OCTOBER UPDATES

I hope everyone is enjoying the beginning of this beautiful fall and some of this much-needed rain. First, allow me to say thank you. On September 8th, you re-elected me as the Democratic nominee to continue my work as the State Representative for the 24th Middlesex District. I am unopposed in the general election and look forward to continuing to serve as your State Representative in the next legislative session.

Ballot Question #3

On the ballot this November, you will also be asked to decide the outcomes of ballot questions that could be enacted in our state. In my last newsletter, I explained the process by which a question is put on the ballot as well as how I will be voting on questions One and Two. You can read it here.

This month I will share my thoughts on Question 3, An Act to Prevent Cruelty to Farm Animals. On a personal note, it is with enthusiasm that I endorse this ballot question because it is based on legislation which I filed and for which I was the lead sponsor. Although, we were not able to get it passed in the legislature, this ballot question provides a second opportunity to get it done. This law would prohibit any farm owner or operator from raising any breeding pig, calf, or egg-laying hen in a way that prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely. The law also prohibits any business owner or operator in Massachusetts from selling whole eggs intended for human consumption, or any uncooked cut of veal or pork if the business owner or operator knows that the animal that produced these products was raised in a manner prohibited by this law, even if imported from another state.

Not only will this law help prevent animal cruelty, it will also improve food safety for consumers by reducing chances of foodborne illnesses, which are less likely to spread in more spacious quarters. It will also help protect the environment because animals raised in the way prevented by this law have been shown to produce extremely concentrated amounts of waste that have negative impacts on the environment and public health. It will also promote responsible farming. For instance, this question has been endorsed by the United Farm Workers because when farms follow these practices it leads to higher-quality jobs, higher skilled labor and thus higher paid jobs. I will be voting yes on Question 3 and am a strong supporter of this initiative.

Cambridge To Host Climate Change Congress

Tomorrow, on October 1st, Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons and Councilor Jan Devereuax will be hosting the the 2016 Climate Change Congress. This is the second year following the first Congress held in 2009. The themes will be "Building a Community Response to Climate Change." The opening session runs all day on October 1st, with events in the evening in the days following. The closing session is on Saturday, November 12th. More information can be found here. And if you are a Cambridge resident and would like to apply to be a delegate you can do so here.

Minuteman Regional Vocational School Vote

Belmont residents should be aware that your representatives to Town Meeting will be deciding whether the Town should withdrawal from the Minuteman Regional Vocational School district. The meeting is
October 19th and you can let your Town Meeting representatives know how you feel about the decision between now and then if you so choose.

2016 City of Cambridge Resident Survey

The city of Cambridge is conducting its biennial Citizen Opinion Survey. The survey enables residents to rate city services and give their thoughts on how and where improvements can be made. The city will also be randomly be calling 400 households. Residents can fill out the survey here. Your opinion matters!

Belmont Light Energy Efficiency Grant Program

Belmont Light operates an energy efficiency grant program that many Belmont residents have taken advantage of to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. You can find out more on the town website.

Register to Vote

Massachusetts residents can register to vote online. If you are not registered to vote or have family and friend that are yet to do so, be sure to encourage them to register! The deadline to register to vote for the November election is October 19th.

Unclaimed Property

As many as 1 in 10 citizens of the Commonwealth, including many of my constituents, are owners of unclaimed property. Unclaimed property includes savings accounts, checking accounts, unpaid wages or commissions, stocks, underlying shares, uncashed dividends, customer deposits or overpayments, certificates of deposit, credit balances, refunds, money orders, paid-up life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes, and uncashed benefit checks, and gift certificates, all of which sat unused and were ultimately taken by the state. If you want to research whether or not you own unclaimed property, you can find out here.

Legislation

I have been using this newsletter as and opportunity to highlight one or more of the bills I have filed each month. I have now run through each of the 26 bills I filed for the 2015/2016 legislative session. As always, you can review all of the bills that I have filed on my website.

Community Events

DAN SCHARFMAN MEMORIAL RUN
The 4th annual memorial 5k and 2k run raise money for Dan Scharfman Education Innovative Fund for the Foundation for Belmont Education's Innovative Teaching Initiative. This year the race will take place on Sunday, October 2nd with the 5k at 9:30am and the 2k at 10:45am. Hope to see you there.

REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: THEIR RIGHTS - OUR RESPONSIBILITY
This Sunday, October 2nd from 1:30pm-3:30pm I will be participating in a panel along with Senator Brownsberger and many others, including refugees, in order to discuss and learn about what is being done and what more can be done to better support refugees and immigrants. It will be held at St. Joseph Parish Hall, 130 Common Street, Belmont. Find out more here.

SUSTAINABLE BELMONT
The regular meeting will be held on October 5th from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the Belmont Public Library.

BELMONT DEMOCRATIC TOWN COMMITTEE
The October meeting will be held on Thursday, October 6th at 6:30pm in the Selectman's meeting room of Belmont Town Hall.

OKTOBERFEST AND HONK! PARADE
The 38th Annual Oktoberfest and the HONK! Parade is taking place on October 7th-9th throughout Cambridge and Somerville. Find out more on their website.

BELMONT SERVES
This Columbus Day, Monday, October 10th, the 6th annual Belmont Serves event will be taking place. This is a day of service and volunteering at the Belmont Food Pantry and Lone Tree Hill. Find out more here.

BELMONT LIBRARY BOOK FAIR
Friends of Belmont Public Library is hosting the annual book sale on Saturday, October 15th from 9am-4pm and Sunday, October 16th from 1pm-4pm. Find them in the Fleet and Assembly Rooms of the Belmont Library.

ARLINGTON DEMOCRATS
The Arlington Democrats will host their regular meeting on Tuesday, October 18th at 7:15pm in the Mural Room in the Arlington Senior Center.

SUSTAINABLE ARLINGTON
This meeting will be taking place on October 20th at 7:30pm in the Town Hall Annex.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AT THE REGENT THEATER
The Boston Symphony Orchestra will be playing a free concert on Sunday, October 23rd at 3:00pm at the Regent Theater in Arlington. Reserve your tickets here.

BELMONT HIGH SCHOOL HAUNTED HOUSE
Belmont High School is hosting their annual Haunted House for charity on Thursday, October 27th from 5:00-7:00pm. The Haunted House will have activities for all ages and coming in costume is encouraged.

HALLOWEEN CRAFTS
Come to the Cambridge Main Library at 449 Broadway in the Children Room for drop-in Halloween Crafts. They will be there from 2:30-3:30pm on October 31st.

Other Events

There are a number of other places to find out about events in your community:

Town and City Calendars:
Library Calendars
Senior Center Calendars

Social Media

I am glad to have already connected with many of you on Facebook. Due to the limitations on personal Facebook pages, however, I plan to start to do more of my political and community outreach from my political page. Please like my official State Representative page here. You can also follow me on twitter to find out more about my representation of the 24th Middlesex District.

October Office Hours

I will hold office hours at the following times and places during the month. I encourage any and all to stop by and speak with me or my staff about any concerns or to offer any input you might have. Occasionally, my aide Kira Arnott attends office hours. If you wish to speak to me, please email me at Dave.Rogers@mahouse.gov so that I can ensure that I will be attending. If I am not able to make it, we can set up a meeting at a better time.

Tuesday, October 11th from 9:30am to 10:30am at the Beech Street Center in Belmont (266 Beech Street, Belmont, MA 02478).

Friday, October 14th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at Fiorella's Express in North Cambridge (2401 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140).

Tuesday, October 18th from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at Kickstand Cafe in Arlington (594 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476)

Friday, October 21st from 9:30am to 10:30am at Bruegger's Bagels and Cafe in Belmont (41 Leonard Street, Belmont, MA 02178)

You can also always contact me at any time in my office at 617 722 2013 or at dave.rogers@mahouse.gov.

Farmers Market Season

The Arlington Farmers Market is open through late October and is held every Wednesday 2:00pm to 6:30pm in Arlington Center in the Russell Common parking lot, behind Park Terrace. The Belmont Farmers Market is open through October 27th and is held every Thursday 2:00pm to 6:30pm in the Town Center parking lot. Cambridge has a farmers market every day of the week, many open through November: check out the times and locations here.

Local Media

Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge are vibrant communities that sport multiple local news platforms that are worth perusing to learn more about what is going on in your community.

Arlington:

Belmont

Cambridge

Contact Me

I welcome your input and hope to hear from you on issues of mutual concern. Email: rep.dave.rogers@gmail.com. State House office phone: 617-722-2013. Personal cell phone: 617-817-9395. Website: repdaverogers.com.

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