Another goal of Grassroots Central Mass members is to support candidates for local, state, and federal elections who advocate progressive policies. To achieve that goal we hold Candidate Forums, connect with Democratic Town Committees across our region, and spread far and wide the accomplishments of candidates we endorse. We have had great success in these endeavors with our candidates winning positions on Selectboards, School Committees, and Town Councils throughout our region. We also helped elect Paul DePalo twice to the Governor’s Council, where he is able to bring a humanitarian lens to important state-wide decisions about significant criminal justice matters.
We also study bills in the Massachusetts legislature and participate in public hearings on these bills and webinars that help inform us about their details. We write frequently to our legislators encouraging them to move forward bills that, for example, increase the transparency of the legislative process, that foster an emphasis on diversity in both the curricula and staffing of our schools, that uphold the rights of all People of Color including the Indigenous, and which address effectively ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Our group was also very active in advocating for both Ballot Question 1 and 4 in the 2022 election. Both Question 1, which permits Massachusetts to impose a higher tax rate on income over one million dollars, and Question 4, which allows all Massachusetts residents, regardless of immigration status, the right to a standard driver’s license if they can pass the driving test and meet other requirements mandated by the state for any person requesting a driver’s license, passed with strong margins.
