Home

Activities

News

Join

Vote

Links

Gallery

About DotOUT

Endorsement

Contact Us

Minutes of the Endorsement Meeting

Endorsement Meeting for Candidates for the 12th Suffolk District House Seat

Monday, January 10, 2005

6:00 pm – 8:15 pm

DotOut, Dorchester’s recently formed gay and lesbian political advocacy group, held a meeting on Monday evening, June 10 at the Harp and Bard to identify a candidate to endorse in the special election race for the 12th Suffolk District House seat vacated by former Speaker Finneran.  All five known candidates invited to seek DotOut’s endorsement agreed to participate.

As members arrived, they were greeted by Janet Jones, steering committee member and door monitor for the evening.  DotOut members were given a ballot for use later in the evening and all attendees were provided with written statements from those candidates who submitted them in advance as well as a schedule for the evening.  Approximately 50 DotOut members and supporters attended the meeting.

At 6:15 pm Danieliel Cushing (Jones Hill), DotOut co-founder, steering committee member and moderator for the event, opened the meeting with welcome remarks, an overview of the evening’s endorsement process and introductions of the other DotOut steering committee members.  Ed Cook of Meeting House Hill acted as parliamentarian, Janet Jones of Greater Bowdoin Geneva was the greeter, Nora Harrington of Cedar Grove and Stephanie Moura of Peabody Square were recording secretaries, John Parsons of Meeting House Hill was the timekeeper, and Richard O’Mara of Cedar Grove was the vote-counter.  Michele Gillen (Adams Village), DotOut co-founder, was not able to attend having had a baby just two days earlier.  

Daniel explained that each candidate had been asked to submit written responses to four questions in advance and would have 15 minutes to address the group and take questions.  At that time, the members would nominate candidates for endorsement then cast votes among those nominated.  To garner DotOut’s endorsement, a candidate would have to receive a minimum of 60% of the vote; there were provisions for up to three rounds of voting in the event a supermajority was not reached.  For more detailed information about the endorsement process, please see our website at www.DotOut.org.  

There was a question from the floor on whether there would be time for questions and Daniel responded that it was up to each candidate how to spend their time.  Another member asked if the organization endorses a particular candidate and that member is already working for a different candidate, does that member have to “sit out” of DotOut activities during the race.  Ed Cook, parliamentarian for the evening, replied no, the members are free to support whomever they choose.  

Emmanuel Bellgarde

 At 6:30 pm Daniel introduced the first candidate, Emmanuel Bellgarde.  

Mr. Bellgarde greeted the audience and thanked DotOut for the opportunity to participate in the event.  He began with an overview of his background and how that led him into public service.  Mr. Bellgarde was born in Haiti and came to the U.S. as a boy in 1987.  He grew up in Dorchester and attended public schools.  Like his peers from urban schools he felt ill prepared for college.  He changed his major from business to English because he wanted be equipped to effect change in the public schools.  He completed his college degree at Suffolk.  Mr. Bellgarde went on to work on a variety of urban issues at WEATOC (“We’re Educators – A Touch of Class”) and then as an aide to state representative Marie St. Fleur.  Mr. Bellgarde started his own real estate development business that rehabbed distressed houses and returned them to the market at prices people in the neighborhoods could afford.  Most recently, he worked for state senator Jack Hart as Director of Budget and Constituent Services.

The candidate explained that his main issue is to create excellence in public education in the 12th Suffolk House District.  He is running for this seat because he feels he has the most experience in the district, has both House and Senate experience, and has relationships at the state and City levels, as well as with residents themselves that will enable to him to get the job done. 

He then invited questions from the audience.

Q. Public education is very important.  What can you do from the state level to improve the quality of our urban schools?
A. As a product of the urban public schools, he feels best equipped to effect change.  He is interested in programs that focus on underachievers and encouraging culturally representative teacher population through, for example, training programs for people of color.
Q. How can you help institute a reasonable limit on class sizes?
A. He intends to sit down with the teachers’ unions to develop a comprehensive approach to this and other problems, rather than just “patching up” the problem.
Q. There are three health care issues coming before the state legislature, how do you plan to deal with them?  1) A bill to make health care a right.  2) A bill aimed at ensuring equal quality of health care at different Massachusetts hospitals by requiring similar nurse/patient ratios.  3) A universal health care bill.
A. The candidate supports quality, affordable health care for everyone as long as it can be implemented in a manner that doesn’t drain resources away from improving public education.  
Q. What are your beliefs about gay marriage?
A. The constitution should protect everyone’s fundamental rights equally.  He supports full marriage for gays/lesbians, not just civil unions.  He feels it is our work to create a culture of tolerance and shares this commitment with his gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

At this point, John Parsons, timekeeper for the evening, signaled that Mr. Bellgarde’s time was up.  

Eric Donovan

At 6:35 The Moderator introduced the second candidate, Eric Donovan.  Daniel noted that Mr. Donavan was not able to submit written answers to the four questions in advance and asked that he address them now.

Mr. Donavan greeted the audience and thanked DotOut for the opportunity to participate in the event.  In response the first two questions, the candidate stated that, if elected, he will vote to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot to allow the people to vote on the issue.  The legislature should uphold the will of the people on this issue.  He explained that, because of his experience as an attorney and as assistant counsel in the state House of Representatives, he feels strongly about the separation of legislative and judicial powers.  In the Goodridge case, he feels that the SJC judges overstepped their jurisdiction.  While he understands that Massachusetts is headed toward sanctioning some form of same sex unions, no matter what it’s called, the ends don’t justify the judges’ means.  He does not want to set a precedent for judges writing laws.

To the third question, Mr. Donovan stated that he accepts that Roe v Wade was decided by the court years ago and, as a legislator, he won’t initiate efforts to overturn that decision.

In response to the fourth question, the candidate said HIV/AIDS funding is a high priority issue for him and he will vote to restore it.  He explained that he had a family member die of AIDS.

At this point, Mr. Donavan took questions from the audience.

Q. On the recent campaign finance reform issue, the legislature ignored the will of the people.  How is the gay marriage issue different?
A. He agrees the legislature acted improperly on that issue.
Q. How do you feel about policies that place restrictions on the use of public funds for reproductive education and health care?
A. The candidate explained that he considers this on a case-by-case basis.  A 16-year old raped by her father shouldn’t have to notify her father in order to get public assistance to terminate her pregnancy.  But the case of a 13-year old who had consensual sex might be different.  He explained that he needs to look more closely at the question of whether insurance should cover abortion.  He is not comfortable with taxpayers’ money going toward terminating pregnancies, except in the case of rape or incest.
Q. On the topic of separation of powers and government checks and balances, if the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down segregation in the schools, anti-miscegenation laws, and sodomy laws, then why can’t the SJC determine that not allowing same sex marriages is unconstitutional?
A. He reiterated his position explained earlier, that the legislature shouldn’t cede its power to the judiciary and that in this case the SJC got involved in drafting, not merely interpreting, legislation.
Q. Should the voters in Alabama have been allowed to decide whether blacks could vote; should the people have decided whether our public schools should be integrated?  
A. He said those are different cases.  The way this particular marriage amendment before the MA legislature is drafted, it should be put to a vote.
Q. The SJC gave the legislature 180 days to act in accordance with their ruling, but the legislature failed, thereby effectively ceding its power to the court.
A. The candidate believes that the legislature intended to do something, probably institute civil unions, which is why it asked the court for further guidance as to whether civil unions would satisfy the ruling.  

The timekeeper then signaled that Mr. Donavan’s time was up.  

Linda Dorcena Forry

At 6:35 the moderator introduced the third candidate, Linda Dorcena Forry.  

Ms. Dorcena Forry greeted the audience and expressed her appreciation for the invitation to participate in the event.  She began with a summary of her background and why that led her to run for this House seat.  Ms. Dorcena Forry is first-generation native of Boston and long-time resident of Dorchester.  Her parents, who came here from Haiti, instilled in her at an early age the importance of community.  From a young age, she has been active in mnay Dorchester community organizations including the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) and the Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club and was instrumental in creating the Youth DSNI to involve young people in the governance of that organization and develop their community building skills.  The candidate attended St. Kevin’s School, Msgr. Ryan High School, received her degree from Boston College and is currently pursuing a master’s of public administration.    Ms. Dorcena Forry worked at the State House on Charlotte Golar-Ritchie’s staff and transitioned with her to the Department of Neighborhood Development.  She currently lives in Lower Mills.

Ms. Dorcena Forry explained that she is running for the 12th Suffolk District seat because she is a public servant at heart and is committed to working on behalf people to improve the quality of life.  She stated that she is a staunch advocate for people’s rights, fairness and equality and gave as examples her support for a woman’s right to choose and for equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians.  She noted that she is a Catholic and joked “…but that’s alright.”  She declared that her campaign is one of inclusivity and that she will work with people on important issues in the district and beyond district lines.

The candidate then invited questions.

Q. A DotOut member repeated a question to an earlier candidate regarding the three health care issues coming before the state legislature.
A. She explained that she believes in health care for all people and, if elected, will support the constitutional amendment making health care a right.  She noted that she was not familiar enough with the bill addressing the nurse/patient ratio, but that she will look into it.
Q. Gentrification is pushing people further out of Dorchester and Boston generally.  What economic plans can address this issue?
A. The candidate said she has worked on housing issues for the past nine years both at the state house and at city hall.  Affordable housing is an important issue, especially in a district as diverse as this one.  She offered that it is time to start talking about this issue differently, since “affordable” has become a buzz word with certain meanings to different people.  We have to start talking about the issue more inclusively and less divisively.  
Q. What volunteer community work have you done?
A. She agreed with the questioner that volunteering in the community is important and noted that she has served on the Board of Directors for the Bird Street Community Center, was active in the Lower Mills Civic Association, and has served on the Ward 15 and 17 Democratic Committees.  She explained that she was required to step down from certain Boards when she began working for the City in 1999, as the City provides funding to those organizations.
Q. Since you attended parochial schools, what is your view on the state of public education?
A. She agreed this is a critical issue and said she plans to work hard to improve the public school systems, including charter schools, and create programs to support teacher development.
Q. You are obviously quite a different candidate than Tom Finneran was.  How do you plan to speak to his supporters in the district?
A. She thanked the questioner for raising that important issue and explained that she will appeal to the people in the district on a whole range of important issues, including public education, public transportation, housing that our families can live in and public safety.  Voters will understand that she is not a one-issue candidate.

At this point, John signaled that Ms. Dorcena Forry’s time was up.  

Stacey Monahan

At 6:55 The Moderator introduced the fourth candidate, Stacey Monahan.  

Ms. Monahan greeted the crowd and thanked DotOut for sponsoring this event.  She offered that she is a long-time resident of Dorchester currently lives on Westmoreland Street.  She is currently Chief of Staff for Congressman Stephen Lynch.  She has served on and is a current member of the Ashmont-Adams Civic and Cedar Grove Civic Associations, on the Ward 16 Democratic Committee and the Democratic State Committee. Ms. Monahan proclaimed that Dorchester is her home and that she is invested in this community.

Ms. Monahan appealed to the audience by explaining that political advisors have warned her that most Dorchester voters will not like her unequivocal support for gay marriage, but she emphatically stated that she will not shy away from that issue at the state house.   She noted that she is also a strong supporter of a woman’s right to choose.

At this point, the candidate invited questions.

Q. Can you tell us more about your work on zoning issues mentioned in your brochure?
A. She explained that as a member and past officer of the civic associations, she has helped advocate for the residents’ perspective on several local development issues.
Q. After the legislature voted at the first constitutional convention to define marriage as between a man and a woman, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 moved to deny benefits to its gay/lesbian members.  What can you say about that?
A. The candidate acknowledged that her father is a leader in that union and a trustee of Local 103 and said she was glad this issue was raised so that she could clarify it.  Immediately after the vote on Beacon Hill, IBEW attorneys acted without the consent of IBEW trustees.  Once the trustees became aware of that action, they resolved it and full rights for gay/lesbian members have now been restored.
Q. Describe your strategy for winning this race and your chances compared to the other candidates.
A. The candidate offered that she believes that she is the most progressive candidate and she is hearing repeatedly from constituents that we need to get a woman elected.  She explained that plans to appeal to voters throughout the district that she is dedicated to representing everyone.  She will not just be a woman candidate or a pro-gay marriage candidate.  Ms. Monahan reiterated her belief that the constitution should not incorporate discrimination and that she will actively fight for gay marriage at the state house.
Q. Fighting for gay/lesbian rights will demand bravery, how will you face pressure from religious groups?
A. The candidate said that she is Catholic by birth, not by practice, and that she is not actively affiliated with any religious community, so is not beholden to any group.  While she will consider the perspectives of all her constituents, she will remain committed to supporting equality and fairness.
Q. A member repeated a question asked of an earlier candidate: since you attended parochial schools, what is your view on the state of public education?
A. She responded that improving our public education system is one of her top three campaign issues and priorities for her work at the state house, if elected.  She also noted that she is a supporter of neighborhood schools.
Q. On the issue of HIV/AIDS prevention, what are your views on needle exchange programs and sex education/condom distribution programs?
A. Ms. Monahan agreed that needle exchange programs have proven effective and she intends to support them.  She believes that prevention is a key strategy for ending the HIV/AIDS crisis and supports sex education initiatives to help young people make smart choices and to be safe.  She feels that limiting education programs to promoting abstinence is not a realistic or effective approach.
Q. What are your views on access to health care for immigrants and undocumented aliens?
A. She said she strongly believes in access to quality health care for all.  She thinks it is important to document illegal aliens to have a channel to ensure access to basic services, such as health care.  She went on to explain that Massachusetts has 460,000 uninsured and feels that is unconscionable.  She believes a broad-based, long-term approach is the only way to truly solve this problem rather than a piecemeal crisis management approach.  
Q. What volunteer community work have you done?
A. She noted that she raised $19k for Dorchester Day and was the “Mayor of Dorchester” as well as serving in local civic associations.
Q. What are your key issues?
A. She identified her three key issues as: public education, health care and access to jobs.
Q. What is your campaign doing in other parts of the district?
A. Ms. Monahan said she is working hard to get out and talk to voters in Mattapan.

The timekeeper then signaled that Ms. Monahan’s time was up.  

Kerby Roberson

At 7:15 the moderator introduced the fifth and final candidate, Kerby Roberson.  

Mr. Roberson greeted the crowd and thanked DotOut for holding this event.  He introduced himself to the audience by providing a summary of his background.  He is from Haiti and came to the U.S. when he was 23 years old.  He attended Roxbury Community College and Framingham State graduation with a biomedical degree.  He worked in a cancer research laboratory for sometime then chose to move to a more social career.  He became a teacher and put himself through Suffolk Law School.  He currently lives in Milton and has a law practice in Hyde Park.  Mr. Roberson said he learned guiding values from his family.  His father was a paraplegic and his grandmother, who helped raise him, is now 101 years old.  One of his key lessons was to accomplish his goals through hard work, from scratch, and that is how he plans to become the next state representative from this district.

The candidate described his community involvement – he was on the Board of the Haitian American Public Health Initiative for eight years and is now on the Board of the Haitian Multi-Service Center which works on health care and HIV/AIDS issues.  He participated in the “No Place for Hate” initiative and secured Milton as a “No Place for Hate” town.  Mr. Roberson said he believes intolerance is a cancer in society and is against such things as racial profiling and hate crimes.  He has worked as a public defender since 1995 and has had the opportunity to represent people with urgent needs, such as those facing deportation.

Mr. Roberson said that he is running for this seat because there must be a strong voice for the district working to resolve certain unfair policies, to better public education and to improve public safety.  He worked with state senator Brian Joyce on school funding in Milton.  He noted that crime rates in Mattapan affect Dorchester and all of Boston as well as neighboring Milton.

The candidate then invited questions.

Q. How do you plan to improve public education in Massachusetts?  
A. He believes that creating a fair funding formula is important.  He said he would consider a moratorium on additional charter schools because they can divert funding from public schools.  
Q. Regarding your written answer to question #1, would you have wanted the civil rights issues of the past to be decided by voters?    
A. He said he believes that the two issues – civil rights and gay marriage – cannot be compared.  The current constitutional amendment before the legislature is different that Brown v Board of Education and other civil rights issues.  
Q. Do you believe, then, there is a pecking order of issues?  Is the right of blacks or women to vote more important than the right of gays and lesbians to marry?  
A. He stated he does not believe there is a hierarchy of rights issues, but reiterated that the gay marriage issue before the legislature is different.  

The timekeeper signaled that Mr. Roberson’s time was up.  The moderator announced members would turn to nominations and voting next.   

Nominations, Discussion, Voting

Members nominated and seconded Linda Dorcena Forry and Stacey Monahan as the potential candidates for DotOut’s endorsement.  The moderator then invited discussion.

A member appealing for support of Ms. Dorcena Forry said that he has know her professionally and personally for some time and that he believes she can be a strong advocate for all the issues discussed tonight.  In his opinion, she is the candidate who can win the district by involving the Haitian community, the gay and lesbian community and others.

A member speaking in support of Stacey Monahan observed that she has a long history of involvement in the Dorchester community on her own time, not just as a paid staffer.  He stressed that is an important consideration.

In support of Linda Dorcena Forry, a member offered that her campaign does not just have volunteers on paper, instead she is really is out being in touch with the community.  The candidate who wins will be the one with the best organization and Linda has a talented, experienced manager who most recently ran Kerry’s campaign in Wisconsin (a state he won).

After approximately 15 minutes of discussion, a member moved to end the discussion.  The move was seconded. The moderator then explained how the voting process would work and members were asked to cast their ballots.  DotOut steering committee members collected the ballots and delivered them to two members assigned to count the ballots.

When the counting was completed, the moderator, along with the counters, reported that members had cast a total of 31 ballots, with 23 votes for Linda Dorcena Forry and 8 votes for Stacey Monahan.  With 74% of the votes, Ms. Dorcena Forry won DotOut’s endorsement (a minimum of 60% was needed).

At this time, Daniel Cushing thanked everyone for participating and asked members to check the website soon for information about DotOut campaign support activities.  At 8:15, the meeting adjourned.