PEABODY — Local Democrats will soon have the chance to make their voices heard at the grassroots level.
The Peabody Democratic City Committee will host its annual caucus on Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. at the Torigian Senior Center, 79 Central St., to elect delegates for the 2025 Massachusetts Democratic State Convention.
The caucus is open to all registered Democrats in Peabody. Participants will gather by ward and vote for delegates who will represent the city at the state convention, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13, in Springfield. This year’s convention will be an “issues convention,” where members will debate and vote on the core tenets of the Democratic Party platform ahead of the next election cycle.
“Right now, every Democratic town and city committee in Massachusetts is holding caucuses,” said Beverley Griffin Dunne, chair of the Peabody Democratic City Committee. “We decided a Saturday morning was best for Peabody.”
Dunne said the caucus gives residents a direct opportunity to engage with their local political process.
“At the caucus, you sit with the people in your ward, and among those people, you vote on who will attend the convention,” she explained. “It’s democracy in action.”
Peabody is divided into six wards, each represented by a ward chair. Dunne explained that during the caucus, voters from each ward will elect five delegates and four alternates. In cases where more candidates run than seats available, participants will hear short speeches from each candidate before casting their votes.
“If you had, say, ten people running for four or five delegate spots in a ward, they would each make a brief speech about why they should be chosen,” Dunne said. “At that point, candidates might talk about the issues they care about, research they’ve done, or work they’ve done in the community.”
In addition to elected delegates, certain public officials automatically qualify as delegates by virtue of their position. In Peabody, State Sen. Joan Lovely, State Rep. Tom Walsh, and State Rep. Sally Kerans are among those who will attend automatically.
Residents will be asked to sign in at the caucus. Only registered Democrats who live in Peabody are eligible to run for delegate. Others may observe from a guest section but will not participate in voting.
Dunne emphasized that while informal conversations about issues often happen during the caucus, the primary focus of the day is electing delegates, not debating policy.
“Believe me, people will talk about different issues — they always do,” she said with a laugh. “But the bigger goal for Saturday is to select our representatives for the state convention.”
At the September convention, delegates will engage in formal debate over the Democratic Party’s platform and priorities. Unlike an election-year convention, where candidates for statewide office campaign for support, this year’s gathering will concentrate specifically on issues.
“In an election year, you’ll hear from candidates running for governor, senator, and other offices,” Dunne said. “But this year, the emphasis is on shaping what we stand for and what we want to accomplish.”
A lifelong Peabody resident, Dunne has been an active member of the Democratic City Committee for years, first serving as chair of the Ward 2 Democratic Committee. She was elected citywide chair in 2014, later stepped aside to serve as vice chair to encourage new leadership, and recently returned to her role as chair.
Reflecting on her priorities today, Dunne said her goals are twofold: to keep local Democrats informed and to encourage greater participation in civic life.
“Right now, the role is to keep everyone informed because there’s so much going on in our country with politics,” she said. “I also hope to increase active membership and plan activities that bring Democrats together.”
She stressed that engaging at the local level builds the foundation for broader political change.
“Learning how democracy works and helping it to work is so important, more now than ever before,” Dunne said. “To me, it’s fascinating — and it’s such a good exercise for citizens to become involved.”
“Tip O’Neill said it best — all politics is local,” she added. “If people want to make a difference nationally, they have to start by being active here at home.”
The Peabody caucus is part of a statewide series of Democratic caucuses taking place between March 29 and May 18.
