What We Do.

2026 Highlights.

1/20. Meeting. We remembered Suzanne Comtois, a long-time member who passed away, and we discussed the state of the country and what Democrats can/should do about it.

1/17. Meeting. Speakers: State Representatives Aaron Michlewitz and Jay Livingstone.

2025 Highlights. 

1/21. Meeting. Discussion of the first days of the new administration, and what can be done.

2/18. Meeting. Guest: Emily Norton, executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association.

3/18. Meeting. Speakers: State Senator Will Brownsberger, and City Councilor Sharon Durkan.

4/05. Event. Ward 5 Caucus. The Committee elected 11 male and 7 female delegates to the MassDems Convention, September 13th in Springfield. Committee Chair Bob Binney will also serve as a delegate, as will Lucy Rivera, a member of the State Committee, and Rep. Jay Livingstone, an ex-0fficio.

4/05. Event. Committee members and their friends joined some 100,000 others for the Hands Off! demonstration. The rally assembled in  Boston Common and continued to City Hall Plaza for speeches by Mayor Michelle Wu, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Senator Ed Markey.

4/15. Meeting. Guests: City Council At-Large candidates, Will Onuoha and Alexandra Valdez. Also: Steve Farrell and Ed Quinn of the Fenway Community Development Corporation (CDC).

5/15. Event. Mayoral Forum, Modern Theatre at Suffolk University. Hosts: the Boston Ward 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22 Democratic Committees. 

5/20. Meeting. Guest: Henry Santana, City Councilor At-Large.

6/14. Event. No Kings/Pride Parade. A great turnout, despite the rain!

6/18. Event. City Councilor At-Large Forum, Modern Theatre at Suffolk University. Hosts: the Boston Ward 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19, 21 and 22 Democratic Committees. 

6/24. Meeting. Endorsement vote. Mayor Michelle Wu, and City Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Henry Santa, both City Councilors At-Large, and Sharon Durkan, City Councilor District 8, were endorsed.

7/15. Meeting. We elected—and welcomed—several new members, as well as a new member for our Executive Board. We also discussed upcoming events. We will not meet in August.

7/17. Event. "Good Trouble Rally."  A great turnout, even in the heat and humidity!

9/13. Event. MassDems Convention, Springfield.

9/16. Meeting. Guests: Patrick Roath, candidate for U.S. Representative, 8th District; Michael Dattoli, Chair, Massachusetts Recall Committee.

9/28. Event. HillFest, an annual festival on Beacon Hill. Hilary Bacon Gabrieli and Pat Amend gave out Ward 5 business cards, and voter registration forms to encourage voting and promote the Committee.

10/18. Event. No Kings! Committee members joined 120,000 others in Boston Common, and a total of 7 million across the country!

10/21. Meeting. Guests: Clare Kelly, Mayor Wu's new Chief of Staff, and Alex Bausch, MassDems Senior Political Director.

11/18. Meeting. Guest: Marly Frederique, Lawyers for Civil Rights, who outlined our rights in light of the ICE raids.

12/9. Event. Ward 5 Holiday Party, The Hill Tavern, Boston. Seth Moulton, U.S Representative, 6th District, joined us.

Contact.

Send an email to:  Ward5Boston@gmail.com.

Get details on all Ward 5 Meetings—the third Tuesday of every month at 7PM—plus candidate forums, rallies, standouts, canvasses, and other events.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

The Boston WardWorks Alliance: Action Amid the Chaos.

This spring, members of Boston Wards 1, 4, 5, 10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 19 & 21 formed a group, the Boston WardWorks Alliance, to create a clear and unified voice to effect change on both the local and national levels in this time of deception and utter chaos, when our democracy is at tremendous risk. Its goal is to demand accountability from the party and its elected officials.Through collective action, public service and mutual support, the Alliance aims to increase citizen engagement, learn from each other, strengthen organizational capacity, and amplify progressive Democratic Party values as mandates for change.

First, the group drafted a letter addressed to various leaders in the Massachusetts Legislature, including Senate President Karen Spilka, and President Pro Tempore Will Brownsberger. It lobbied for the passage of Mayor Michelle Wu's Home Rule Petition which would protect residential property owners and tenants (HD.442). It begins:

"To help mitigate the increase in residential property taxes, Mayor Wu filed a Home Rule Petition to secure the ability to temporarily increase commercial rates and provide greater predictability for all taxpayers over the next few years. Without this home-rule authorization, the average single-family homeowner receiving a residential exemption will see a 21% increase in their tax bill in January over their last quarterly bill, or an annual increase of 10.5% compared to 2024. With the legislation, at the maximum allowed shift, the average single-family homeowner would see a 10.4% bill-to-bill increase and 5.2% annual increase. For example, a $5 million commercial property whose valuation has dropped by 7% would see a 4.5% tax decrease with no legislation and a 1.0% decrease with the maximum allowable shift level under the legislation. The City of Boston’s proposal is modest, time-limited, and revenue-neutral but will have a great positive impact on the residents of the city."

Next, the group composed a strongly worded letter to the MA Congressional Delegation, urging them to stand up to the GOP. It begins:

"We write on behalf of our Democratic Ward and Town Committees to urge you to take concrete action to stop Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and the Republican Party from raiding and pillaging our commons. House and Senate Republicans have given no indication that they are up to the task of holding their own party leaders accountable. It is therefore up to Democrats in Congress to save our democracy and our federal government. Unfortunately, thus far Democratic party leadership in Congress has utterly failed to meet the moment. The “strategy” of letting the GOP destroy our society and then hoping for the best in the 2026 midterms is not only immoral, it is bad politics. In order to win elections you have to give people something to vote for, which means you have to fight."

The Boston WardWorks Alliance continues to take a stand on issues of vital importance.