Nuciforo seeks to cut off cash from Sudan

12:00AM / Wednesday, June 22, 2005Print Story | Email Story

State Sen. Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., has filed a bill that would require the Commonwealth to divest public money from international companies that have ties to the Sudanese government. The bill has seven Senate co-sponsors, and 16 House co-sponsors. "Public employees in Massachusetts should not have to worry that their pensions are coming from businesses that support a genocidal and terrorist regime," said Nuciforo (D-Pittsfield), Senate Chair of the Financial Services Committee. "The purpose of divesting is to encourage the companies that do business with Sudan to halt operations until the Sudanese government stops the violence and allows international aid to provide critical assistance." Last year, a bipartisan Congressional resolution unanimously declared that genocide had occurred in Sudan. The UN said the situation in Darfur, Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Sudan is also on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism. In 1997, the Clinton Administration imposed restrictions on American companies from doing business with Sudan. However, many international companies still do business with the unelected, fundamentalist government of Sudan. Supporters of the divestment bill say that these companies provide the financial resources and moral cover for the Sudanese government. The companies, 83 in total, include PetroChina, Taftnet, ABB, Alcatel, and Seimens, which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are owned by state pension funds across the country. The non-profit Center for Security Policy estimates that Massachusetts has a total of $1.4 billion invested in these, and other international companies. Harvard University recently announced that it will sell about $4.4 million of shares of PetroChina. Earlier this year, Nuciforo met with students from Williams College in Williamstown, who worked to develop the legislation. "After learning about the situation in Darfur, many other students and I felt two emotions: anger and purpose. There was no way we would be silent while such large scale atrocities were being committed. The only question was whether we could find a representative who felt that same level of moral responsibility. We found that moral leadership in Senator Nuciforo," said Williams College student Seth Izen. "Since then, we have worked together to put forward divestment legislation which will pressure the government of Sudan to end the violence and allow all international aid efforts. We are now working on a nationwide divestment campaign (http://www.sudandivestment.com) with other students at Williams College and Harvard University."

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North Adams Officials to Revote School Committee Members

Staff reports06:31PM / Friday, October 09, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City and school officials will meet a second time to vote in two new members of the School Committee.

The joint convention of the City Council and School Committee will be held on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the City Hall conference room and via Zoom.

Damon Grimes and Paul Moriarty were jointly elected on Monday to fill two seats vacated by resignation. They were two of four candidates standing for election.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, said she had received in inquiry about the votes, which were done by secret ballot.

"I have been advised that voting by ballot was not permissible in this circumstance," she said, after consulting the School Committee's attorney Adam Dupere and city solicitor KP Law.

To ensure the validity of the votes and conduct of the election, the joint convention will reconvene and formally confirm the selection of Grimes and Moriarty.

"I apologize for the inconvenience of having to reconvene," the mayor said in a statement. "My intention in using a ballot was to address concerns raised following our previous convention, when some members expressed discomfort with publicly voting for or against individual candidates.

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