patrick came to Massachusetts in 1970 at the age of 14. A motivated student despite the difficult circumstances of poor and sometimes violent Chicago schools, he was awarded a scholarship to Milton Academy through A Better Chance, a Boston-based organization.

Governor Patrick is a graduate of Harvard College, the first in his family to attend college, and of Harvard Law School. After clerking for a federal judge, he led a successful career in the private sector as an attorney and business executive, rising to senior executive positions at Texaco and Coca-Cola. In 1994, President Clinton appointed Patrick as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, the nation's top civil rights post.

Diane and Deval Patrick have been married for more than twenty-five years and have two adult daughters.

Education

Mr. Patrick graduated cum laude with a BA degree from Harvard College and earned his JD degree from Harvard Law School.

Support from ACORN

ACORN supported Patrick in his 2006 race for Governor of Massachusetts .

The August members meeting of Boston Democratic Socialists of America will decide our stance on some important upcoming political contests. To help clarify our views on the Governor’s race, we’ve invited progressive supporters of each of the three Democratic candidates and Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party to debate who can best advance our programs and values this election year.

ACORN and SEIU 1199 have been invited to explain their support for Deval Patrick and Tom Reilly respectively...

Rainbow Coalition

Political consultant David Axelrod would later join the Washington reelection team that worked closely with Rainbow Coalition founders and organizers. Axelrod appropriated and enhanced Rainbow Coalition methods and rhetoric and applied them to media strategy, which he used to build his very successful political consulting career.

Axelrod’s niche is using the idealism of the Rainbow Coalition’s identity politics to persuade predominately white electorates to vote for black candidates. He helped to run the campaigns of many of the black candidates who ran for mayor, state senate, governor, or U.S. Senate between 1987-2008 and won. For example, he was involved in Dennis Archer’s ascension to mayor of Detroit, Michael White’s mayoral victory in Cleveland, Anthony Williams’s mayoral victory in Washington, D.C., Lee Brown’s mayoral victory in Houston, and John Street’s mayoral victory in Philadelphia. Axelrod was also behind Deval Patrick’s clinching of the governorship in Massachusetts and Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate victory in Illinois.

Obama was actually introduced to the ideals of Rainbow Coalition politics by David Axelrod after Obama’s only political defeat at the hands of the original Rainbow Coalition founder and former Illinois Black Panther, U.S. Congressman Bobby Rush from Illinois. Obama challenged the incumbent Rush by using a Black Nationalist agenda and approach. Rush used the Rainbow Coalition, which transcends race by locating commonalities, and defeated Obama by more than a 2-1 margin.

2010 campaign

President Obama, who rode to power in 2008 on a campaign modeled in part on Patrick’s, will undoubtedly be watching closely.

David Plouffe - Obama’s former campaign manager, who is advising the Patrick campaign - said he is “very confident’’ the governor can rebuild his network, although it will be “very, very hard’’ to do. Patrick’s volunteers, he said, will need to defend the governor’s record to their neighbors and friends, rather than introduce him as a new figure, as they did in 2006.

“The most important thing is going to be those human beings, trusted people, talking to each other,’’ Plouffe said. “That’s the way you get past the day-to-day press coverage and the negative ads that we know are coming. And in Massachusetts, you can have those types of conversations. I witnessed them in ’06, and I think they’re going to be even more important.’’

“I am not in any way underestimating how heavy a lift this is,’’ he told supporters in Cambridge. “We have got to talk to people who are with us. We have to talk to people who are not with us. And we have to talk to people who used to be with us and aren’t today, for one reason or another.’’

When he ran last time, Patrick pioneered the use of online tools that allowed his supporters to organize themselves and raise donations. By all accounts, it worked brilliantly.

He drew 20,000 volunteers and raised $14 million, almost a third of it online. So ardent was his following that six North Shore women launched a blog called “The Deval Experience.’’ A folk duo wrote a tune in his honor, “A Vote for Deval is a Vote for Us All.’’

But once in office, the governor struggled to keep his network alive. He wanted to “move from a grass-roots campaign to grass-roots governing,’’ but “there was no model,’’ said John Walsh, chairman of the state Democratic Party, who managed Patrick’s 2006 campaign.

Brian Corr, an African-American activist, said the black men he works with in Boston are also disillusioned.

“They are furious,’’ Corr told the governor. “They feel like they’ve been left behind. Their issues have not been addressed. I do my rap. But they look at me like I’m insane.’’

Patrick responded by saying he has never been closer to reforming sentencing and criminal offender record information laws, issues important to Boston’s black community. He told Berman that at least he had tried to raise the gas tax.

Sydney Asbury, Patrick’s campaign manager, said that by the numbers, Patrick is ahead of where he was in 2006, because he has 15,000 supporters and 1,600 “organizers’’ who have agreed to find 50 supporters each.

And new supporters are showing up. When the governor traveled to Springfield after his State of the Commonwealth speech last month, he arrived at 10 p.m. to a house party packed with 70 people, said Alex Goldstein, a Patrick spokesman.

Muslim connection

Muslim support

In 2006 local Muslims rallied around Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick and worked to defeat Question 1, the ballot initiative that would allow for an expansion of wine sales in grocery stores, leaders in the Islamic community said.

Tahir Ali, a spokesman for the Worcester Islamic Center, said area Muslims believe Mr. Patrick can do a better job looking out for the interests of working-class Massachusetts families.

He said there’s also strong concern about the attitude of Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, the Republican candidate, toward the Muslim community. Mr. Ali said there’s fear, rightly or wrongly, among many that Ms. Healey may hold beliefs that are similar to those of her boss, Gov. Mitt Romney.

The governor, for example, drew the ire of the Muslim community when, in a speech on homeland security last fall before the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, he suggested that some mosques be bugged to monitor students from nations accused of sponsoring terrorism.

The comments about local Muslim support for Mr. Patrick come on the heels of a poll released yesterday by a prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group that indicates that Muslim voters nationwide are leaning toward the Democratic Party.

In a poll of 1,000 registered Muslim voters conducted on behalf of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, 42 percent said they consider themselves Democrats, while 17 percent said they are Republican, and 28 percent said they had no party affiliation.

National Muslim groups, such as the American Muslim Alliance and the American Muslim Council, strongly supported Mr. Bush in his first run for the White House. But that support began waning after 9-11 and the subsequent decision by Mr. Bush to oust Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq.

Locally, Mr. Ali said many Muslims don’t believe Ms. Healey can provide “fiscal stability” to the state and they believe she is conducting a negative campaign.

He said that Ms. Healey, like other Republicans nationwide, is mistrusted by many Muslims, in the wake of the Bush administration’s policies and reactions after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

Mr. Ali said many Muslims are actively involved in Mr. Patrick’s campaign, with many manning phone banks and doing other campaign chores.

He said two voter registration drives were held at the Islamic Center.

Connections with Radical Islam

Report from Americans for Peace & Tolerance

On May 22 2010, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick embraced the radical leadership of the Muslim American Society (MAS), including Imam Abdullah Faarooq who told followers they must "pick up the gun and the sword" in response to the arrests of local Islamic extremist Aafia Siddiqui and terror suspect Tarek Mehanna. Click here for the full sermon by Imam Faaruuq.

Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

In May 2010 Governor Deval Patrick told more than 1,100 Muslims at a Roxbury mosque yesterday that he knew many have encountered discrimination and racial profiling since Sept. 11 and that he would do everything in his power to combat those problems.

Speaking at what Muslim activists described as the first such forum with a Massachusetts governor, the 53-year-old Democrat pledged to take seven steps to help Muslims in the state.

The measures ranged from urging businesses and governments to allow Muslims to take time off to attend Friday afternoon prayers to publicly denouncing discrimination and racial profiling against believers of Islam.

Although he responded “yes’’ when asked pointedly whether he was committed to each measure requested, Patrick sometimes broadened his pledges to recognize that other religious and ethnic groups deserved the same protections and accommodations.

“Yours is a peaceful faith, and I know that, and I know you are worried [about whether] others know that,’’ Patrick said after several Muslims joined him on the platform at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center to recount stories of epithets hurled at them on Boston streets and FBI agents visiting their houses.

“I know that people have been afraid and angry, and sometimes that fear and anger is randomly directed at you,’’ he said.

The audience, which comprised Muslims from across the state, including many women who wore hijab head coverings and men who wore kufi caps, frequently interrupted Patrick with cheers and chants of “Allahu Akbar!’’ which means “God is great!’’

Patrick, who noted that he has lived in Sudan and northern Nigeria and spent considerable time with Muslims, greeted the gathering upon his arrival with “Assalamu alaikum,’’ meaning “peace be upon you.’’ He drew loud cheers when he spoke a bit of Arabic.

The governor, who could not personally attend the official opening of the $15.6 million Roxbury mosque last year and was fulfilling a promise to visit, has appointed a liaison to the Muslim community. Patrick introduced the liaison, Ron Bell, one of his advisers for community affairs.

Patrick also promised to try to visit two more Muslim institutions by the end of the year, encourage public schools to be more sensitive to the needs of Muslim students, foster sensitivity training for law enforcement officials, and regulate banks that ignore the state’s usury cap law.

Attorney General Martha Coakley sent a representative who promised to use a $50,000 grant to increase sensitivity training for law enforcement officials.

Organizers of the forum said it was designed to get Muslims more involved in politics, repudiate extremism, and educate other Massachusetts residents, too many of whom hold negative stereotypes about Muslims.

“In general, we’re only recognized as terrorists,’’ said Dr. Syed Asif Razvi, a surgeon who is president of the Islamic Council of New England, in an interview before the event began.

He said recent news stories about the arrests of three New England men on immigration charges as part of the investigation of an attempted car bombing in Times Square has made many law-abiding Muslims feel “here we go again.’’

“We work very hard to build bridges, and it kind of wipes out all we’ve done for a period of time,’’ he said.

While some Muslims at the event said they have been harassed since 9/11, others said the problems they face are subtler, such as hiring discrimination.

“When [employers see] Muslim names, we don’t think we’re getting an equal chance to compete for jobs,’’ said Sameer Abu-Alsaoud of Cambridge. Abu- Alsaoud, 49, said he has been jobless for at least a year, even though he holds a master’s degree in management from Cambridge College.

Bilal Kaleem, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Boston and one of the organizers of the gathering, said beforehand that Patrick generally has been viewed as sensitive to the concerns of Muslims in Massachusetts.

Kaleem attributed that in part to the governor’s experience as an assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration. “He comes from a civil rights background, so he understands the issues at a deeper level,’’ Kaleem said.

Patrick met with organizers of the event several weeks ago at the mosque and appeared to be well-prepared for the commitments sought by the community.

Patrick, who is running for reelection this year, has attended similar forums with people of different faiths, including Christian and Jewish residents, his spokesman Kyle Sullivan said Friday. A number of attendees yesterday belonged to other faiths, including Christianity and Judaism.

The 1,100 Muslims at the event represented at least 25 Muslim institutions across the state, including 15 mosques. Many also came from a wide range of backgrounds, including Somali, Moroccan, Sudanese, African-American, Indian, Pakistani, Syrian, Palestinian, and West African.

The event came at the end of a three-month campaign during which activists held more than 15 community meetings that solicited the opinions of at least 500 Muslims.

The activists found that the community’s biggest concerns included the treatment of Muslims by law enforcement officials and a lack of awareness of Muslim customs and culture in public schools.

Suzan El-Rayess, a graduate student worked with event organizers.

MAS, according to the research of watchdog organizations including the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), has an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel history that started with its founding by members of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, the parent organization of Hamas.

IPT has noted that U.S. federal prosecutors identify MAS as “the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” Former MAS Secretary General Shaker El Sayed told the Chicago Tribune in 2004 that “Ikhwan (Muslim Brotherhood) members founded MAS, but MAS went way beyond that point of conception.”

Eid Mubarak!

“Eid Mubarak from the ISBCC & Governor Patrick!,” from the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center

As salamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatahu,

Eid Mubarak! May you and your loved ones have a blessed Eid and joyous celebration!

We are excited to announce that over the past few weeks, the ISBCC, along with the Islamic Council of New England, worked with the Office of Governor Deval Patrick to produce the first ever Eid ul-Adha video greeting for the Muslim community across Massachusetts. Please click below to watch our Governor’s gracious wishes on our sacred holiday!

We thank our Governor for setting this historic precedent, and his staff for working diligently to make this happen.

We also thank you, and the entire ISBCC family, for your generous and continued support to make these efforts possible. Stay blessed and Eid Mubarak!

Sincerely,

Yusufi Vali

Executive Director, ISBCC

DSA connections

Deval Patrick has ties to Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA delegate

One time Democratic Socialists of America member Tim Carpenter, was in 2006, elected as a Massachusetts Democratic Party delegate committed to Deval Patrick

Carpenter connection

Socialist activist Tim Carpenter cut his teeth on campaigns that recognized the connection between transforming politics and transforming the country: as a kid working "behind the Orange Curtain" (in then hyper-conservative Orange County) for George McGovern in 1972 and for the remarkable radical intervention that was Tom Hayden's 1976 US Senate bid. Carpenter was a trusted aide to the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1988 "Rainbow Coalition" run for the presidency, an inner-circle strategist for Jerry Brown's 1992 presidential run (addressing that year's Democratic National Convention and urging delegates to "Save Our Party" from ideological compromises and corporate influence), a key figure in Dennis Kucinich's antiwar presidential campaign of 2004.

He also worked on plenty of campaigns that lost—as well as winning campaigns such as those of Congresswoman Donna Edwards, D-Maryland, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and, to his immense delight, Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts.

Brian Corr connection

Brian Corr with Deval Patrick.

Reaching out to unions

Governor Deval Patrick has had his differences with unions, some of them heated. In the fall, police were so irate about his cuts that they protested outside his events and endorsed one of his challengers, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill. For a time, it seemed other unions might follow suit.

But whatever clashes Patrick has had, they have clearly been put into perspective as the nation has divided over the battle in Wisconsin, where Governor Scott Walker is fighting not only to cut union benefits, but to sharply limit public employees’ collective bargaining rights.

Compared with the standoff in Wisconsin, Massachusetts is a relative haven for organized labor, a fact underscored February 2011, when Patrick showed up at a giant union rally on the steps of the State House and loudly protested Walker’s plan.

“I’m here to deliver one very simple message, which is we don’t need to attack public sector workers to make change for the people of the Commonwealth,’’ the governor told about 1,000 union workers on Beacon Street, as they waved signs, cheering and blocking traffic.

Patrick acknowledged that he has had a sometimes tense alliance with labor.

He has cut generous education benefits for police officers and curbed their lucrative work directing traffic at construction sites. He has asked state workers to pay more for their health benefits and directed them to take furlough days. And he has recently launched a push to give cities and towns more power to make changes to local workers’ health plans without union approval.

But to many union leaders, the governor is still considered an ally, especially compared with Walker. Most endorsed Patrick and worked on his reelection bid last fall, picking him over Cahill and Republican Charles D. Baker, who sharply criticized unions.

“The governor, at least, is someone we can sit down and negotiate with,’’ said Harris Gruman, an official with the state chapter of the Service Employees International Union.

Single-payer health care system touted

150 rally in support of concept at regional forum at UVM By Nancy Remsen Burlington Free Press March 18, 2009'

Dr. John Walsh, a neuroscience researcher from Worcester, Mass., stood Tuesday with 150 other sign-carrying supporters of government-financed health care outside the building where 400 invited guests would attend a regional health care reform forum sponsored by the Obama White House. Walsh passed out yellow fliers that denounced President Barack Obama for failing to live up to promises to consider a Canadian-style health insurance system. “Single payer is the choice in the polls,” Walsh declared.

Sandy Eaton of Quincy, Mass., and a member of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, came to the only forum scheduled for the Northeast to add his voice to those demanding that national policymakers weigh the merits of a government-financed system when they discuss reform options. “Let’s make sure there is a fair and legitimate comparison,” Eaton said.

Rebecca Elgie, a retired teacher, traveled six hours from Ithaca, N.Y., because she has made advocacy for a single-payer system her cause. Three years ago she walked 400 miles across her state to raise awareness about the need for a better way to pay for health care. Elgie said, “The employee-based system has outlived its usefulness.”

The rally greeted the invited guests as they strolled toward the Davis Center at the University of Vermont under a bright blue sky. “They need to know there is enough support for people to drop everything and come here to support single payer,” said Dr. Deb Richter, a Montpelier family physician and prime force in the single-payer movement in Vermont.

“Barack Obama is with us,” Richter told the rally participants. “President Obama is in a leaky boat out there in an ocean surrounded by sharks. We can’t expect President Obama to stick his toe in the water. He needs our help. That is why we are here today.”

Many at the rally were sure single-payer advocates would be ignored during the forum, even though some, including Richter, had tickets. But Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, who co-hosted the forum with Gov. Jim Douglas of Vermont, didn’t duck the topic. He put a spotlight on it.

“Is there one way?” Patrick asked the audience. “Should we have a couple of different ways or should we have a national template? Let’s talk a little about single payer.”

Richard Slusky, chief executive at Mount Ascutney Hospital in Windsor, described himself as a single-payer advocate, but added, “It doesn’t have to be an absolute, government-run system. We can have a system that involves the private sector.”

Susan Baker of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group said, “People want choice.” She said a publicly financed health insurance option should be available to anyone, not just those with low income.

Patrick called on Richter, who sat in a front row in her white coat. Noting the administrative burden that physicians face dealing with dozens of health insurance payers, Richter asked, “Why would we even need private insurance?”

Jim Hughes, a retired physician from West Fairlee, observed the sky didn’t fall when Patrick, a politician, dared to say the words “single payer.”

“We ought to talk about it,” Patrick said.

Nancy-Ann DeParle, director of the White House Office of Health Reform, offered a cautionary note about a single-payer system. She asked how many in the audience had health insurance, and then asked, “How many people would want to change what they have? That is one thing we have to keep in mind.”

“What will you do for the next generation?” asked Bronwyn Fleming-Jones, a University of Vermont senior worried about how she will pay for health insurance after she graduates in two months.

Will reform consider the importance of home health care? asked Gary Sheehan, president of Cape Medical Supply.

Ira Byock, director of palliative care at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, urged policymakers to “focus on people, not patients and think beyond the silo of the health care budget.”

DeParle and the two governors will report to Obama about the forum. Three more forums are scheduled in other areas of the country. DeParle said she was learning information about programs that work, ideas that should be tried and political strategy to win support for change.

“You have two governors here who figured out how to get that support,” DeParle said.

“It took a very broad coalition to come together to design health care reform in Massachusetts and they have stayed together,” Patrick said. He added, it also took a realization “that there were other choices than the two choices on the table — the perfect solution and no solution at all.”

Socialists on 2006 Transition Team

November 29, 2006 Mass. Gov.-elect Deval Patrick has appointed WPI President Dennis Berkey to serve as co-chairman of the pre-K-12 Education working group as part of the Patrick Transition Committee. Berkey’s panel is one of 15 that will shape the new gubernatorial administration’s policy agenda as Patrick prepares to take office in January. The working groups will conduct a series of Community Meetings across the state to seek public input.

Contact: Richard Chacon, Libby DeVecchi. Governor-elect Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor-elect Tim Murray announced today the creation of 15 Transition Committee issues working groups that will help shape the new administration’s policy agenda as it prepares to take office on Jan. 4, 2007.

Co-chairs and members of the Transition Committee working groups include: Budget and Finance

• Chair, Steven Crosby, Dean, McCormick Graduate School of Policy Studies UMASS-Boston
• Chair, Michael J. Widmer, President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
• Charles Baker, CEO, Harvard Pilgrim
• Martin Benison, Comptroller, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Jack Buckley, former Secretary of Administration and Finance
• Katherine Craven, Executive Director, Massachusetts School Building Authority
• Henry Dormitzer, Managing Director, UBS Bank
• Jay Gonzalez, Partner-Public Finance Department, Edwards, Angel, Palmer and Dodge
• Paul Haley, Senior Vice President, Lehman Brothers
• David Shapiro, Senior Policy Advisor, Holland and Knight
• Lisa Signori, CFO, City of Boston
• Eric Turner, former Executive Director Massachusetts State Lottery

Economic Development

• Chair, Andrea Silbert, Co-Founder & Former CEO, Center for Women and Enterprise
• Chair, Dorothy Terrell, CEO, Initiative For a Competitive Inner City
• Mara G. Aspinall, President, Genzyme Genetics
• Allan W. Blair, CEO, Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts
• Elliot Carr, Cape Cod Business Roundtable
• William H. Davis, Founding Chairman and CEO, ZE-gen, Inc.
• Mark Farber, Founder and Vice President of Strategic Planning, Evergreen Solar, Inc.
• Peter V. Forman, CEO, South Shore Chamber of Commerce
• David P. Forsberg, President, Worcester Business Development Corporation
• George M. Gendron, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Clark University, Kauffman Foundation
• Carlos Gonzalez, CEO, Massachusetts Latino Chamber of Commerce
• Norm Gorin, CFO, Analysis Group
• Robert J. Haynes, President, MA AFL-CIO
• John Jenkins, President, West Insurance Agency of Massachusetts
• Jim Klocke, Executive Vice President, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
• Alvaro Lima, Director of Research, Boston Redevelopment Authority
• Mark E. Reilly, Vice President for Government and Community Relations, Comcast Corp
• Jim Segel, Founding Partner, Smith, Segal, & Sowalsky
• Robert Smyth, CEO, Citizens Bank of Massachusetts
• Micho Spring, Chair, Weber Shandwick Company
• Dave Tibbetts, Co-Founder, Merrimack Valley Economic Development Council Inc.
• Susan Whitehead, Vice Chair, Whitehead Institute
• Michael Wilcox, CEO & Founder, Alford Associates, Inc.

Education, pre-K-12

• Chair, Tom Payzant, Former superintendent, Boston Public Schools
• Chair, Dennis Berkey, President, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Margaret Blood, President & Campaign Director, Early Education for All
• Dr. Charles Conroy, Executive Director, Doctor Franklin Perkins School
• Chris Gabrieli, Co-founder and Chairman, Mass 20/20
• Jim Marini, Superintendent, Winchester Public Schools
• Neil McKittrick, Director, Goulston & Storrs
• Janet Palmer Owens, Elementary Principal, Mason School
• Paul Reville, Executive Director, Rennie Center for Education Research
• Henry M. Thomas III, President & CEO, Urban League of Springfield
• Ethan d'Ablemont Burnes Policy Director, Boston Plan for Excellence

Higher Education

• Chair, Jackie Jenkins Scott, President, Wheelock College
• Chair, Margaret McKenna, President, Lesley University
• John Bassett, President, Clark University, Worcester
• Phil Clay, Chancellor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael Collins, Chancellor, UMASS-Boston
• Dan Esquino, President, Mount Wachusett Community College
• Mary Field, President, Bunker Hill Community
• Nancy Harrington, President, Salem State College
• Dana Mohler-Faria, President, Bridgewater State College
• Mahesh Sharma, President, Cambridge College
• Alan Solomont, CEO, Solomont Bailis Ventures
• Richard Freeland, Visiting Professor of Higher Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
• Fernando Reimers, Director, International Education Policy Program Harvard University

Energy and the Environment

• Chair, Jim Gomes, President, Environmental League of Massachusetts
• Chair, Sue Tierney, Managing Principal, Analysis Group, Inc.
• Kathy Abbott, Former DCR Director, Conservation and Recreation Campaign
• Ann Berwick, Attorney, M.J. Bradley & Associates
• Ian Bowles, President, MassINC.
• John DeVillars, Environmentalist, Bluewave Strategies
• Vivian Li, Boston Harbor Association
• Susan Nickerson, Executive Director, Alliance for Nantucket Sound
• Amy Perlmutter, Environmental Consultant
• Andy Savitz, President, Sustainable Business Strategies
• Nick Stavropolous, Executive Vice President, Keyspan Corporation
• Greg Watson, Vice President for Sustainable Development and Renewable Resources, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
• Henry Yoshimura, Manager of Demand Response, ISO New England Inc.
• Joe Nolan, Senior Vice President, NSTAR
• Joe Newman, Vice President of Massachusetts Public Affairs, National Grid

Health Care

• Chair, Tom Glynn, COO, Partners Health Care
• Chair, Cleve Killingsworth, CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
• Chair, Jim Hunt, President and CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
• Dr. Margarita Alegria, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Center for Multicultural Mental Health Research Cambridge Health Alliance
• Carol Dilliplane, CNO/Vice President, Patient Care Services, Jordan Hospital
• Charlie Goheen, Vice President and CFO, Fallon Community Health Plan
• Phil Johnston, Chairman of the Board, Mass Health Policy Forum
• Melissa Shannon, Policy Coordinator, Health Care for All
• Mark Tolosky, President, Bay State Health
• Dr. M. Idali Torres, Assistant Professor, School of Public Health, UMASS-Amherst
• Tom Traylor, Vice President of Federal, State, Local Programs, Boston Medical Center
• Bill Walczak, Executive Director, Program Codman Square Health Center
• Sue Windham Bannister, Managing Vice President, Abt Associates
• Richard Charette, President, UFCW Local 1445
• Christine Schuster, President & CEO, Emerson Hospital
• Jim Roosevelt, President and CEO, Tufts Health Plan
• Dr. Robert Master, Founder, Urban Medical Group

Housing

• Chair, David Abromowitz, Senior Partner, Goulston and Storrs
• Chair, Patrick Lee, Trinity Financial
• John Barros, Executive Director, Dudley Street Initiative
• Barry Bluestone, Dean, School of Social Science, Urban Affairs and Public Policy, Northeastern University
• Mark Cregan, President, Stonehill College
• Aaron Gornstein, Executive Director, CHAPA
• Dennis Kanin, Principal, New Boston Ventures
• Jenny Netzer, Principal, MMA Financial
• Stephen Teasdale, Executive Director, Main South Community
• Mark Erlich,Executive Secretary-Treasurer, New England Regional Council of Carpenters
• Joe Feaster, Attorney, McKenzie and Associates PC
• Ana Luna, Executive Director, Arlington Community Trabajando

Human Services

• Chair, Reverend Richard Richardson, President Emeritus, Children's Services of Roxbury
• Chair, Marylou Sudders, President & CEO, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
• Randall Rucker, Executive Director, Family Services of Greater Boston
• Sue Marsh, Executive Director, Rosie’s Place
• George Bachrach, Attorney & Professor, Boston University
• David Wizansky, President, Specialized Housing
• Lauren Smith, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine and Medical Director - Legal Partnership for Children, Boston Medical Center
• Jerry Desilets, Director of Planning, SMOC
• Maurice Boisvert, President and CEO, YOU, Inc.
• Frank Ollivierre, Former Secretary of Elder Affairs
• Mark Edwards, Managing Partner, Edwards and Co.
• Milton Little, President & CEO, United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimac Valley
• Deborah C. Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay
• Robert P. Dwyer, Executive Director, Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging
• Charles Carr, Executive Director, Northeast Independent Living Program, Inc.

Local Government

• Chair, Mayor Thomas Menino, Boston
• Chair, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Somerville
• Chair, Mayor Clare Higgins, Northhampton
• Mayor John Barrett, III, North Adams
• Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Salem
• Mayor Edward Lambert, Jr., Fall River
• Mayor Scott Lang, New Bedford
• Mayor William F. Martin, Jr., Lowell
• Mayor Michael J. McGlynn, Medford
• Mayor Robert G. Nunes, Taunton
• Mayor Gerald E. St. Hilaire, Gardner
• Mayor Richard K. Sullivan, Jr., Westfield
• Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves, Cambridge
• Mayor James M. Ruberto, Pittsfield
• Mayor Nancy Stevens, Marlborough

Technology

• Chair, Charles Steel Fisher, New Media Director, Deval Patrick Committee
• Chair, Richard Rowe, CEO, Rowe Communications
• Brian Burke, Microsoft
• John Cullinane, Principal, The Cullinane Group
• Louis Gutierrez, former State CIO and Director of ITD
• Keith Parent, CEO, Court Square
• David Lewis, Private Consultant
• Larry Weber, Chairman, W2 Group

Public Safety and Security

• Chair, Gary Gemme, Chief of Police, Worcester
• Chair, Don Stern , Partner, Bingham McCutchen LLP
• Mark Robinson, Partner, Bingham McCutchen LLP
• Paul Joyce, Superintendent, Boston Police
• James Alan Fox, Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice, Northeastern University
• Reverend William Dickerson, Tabernacle Church
• Ben Thompson, Director of Computing Services, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
• Bill Scoble, Chief of Police, Westwood
• Josh Wall, Suffolk County District Attorney
• Juliette Kayyem , Lecturer in Public Policy , Kennedy School of Government Harvard
• Brandyn Keating, Executive Director, Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
• Hugh Cameron, President, MassCops
• Minister Don Mohammed , Nation of Islam, Boston

Transportation

• Chair, Jane Garvey, Executive Vice President, APCO-Transportation Division
• Chair, Stephanie Pollack, Senior Research Associate, Northeatern University Center for Urban and Regional Policy
• Joseph Aiello, Senior Vice President, DMJM+Harris
• Fred Salvucci, Senior Research Associate, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
• Dan Wolf, President and CEO, Cape Air
• Robin Chase, Co-founder, Zipcar
• Richard Dimino, President and CEO, A Better City
• Margo Fenn, Executive Director, Cape Cod Commission
• Young Park, President and Principal, Berkeley Investments, Inc.
• Peter Picknelly, CEO, Peter Pan Buslines

Civic Engagement

• Chair, Gail Snowden, Vice President for Finance and Operations, Boston Foundation
• Chair, David Kravitz, Moderator and Co-founder, BlueMassGroup.com
• Alan Khazei, CEO, City Year
• Nancy O'Connor Stolberg, Field Director, Deval Patrick Committee
• Ron Bell, Deputy Campaign Manager, Deval Patrick Committee
• Mardee Xifaras, Community Activist, Marion
• Dick Glovsky, Partner, Prince, Lobel, and Glovsky
• Tripp Jones, Senior Vice President, The Mentor Network
• Bishop Walter Weekes, Suffragan Apostolic Church
• David Roach, Superintendent, Millbury Schools
• Maureen Curley, CEO, Civic/Brown
• Eric Schwartz, CEO, Citizen Schools
• Harris Gruman, Director, Neighbor 2 Neighbor
• Cameron Kerry, Attorney, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC
• Carlos Ferre, Principal, Melton Ferre Associates LLC

Workforce Development

• Chair, Andrew Sum, Director, Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies
• Chair, Paul Harrington, Associate Director, Northeastern University Center for Labor Market Studies
• Carole Cowan, President, Middlesex Community College
• Beverly Edgehill, President and CEO, Partnership, Inc.
• Robert J. Haynes President, MA AFL-CIO
• Gunnar Hexum, President, Massachusetts School of Infotech
• Gary Kaplan, Executive Director, JFY Networks
• Debi Kenney, Business Administrator, Diman Regional Vocational School
• George Noel, Business Manager, IBEW Local 1505
• Cathy Minehan, President, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
• Dorothy Stoneman, Director and Founder, Youthbuild USA
• Gary Sullivan, President, Utility Workers Local 369
• Michael Taylor, President, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
• Robert Thomas, President and CEO, Martin Luther King, Jr. Business Empowerment Center

Creative Economy Chair, Jill Medvedow, Director, Boston Institute of Contemporary Arts

• Nancy Brennan, Executive Director, Rose K. Fitzgerald Greenway
• John Delova, President and CEO, Basketball Hall of Fame
• Ron Druker, Owner, Colonnade Hotel
• Barbara Grossman, Chair, Drama and Dance Department, Tufts University
• Sheila Martinez Pina, Executive Director, Bristol Tourism Council
• Beverly Morgan Welch, Executive Director, Museum of African American History
• Wendy Norcross, CEO, Cape Cod Chamber, West Barnstable
• Jim Rooney, CEO, MCCA
• Helen Spaulding, North Shore Arts Activist
• Joe Thomas, Publisher, Spinner Magazine
• Joe Thompson, CEO, Mass MOCA
• James A. Welu, Director, Worcester Art Museum
• Jan Del Sesto, General Director, Boston Lyric Opera
• Katherine Sloan, President, Massachusetts College of Art

Patrick/ Bluestone connection

Northeastern University founded the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs 10 years ago to provide a space for applied interdisciplinary research. Since then, the School has created a tradition of high-impact research, education and engagement with communities of practitioners in the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

To celebrate this milestone, we shine the spotlight on our service-oriented initiatives and research centers and labs, which have advanced public policy and urban affairs theory and practice not just in Boston, but around the nation and the globe.

Governor Deval Patrick declares “Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy Day” in the Commonwealth, helping celebrate the center’s 15th anniversary during a gala which featured remarks by Patrick, Senator Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg.

Founded in 1999, the Dukakis Center is a “think and do tank” that conducts interdisciplinary research, in collaboration with civic leaders, to identify and implement solutions to a broad spectrum of critical challenges facing urban areas throughout the Commonwealth.

Since its inception, the center has been involved in a wide array of research focusing on housing in Greater Boston. Each year staff dive into data and publish an annual edition of the “Greater Boston Housing Report Card,” which keeps track of home prices, rents, housing production and policy, and other matters related to housing availability and affordability.

“Each annual report takes a deep dive into specific topics,” said Barry Bluestone, senior research associate and founding director, 1999 to 2015. “In the past these have ranged from homelessness to student housing, from the need for zoning reform to the cost of producing new housing.”

Understanding Boston Forum

Barry Bluestone, Paul Grogan, Mass. Gov Deval Patrick, Mary Jo Meisner.

An Understanding Boston Forum, March 26, 2013.

DSA endorsement

In 2010, Deval Patrick, was endorsed by the Boston Democratic Socialists of America.

"Commitment to economic and social justice"

February 2010 Governor Deval Patrick pulled out of the state AFL-CIO’s annual conference at the last minute , citing police unions picketing him in protest of what they said were Patrick’s violations of collective bargaining agreements.

In a letter to AFL-CIO president Robert Haynes, Patrick said he had been looking forward to attending.

Several sources said the umbrella labor group’s executive committee voted to stand with the police officers when Patrick arrived.

“I am now advised that police unions have organized a protest of our decision to use civilian flaggers on state construction sites and that the attendees will honor the protest as though it were a picket line, which means that if I come, there will be no one in the hall to engage,’’ Patrick said in the letter. “Under the circumstances, I see no value in attending and will respectfully decline the invitation.

“Despite whatever differences we may have, you and your colleagues ought to know that my commitment to economic and social justice runs deep, is the tie that binds us, and has a longer history than any of my recent predecessors. If that is still the central focus of leadership of the labor movement in Massachusetts, my door remains open to you.’’

Backing on casinos

Deval Patrick, AFL-CIO President Bob Haynes

Governor Deval Patrick, joined by AFL-CIO President Bob Haynes , spoke to reporters after securing the union's backing for his plan to license three resort casinos.

Governor Deval Patrick won the backing of the state's largest labor organization for his casino proposal yesterday, giving him a strong partner to help him pressure skeptical legislators.

Commission on homelessness

Byron Rushing successfully sponsored legislation to create the Commission to develop a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in the Commonwealth; that Commission which he co-chaired with Undersecretary Tina Brooks released its report and 5-year plan in 2008. The plan has been adopted by the Deval Patrick administration.

Old South Church in Boston January 30, 2014 ·

Honoring Mandela

Today Rev. Nancy Taylor joins Gov. Deval Patrick, Rep. Byron Rushing, and other guest speakers for Honoring the Life and Legacy of Nelson Mandela from 4-5:30 pm at Northeastern University. Presented by South Africa Partners and Old South Church.

Progressive Prospects 2010

By Mass Alliance on October 19, 2009

Please join us and Governor Deval Patrick as we look ahead to the possibilities for building progressive power in the upcoming year.

Tuesday, November 17th 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Mantra Restaurant

Tickets are $50. Reduced price tickets for activists and students are available for $35. Sponsorship donations of $150, $250, $500 or more will be listed in the program. To RSVP or for further information, please contact Georgia Hollister Isman at 617 722 4320 or georgia@massalliance.org.

Celebration of Progressive Champions

Mass Alliance :A Celebration of Progressive Champions w/ Gov Deval Patrick September 15, 2010

Help us celebrate our victories and the victories still to come at our Progressive Champions Event!

November 18th 5:30 – 7:30 pm

MANTRA 52 Temple Place Boston, MA 02111-1332

Labor rally

February 25, 2011 by David Duhalde and David Knuttunen. In Boston on Tuesday 22 February, DSAers joined over a thousand union members and supporters demonstrating outside the statehouse in solidarity with Wisconsin workers.

Wisconsin has been in the forefront of our minds, as tens of thousands of people have poured into the streets to resist the Republican governor’s attempt to effectively eliminate all collective bargaining rights for public employees.

The energetic and enthusiastic Boston rally was attended by a healthy mixture of public and private sector union members. DSA members who were not part of a union contingent joined the hundreds of community supporters. We had made a baker’s dozen of signs with slogans like “Another Patriot Fan Lovin’ Packer Solidarity,” “Madison to Cairo: Workers United!” and “Union Yes! Walker No!” Each sign had a DSA logo and a printed sticker saying Boston DSA. We handed out several hundred fliers with DSA logos about the Campaign for our Communities, and publicizing an upcoming Boston speakout on the impact of budget cuts.

The spirited rally was addressed by speakers representing many unions, followed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and at least two members of Congress. Rep. Mike Capuano advised the assembled union members that: “Every once in a while you need to get out in the streets and get a little bloody when necessary. I am proud to be with people who understand that it’s more than sending an e-mail that gets you going.” Although Capuano later had to apologize for the “bloody” comment, the assembled crowd met the substance of his remarks with cheers, whistles and applause. If Democrats are telling us that elected officials need that kind of pressure from the streets, you better believe we gotta do it.

Anyway, overall a good day for DSA and a great day for labor.

Juneteenth Roxbury

Gov. Deval Patrick (center) was joined by (left to right) state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and state Reps. Byron Rushing, Willie Mae Allen and Gloria Fox at the Roxbury Homecoming celebration, held last Saturday in Franklin Park. Patrick signed legislation declaring June 19 “Juneteenth Independence Day,” making Massachusetts one of 25 states to commemorate the end of slavery.

Vote for Change

Turning its attention toward the November general elections, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign kicked off a massive 50-state voter registration campaign on May 10, 2008.

Thousands of volunteer activists, including many first-time volunteers, gathered in more than 100 locations across the country to launch the “Vote for Change” campaign. The goals, according to national co-chair Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois, are to “get millions of new voters registered and engage and motivate millions who are registered but don’t participate. This is about the change we will bring, not what Sen. Obama will bring alone.”

Other national Vote for Change co-chairs include Change to Win Chair Anna Burger, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor President Maria Elena Durazo, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and musicians Melissa Etheridge, Dave Matthews and Usher Raymond IV.

Neighbor to Neighbor connection

Deval Patrick with Neighbor to Neigbor to Neigbor members

Neighbor to Neighbor Massachusetts (N2N-MA) members stood alongside Governor Deval Patrick on August 6 2010 as he signed CORI (criminal record) Reform into law. With the passage of this bill, Massachusetts becomes only the second state in the nation to prohibit both public and private employers from asking about a person’s criminal history on an initial job application.

Members of Neighbor to Neighbor have been organizing for CORI Reform since 2006, and "over the past week, doubts had grown about whether the legislation would pass in time for the end of the session on July 31st. The bill was finally approved by the House of Representatives and Senate in the last hours of the session."

Angela Estrada, a Neighbor to Neighbor member from Worcester who has a CORI record said, “This is a huge victory for Neighbor to Neighbor and all of the people that have worked hard for years to make this reform happen. We have made history today by changing this law. We know that when we all unite, we can win.”

Wilnelia Rivera, Campaigns Director of Neighbor to Neighbor spoke at the event, “This victory represents the power of people to make a change on Beacon Hill,” she said. “When people come together and get organized, they can win. This is our goal at Neighbor to Neighbor, and we’ll keep fighting until all residents of the state have access to jobs, housing, health care, and a quality education.”

Rep. Liz Malia, D-Boston, the lead sponsor of the CORI provisions in the House said, “I am incredibly pleased to be witness to this bill signing. CORI reform is going to improve communities throughout Massachusetts. I am very grateful to my colleagues, the Commonwealth CORI Coalition, and Neighbor to Neighbor, for their hard work – we would not be here today without them.”

Neighbor to Neighbor’s unique model of community organizing and grassroots advocacy was recognized by CORI Reform advocates. “Neighbor to Neighbor has played a crucial role over the years in the CORI Reform Campaign, bringing the voices of people directly impacted to the State House, building a diverse coalition, and working with us on legislative strategy,” said Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, D-Boston. “Their work was critical to making this victory possible.”

Virgenmina Perez, a member of the Holyoke Chapter of Neighbor to Neighbor who’s son has a CORI, said after the event, “It is a blessing that this bill has passed. We know that this is going to impact many people and open doors to work and housing for all communities. It was worth the wait! Yes we can!”

Friday’s signing was held at Freedom House, an organization with a sixty-year history of fighting for social justice for communities of color. It was a fitting location for the culmination of this civil rights battle.

Friend of Barack Obama

Deval Patrick and Barack Obama are friends. They also share the same campaign strategist in David Axelrod.

Obama for America, National Co-Chair

February 22, 2012, Obama for America, announced the selection of the campaign’s National Co-Chairs, a diverse group of leaders from around the country committed to re-electing President Obama. The co-chairs will serve as ambassadors for the President, advise the campaign on key issues, and help engage and mobilize voters in all 50 states.

Governor Deval Patrick – Governor of Massachusetts , was on the list.

Women's Pipeline for Change connection

Women's Pipeline for Change is a new initiative "designed to support progressive women of color and improve civic participation and equal representation in the political pipeline" will be launched Thursday. Boston City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley will be the keynote speaker. The initiative is a project backed by The Partnership for Democracy and Education. Attendees will announce a new collaboration with UMass Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and media will be introduced to five women who will take part in fellowships under the collaboration: Gladys Lebron-Martinez, Holyoke School Committee member; Sheneal Parker, Boston public schools teacher; Martina Cruz, Lawrence School Committee member; Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong and Elizabeth Cardona, director of Gov. Deval Patrick's western Massachusetts office in Springfield. Auditor Suzanne Bump plans to deliver remarks as well.

Coalition for Social Justice support

The Coalition for Social Justice and its educational fund, formerly known as the Coalition Against Poverty, has been actively building a powerful and effective grassroots movement in Fall River and New Bedford since 1994 and Brockton since 2003, and a Upper Cape Code electoral section since 2004...

After joining the successful campaign to stop the balanced budget amendment from passing in Congress, and playing a key role in the election of progressive Democrat Jim McGovern for Congress in the 10th District, CSJ turned its attention to working with the Coalition Against Poverty on a “Campaign for Working Families’ Agenda” for Massachusetts. Since CSJ charter enables it to also play a role in elections it has also had a string of successful victories at both the local and state level, including playing a key role in the election and re-election of Governor Deval Patrick.

Supported by Jay Livingstone

According to Eleanor LeCain, writing in the The Yankee Radical, a "true progressive is running for state representative" in Boston/Cambridge — Jay Livingstone — in a special election being held on Tuesday, May 28th, 2013.

Livingstone is an experienced community leader with a proven record of hard work in advancing progressive ideals—let’s help him win by making some phone calls now, and helping on Election Day, May 28th.

A Massachusetts native, Livingstone teaches at Northeastern University and operates his own law practice, standing up against employer discrimination. He has been a key organizer in the campaigns of Rep. Ed Markey, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Gov. Deval Patrick. As a "State Rep Jay will work hard for quality, affordable public education; increased funding for at-risk youth, the disabled and the elderly; improved public transportation; and sensible development that works for small businesses and preserves the quality of neighborhood life".

He has been endorsed by Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts and Boston Democratic Socialists of America — among many others.

Jay Livingstone also worked in capaigns for Mac D'Alessandro and Suzanne Lee.

Honoring Mel King

On February 23rd 2011, the Boston Women's Fund held its second Men Take A Stand event, recognizing men who promote peace, equality and the leadership of women and girls. This year BWF honored local activist, statesman, MIT adjunct professor and community organizer Mel King. BWF granted him the “Social Justice in Action” award for his many years of dedication to community organizing, youth development, nonviolence and for Taking A Stand in supporting the leadership of women and girls.

For over 55 years, Mel King, the community activist and organizer, worked determinedly for social justice across race, class, gender and age in Boston. After being a State Representative for nearly 10 years, King was the first black mayoral candidate for the city of Boston in 1983. King founded the Community Fellows program at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology where he taught for 25 years and has since established the South End Technology Center to provide youth with access to technology.

The 150 people at the event included members of the BWF family, political figures, and fans and family of Mel King. Political figures included Governor Deval Patrick, who participated and shared in this memorable evening, State Representative Russell Holmes, District 2 City Council candidate Suzanne Lee, and District 7 City Council candidate, Tito Jackson.

Governor Deval Patrick spoke about the importance of Mel King’s activism and achievements. He was grateful to King for being a “first” and for running for Mayor, which paved the way for Patrick’s successful election. Patrick’s statement that “Mel King is a living example of how to be and what to do” resonated with the audience.

Josefina Vazquez, BWF executive director, was joined by Governor Patrick in presenting the “Social Justice in Action” award to Mel King for his many years of dedication to community organizing and youth development, and for Taking A Stand in supporting the leadership of women and girls. Said Deval Patrick:

“Mel King’s fifty year legacy of social activism and civic leadership is an inspiration to all of us who strive to be an uplifting force in our communities. We honor his commitment to social progress at the grassroots and his continuing impact on the lives of so many young people across the Commonwealth.”

Bilingual ballot bill

Martin Walsh, Suzanne Lee, Deval Patrick

Boston, July 17, 2014, — After years of hearings and persistent pressure by immigrant groups, including many in Boston Chinatown, Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bilingual ballot bill (H. 4089) into law in Boston Chinatown on Tuesday with about 100 people from the community attending this historical ceremony. This law permanently provides for fully bilingual ballots in the City of Boston.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, State Senator Anthony Petruccelli, State Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Boston City Council President Bill Linehan, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley and Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson also attended the ceremony. Suzanne Lee, Henry Yee and many other long time advocates for the bilingual ballot bill were also on hand to celebration the signing by Gov. Patrick.

The bilingual ballot law has been permanently enacted for Boston voters. In the past, a sunset provision required that the law be revisited, but the Boston Home Rule Petition which passed the legislature will not expire, relying on the trigger of 5 percent of a voting population being of the same language group to require bilingual ballots in that precinct or district.

Gov. Deval Patrick’s Asian American Commission/Advisory Council congratulated the Coalition for Asian American Voting Rights who worked so assiduously to get this bill passed into law. This list below, courtesy of CPA, contains names of organizations and individuals of the coalition.

• Alderwoman Amy Mah Sangiolo, Newton
• American Chinese Christian Educational & Social Services, Inc.
• American Chinese Federation
• Asian American Civic Association
• Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• Asian American Resource Workshop
• Asian Community Development Corporation
• Asian Pacific American Agenda Coalition
• Blessed Mother Teresa Parish
• Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
• Chinatown Main Street
• Chinatown Resident Association
• Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
• Chinese Historical Society of New England
• Chinese Progressive Association (Boston)
• Chung Wah Academy
• Dorchester Organizing and Training Initiative (DOT-i)
• Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center
• Hakka Association
• Harry H. Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund
• Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action
• Mass Pike Towers Tenant Association
• Massachusetts Vietnamese American Women’s League
• MassVOTE
• Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
• New Majority
• ONE Lowell
• Organization of Chinese Americans
• Taishan Association
• Taishan #1 High School Alumni Association
• Tai Tung Village Tenants Association
• Viet-AID
• Vietnamese American Community of Massachusetts
• Vietnamese American Small Business Association
• Sam Yoon, former Boston City Councilor

China Pearl event

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick made an appearance in Chinatown at an event titled, “An Evening with Governor Deval Patrick” on June 20 2011 at China Pearl Restaurant (9 Tyler Street).

More than 100 people attended the gathering, where many got the opportunity to shake hands and speak briefly with the Governor.

Also arranged at the event, co-chaired by Christina Chan, Francis E. Chan, Helen Chin Schlichte, Paul W. Lee, Richard P. McBrien, Eugene Welch, Leverett Wing, Chi Chi Wu, and Michelle Wu, was a buffet dinner serving Chinese food, soft drinks, beer and wine.

During his address to those in attendance, Gov. Patrick placed an emphasis on “generational responsibility” as well as his stance on the “Secure Communities” or “S-Comm” scheme.

Anna Tse, former journalist and interpreter for the evening, summed up the ambience of those in attendance at the event. “Boston is small,” Tse said. “But it is very political.”

A few notable members of the Chinatown community in attendance were the Chinatown Resident’s Associations’ Henry Yee, and House of Representatives member Tackey Chan.

According to the event pamphlet, Gov. Patrick is “the Commonwealth’s first African-American Governor” and he “came into office with a grassroots message of hope, community, and hard work.”

China trade trip

December 2007 on his first foreign trade mission, Governor Deval Patrick yesterday told a Beijing audience Massachusetts and China have had a "special trade relationship" that spans more than two centuries. Patrick noted the first US merchant ship to sail for China - in 1784 - had Boston owners.

The governor and a delegation of about a dozen business executives and academic and state government officials are meeting with their Chinese counterparts to discuss biotech and clean energy. They are not expected to strike any business deals before heading home Friday, after traveling to Shanghai for more ceremonies and meetings.

Members of the delegation will also meet with executives of China's Hainan Airlines in hopes of establishing direct flights between Boston and Beijing, possibly to begin in 2009, according to Massachusetts Port Authority chief executive Thomas Kinton, who said talks have been underway for two years.

"I can't tell you as I sit here right now whether we'll be ready to announce it before we go, but we're certainly getting closer," Patrick said.

Yesterday, the Massachusetts visitors and their Chinese hosts traded optimistic speeches and ate lunch in a glass atrium in a high-tech business park adjacent to Beijing's Tsinghua University, surrounded by high-rises that are home to the Chinese offices of such companies as Google, Microsoft Corp., and the Chinese Internet portal Sohu.com. Several speakers from the Massachusetts group made noble attempts at short Mandarin pronunciations during their remarks.

One of those on the trip, University of Massachusetts Medical School professor Craig Mello, was named an honorary professor at Tsinghua University during a ceremony yesterday. Mello, who shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in medicine for work on a gene-blocking technology called RNAi, said he hopes to set up a facility in China to work with a new life science center planned for UMass.

Before the delegation left for China, some human rights activists and state Representative Byron Rushing, Democrat of Boston, urged Patrick to use the trip to press officials on issues ranging from working conditions in China to Tibet and human rights. The governor yesterday noted foreign policy is the responsibility of the federal government, but he said the issues would be discussed privately with Chinese officials.

"I think that when we have conversations at the government-to-government level, issues of civil and human rights will certainly come up," he said.

Becky Deusser, a spokeswoman for Patrick, said the delegation arrived late Sunday after a flight delay. Although this is Patrick's first trip to China as governor, she said, he has visited the country before on business, including as an executive at Coca Cola Co.

China is Massachusetts' sixth-largest export market and one of the state's fastest growing. In 2006, Massachusetts companies exported nearly $1.3 billion in merchandise to China, an increase of nearly 50 percent from 2005, according to the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research, a nonprofit research group at Holyoke Community College. China last year was the fastest growing export market among the state's major trading partners.

Patrick said other trade missions are in the works, but he did not provide specifics. This is not the last trip to China under his administration, he said.

"We may not get all the deals we want done on this first trip," Patrick said. "But we have to continue to come back, show the interest, show the engagement of senior government officials, because that does matter here in Chinese business culture."

Charles Ogletree connection

On October 2, 2017 a symposium was held at Harvard Law School to celebrate Professor Charles Ogletree’s countless and important contributions to the pursuit of justice for all. Participants included Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Anita Hill, Ken Frazier ’78, Randy Kennedy, Gay MacDougall, Ken Mack ’91, Deval Patrick ’82, Randall Robinson ’70, Carol Steiker ’86, and Ted Wells ’76.

Charles Ogletree, who was the founding director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at HLS, announced in the summer of 2016 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and that he would work to raise awareness of the disease and its disproportionate effect on African-Americans. Along with the honors and reminiscences, the October 2017 celebration of Ogletree at HLS brought the announcement of a Charles J. Ogletree Chair in Race and Criminal Justice—a way, according to Professor David Wilkins ’80, “to ensure there will always be a scholar here who will carry on Tree’s legacy.”

“It’s one thing to be an advocate for issues around social and economic justice, and that’s enormously important,” said Patrick. “It’s a different level entirely to live those values, and that is what Charles has been about. I look at my colleagues on this panel, and every one of them has, at key points, not only in their lives but in the lives of our communities and our nation, stood up and stood for something. And each of them, each of us has derived some strength from the example of Charles Ogletree.”

Lani Guinier connection

January 1994 President Clinton, who was forced to pull back from two previous attempts at filling the administration's top civil rights post, has settled on a 37-year-old Boston lawyer for the position, senior White House officials said yesterday.

The officials said Mr. Clinton would offer the post to Deval Patrick, a partner in the Boston firm of Hill & Barlow who also has strong ties with NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Inc..

An official said on condition of anonymity that the announcement of Mr. Patrick's nomination to the position, assistant attorney general for civil rights, would be made early next week.

The president's first nominee, Lani Guinier, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was withdrawn after critics said she advocated, in her academic writings, increasing the political power of blacks through undemocratic means. Ms. Guinier said her writings were misinterpreted.

The selection of Mr. Patrick is likely to mollify civil rights leaders, who have been quietly grumbling about the long time it has taken the administration to fill the position.

In addition, women's groups might be pleased with the fact that Mr. Patrick, who is black, represented Desiree Washington in her civil lawsuit against Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, who was convicted of raping her.

Mr. Patrick, a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, has worked for a number of years with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, where he once was associated with Ms. Guinier. He is the chairman of the New England steering committee for the group.

Last April, Mr. Patrick was one of three finalists who Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., was considering recommending for a post as a U.S. attorney in his state.

Despite such connections, Mr. Patrick's friends say he is not heavily involved in Democratic Party activities.

"He's been tangentially active in Democratic Party affairs," one friend said on condition of anonymity. "He has not been a major figure in the party. He is clearly a Democrat, but I don't think politics is a big part of his existence."

Governor's staff

As at 2011;

• Michele Mansilla, Executive Assistant to the Governor
• Mo Cowan, Chief of Staff
• Lauren Rich, Executive Assistant
• Sydney Asbury, Deputy Chief of Staff
• Jane Corr, Special Assistant
• Dianelys Mejia, Assistant

Lt. Governor Timothy Murray

• Kathleen Joyce, Chief of Staff to the Lt. Governor
• Robyn Kennedy, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Lt. Governor
• Adam Freudberg, Director of Operations and Policy Advisor to the Lt. Governor
• Lauren Jones, Director of Policy and Communications to the Lt. Governor
• Justin Newton, Executive Assistant/Scheduler to the Lt. Governor
• Norman Birenbaum, Aide to the Lt. Governor

Boards and Commissions

• Kendra Foley, Director of Boards and Commissions
• Rachel Charnley, Deputy Director, Boards and Commissions
• Daniela De Caro, Deputy Assistant Director, Board and Commissions / Internship Coordinator
• Christine Alaimo, Assistant Director, Boards and Commissions

Cabinet Affairs

• Kate Cook, Director of Cabinet Affairs
• Elizabeth Hanson, Policy Analyst
• Cecilia Ugarte Baldwin, Policy Analyst

Communications/Press

• Brendan Ryan, Communications Director
• Alex Goldstein, Press Secretary
• Heather Johnson, Deputy Press Secretary
• Alec Loftus, Deputy Press Secretary
• Josiane Martinez, Director of Specialized Media
• Mary Kate Feeney, Communications and New Media
• Matt Bennett, Production Manager

Constituent Services

• Thomas Reece, Director
• Matthew Giancola, Constituent Services Aide
• Kenneth Hite, Constituent Services Aide
• Ellie Miller, Constituent Services Aide
• Thao Nguyen-Le, Constituent Services Aide

Federal Relations

Jewel James, Director, Washington, D.C. Office of the Governor Gabe Maser, Assistant Director, Washington, D.C. Office of the Governor

Governor's Council

• George Cronin, Administrative Secretary
• Sonia Altamirano, Administrative Assistant
• Valerie McCarthy, Executive Assistant

Legal Counsel

• Mark Reilly, Chief Legal Counsel
• E. Abim Thomas, Deputy Chief Counsel
• Elizabeth Dubin Nadzo, Deputy Legal Counsel
• Carrie Wicker, Deputy Legal Counsel
• Nicholas P. Martinelli, Deputy Legal Counsel
• Deniz Aktas, Executive Assistant
• Marilyn Lyng O’Connell, Executive Director Judicial Nominating Commission & Deputy Legal Counsel

Community Affairs

• Ron Bell, Senior Advisor for Community Affairs
• Anny Jean-Jacques, Assistant Director of Community Affairs
• Lori Nelson, Community Affairs Coordinator
• Elizabeth Cardona, Director of the Western Massachusetts Office
• Denise Tetrault, Administrative Assistant Western MA Office Government Affairs

• Rosemary Powers, Senior Director of Government Affairs
• Nikko Mendoza, Deputy Director of Government Affairs
• Awilda Pimentel, Assistant Director of Government Affairs
• Bianca Hoffman, Assistant Director of Government Affairs Operations
• Alex Richman, Director of Operations
• Laura Dhooge, Scheduler
• Harrison Tsopelas, Scheduling Coordinator
• Lauren Haskins, Briefing Book Coordinator
• Haven Nichols, Advance
• R.J. McGrail, Advance
• Marissa Wan, Advance

Personnel and Administration

• Daniel Sieger, Employment Check Coordinator
• Christopher Williams, Deputy Director of Administration

Supporting Doug Jones

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell joined Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones December 10, 2017 at an historic Selma church as part of a home-stretch push for Tuesday's election.

The Jones campaign made another stop in Montgomery, where U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, spoke to a crowd of more than 100 people at Alabama State University.

Booker, appearing with Jones and Sewell, talked about the plight of Alabama's poorest counties and quoted Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When it comes to the long hard march toward justice, nothing is given," Booker said. "King used to say that change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability. It has to be carried in on the backs of good folk. The opposite of justice is not injustice, it is indifference, it is inaction."

In Selma, Jones, Patrick, Sewell and Selma Mayor Darrio Melton appeared outside the Brown Chapel AME Church, where civil rights marchers gathered in 1965 to begin the trek across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday.

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, was scheduled to appear with Jones that afternoon at Alabama State University.

References

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