Scenes from the Democratic State Convention

Tsongas Arena

Lowell, Massachusetts

June 7, 2008

I attended the Democratic State Convention today in Lowell, Mass. I voted for John Kerry to be the party's nominee for U.S. Senate-- in essence I voted that he be re-elected. Kerry won the endorsement of the party, but his challenger, Ed O'Reilly won enough of the vote to force a primary in September.

As a member of the 2nd Suffolk delegation, I had a very nice spot on the floor of the Tsongas Arena. I rode to Lowell on the commuter rail with Josh Dawson (pictured above), who is the 2nd Suffolk elected State Committee Man. He ended up being the "Teller" for our delegation, meaning he called out the roll and took the verbal vote from each delegate.

The convention was a lot of fun. It was great to chat with fellow Democrats, including Matt O'Mally, State Representative Marty Waltz, and Ward 5 Democratic Chair Rob Whitney, among others.

The two Democratic candidates for the 2nd Suffolk State Senate seat, Sen. Diane Wilkerson (incumbent) and Sonia Chang-Diaz, were among the delegates. I had a chance to speak to both of them. The Ward 5 Democratic Committee will consider its endorsement in that race at its next meeting on June 18. It's time for me to start researching my choice, and the conversations today were a good starting point. I can tell you that both candidates are very gifted, it will be a hard decision, and my fellow committee members and I are being careful in our research and will be careful with our choice. Watch this space; no doubt I will share my thoughts here.

Sonia Chang-Diaz at the Convention

One thing about Lowell: The commuter rail is great to get there, but the bus system-- especially on a Saturday-- leaves a lot to be desired. A group of about 20 delegates who arrived in Lowell on the commuter rail had to wait about 35 minutes for a bus. If we had only known the Tsongas Arena was a mere 15-minute walk away.