Women's Political Caucus Releases Endorsements for Election 2018

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BOSTON — The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus' Political Action Committee has endorsed a long list of women seeking local state political office across the state.
 
These endorsements come as more women are seeking the support of the MWPC, whose mission is to "recruit, train and elect" women to political office. This year's endorsements include races for state representative, state Senate and district attorney.
 
"We are pleased to endorse a group of terrific women candidates who are highly qualified and committed to making positive changes in districts across Massachusetts," said Laurie Martinelli, executive director, in a statement. "This is a watershed year for the caucus in many respects, and through these endorsements for offices statewide we are seeing this women’s movement unfolding right in front of our eyes."
 
The MWPC PAC endorsements yielded major successes last year, as 29 of the 36 candidates endorsed in the fall 2017 municipal elections won their races. The caucus hopes to continue on this successful trajectory by providing candidates with a myriad of resources and tools needed to compete and win, including communications and social media support, volunteer recruitment, and voter outreach.
 
In Western Massachusetts, the MWPC PAC is endorsing: 
 
Representatives to the Massachusetts General Court:
 
Natalie Blais: First Franklin District
 
Experienced public servant and longtime Western Massachusetts resident Blais is currently the executive director of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and has served as a congressional aide to U.S. Reps. John Olver and Jim McGovern.
 
Tanya Neslusan: First Hampden District
 
Local activist and Central Massachusetts native Neslusan is the president of the Sturbridge Regional Huddle. She also currently serves as secretary of the Sturbridge Democratic Town Committee and is a member of the Planning Committee of the Worcester Chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice.
 
Allison Werder: Second Hampden District
 
Community leader and Longmeadow resident Werder is the co-founder of Women Innovators and Trailblazers (WIT), which supports female-led startups in Western Mass. She also serves as a board member of the Center for Human Development, the region's largest provider of social services, and as chairman of the Homefield Committee for the Western Mass Economic Development Council.
 
Lindsay Sabadosa: First Hampshire District
 
Legal and financial translator Sabadosa currently is a board member of Emerge Massachusetts and the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts. A Pioneer Valley native, she is director of the Pioneer Valley Women's March.
 
Marie McCourt: Second Hampshire District
 
Activist and public servant McCourt has experience with both local and national advocacy. A Granby resident, she is a graduate of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI) and is currently the assistant program director for grant-funded after-school programs.
 
Mindy Domb: Third Hampshire District
 
Community organizer and longtime Amherst resident Domb has led statewide education initiatives around issues of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and overdose prevention. She is the founder of Make It Better Amherst, which supports LGBTQ youth, and formerly worked as a congressional aide for New York's late U.S. Rep. Ted Weiss.
 
Senators to the Massachusetts General Court
 
Chelsea Kline: Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester
 
Progressive activist, higher education leader, and Northampton resident, Kline serves as a member of the advisory council for the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI), as well as the Hampshire & Franklin County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.
 
District Attorney
 
Andrea Harrington: Berkshire County
 
Lawyer and Berkshires-raised resident Harrington is a Richmond School Committee member and a co-founder of
the Berkshire Committee of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus. Harrington was the first person in her family to attend college and has more than 15 years of experience practicing law.
 
The MWPC PAC has also endorsing the following women running in other contests:
 
Senators to the Massachusetts General Court:
 
  • Samantha Hammar: 5th Middlesex District 
  • Katie McBrine: Plymouth & Norfolk District
  • Becca Rausch: Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex District
Representatives to the Massachusetts General Court:
  • Gerly Adrien: 28th Middlesex District (Everett)
  • Michelle Ciccolo: 15th Middlesex District (Woburn, Lexington)
  • Nika Elugardo: 15th Suffolk/Norfolk District (Boston, Brookline)
  • Tami Gouveia: 14th Middlesex District (Acton, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord)
  • Sabrina Heisey: 36th Middlesex District (Dracut, Tyngsborough)
  • Sarah Hewins: 2nd Plymouth District (Carver, Middleborough, Wareham)
  • Anne Landry: 30th Middlesex District (Reading, Woburn)
  • Lori Lennon: 23rd Middlesex District (Arlington, Medford)
  • Liz Miranda: 5th Suffolk District (Boston)
  • Gretchen Van Ness: 14th Suffolk District (Boston)
District Attorney
  • Rachael Rollins: Suffolk County
The Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus Political Action Committee (PAC) is a non-partisan organization that recruits, trains and elects qualified, pro-choice women to achieve political parity by increasing the number of women elected and appointed to public office and public policy positions, as well as increasing the involvement of women of all ages in the political process. Visit www.mwpc.org/ to learn more.

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EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

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