Upcoming Events

• Chatham Democrats will be walking again this year in Chatham's Annual July 4th Parade. If you or family members would like to walk with us, please reach out on the contact form or come to the next meeting on May 27th at 4p at the Chatham Community Center. The more the merrier!

•  Ongoing Local "Standouts" & Protests: Various Indivisible local chapters are conducting ongoing rallies, such as weekly "Feet on the Streets" Friday morning protests, and anti-ICE protests at target locations. https://indivisible.org/get-involved/attend-an-event/?pg= ​

Latest News​

A Meet and Greet Fundraiser was hosted by Mike and Kathy Schell on May 28 at their home in Chatham. The guest of honor was Ron Bergstrom, whose bid for re-election for Barnstable County Commissioner drew support from residents across Cape Cod. 

Said fellow Barnstable County Commissioner, Sheila Lyons, of Wellfleet, "I support Ron because he understands the value of shared services in reducing costs and strengthening our communities. As a regional board, we work together to build solutions, foster collaboration, and advocate for legislation that benefits Cape Codders. As a working man, Ron understands the challenges facing both families and municipalities. He brings the practical experience and leadership our communities need."

 To donate to Ron's campaign, go to  https://www.electronbergstrom.org/

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​Potash Wins Seat On Chatham Select Board 
May 15, 2026
TIM WOOD for the Cape Cod Chronicle 

CHATHAM – Topping a four-candidate field, Randi Potash won a three-year term on the select board in Thursday’s annual town election.  

Based on preliminary results released by Town Clerk Julie Smith Thursday evening, Potash led polling with 767 votes, well ahead of candidates Carol Gordon, with 519 votes, Brian Phillips with 210 votes, and Meredith Fry with 177. 

Turnout was about average for a town election, with 1,680 voters, or 28 percent of those registered, casting ballots at the community center.  

Potash, currently vice chair of the zoning board of appeals, previously served on the Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates as Chatham’s elected representative. An attorney and trained mediator, she will fill the seat left vacant after Shareen Davis decided not to seek re-election.

Although there were two Chatham open seats on the Monomoy Regional School Committee, only one candidate, Heather Morgan, had taken out nomination papers. She was elected with 1,223 votes. Write-in candidate Lucia Luce Quinn earned 195 votes and will fill the second three-year term.  

​Housing authority incumbent Shirley Smith was unchallenged and won re-election with 1,254 votes.  

Voters also approved two debt exemption ballot questions. Question 1 sought $2 million to replace the bulkhead at the Barn Hill town landing and was approved 1,273 to 318. The second question sought $3.5 million to replace the bulkhead and floats at the Ryder’s Cove town landing. It passed 1,286 to 307. Both questions were overwhelmingly approved at Monday’s annual town meeting.  The select board was scheduled to meet Friday morning to swear in its newest member and reorganize.​

Kennedy Legacy Dinner in Hyannis

The May 2, 2026 Kennedy Legacy Dinner at the Holiday Inn in Hyannis, featured an energetic roster of speakers and guests from key offices of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

Presented by the Cape and Islands Democratic Council, the evening featured keynote speaker Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, who stated that the Trump administration has placed our country in a field of "unforced errors" and that the Healey administration has stood and will continue to stand for the rights of all Massachusetts citizens. "We are the backstop against the worst of what's coming out of DC. We are keeping Massachusetts safe and strong."

There followed in-person appearances from a roster of key local and state Democratic leaders including: Senator Ed Markey; Congressman Bill Keating; State Representative Hadley Luddy; Representative Thomas Moakley; Cape and Islands Senator Julian Cyr; Barnstable and Plymouth Senator Dylan Fernandes; Representative Kip A. Diggs; Auditor Diana Dizoglia; as well as a few recorded video messages, those from Governor Maura Healey and AG Andrea Campbell chief among them.

The audience was comprised of members from Cape wide Democratic Town committees. Representing for Chatham Democrats: CDTC Chair Mike Schell and wife Kathy; Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Bergstrom and wife Mary; Chatham Selectman Jeff Dykens and wife Julie; Priscilla Smith; Mary Byrne, Carol Kenner, Dan Morgan and Martha Hicks.

The future Democratic voters of Cape Cod were seen in force, represented by a table full of students from Monomoy and Nauset High Schools, and of course CDTC's own youth whisperer and Massachussetts political wonk, Dan Morgan.
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The evening was capped off with two Democrat of the Year awards presented to Wellfleet DTC Chair Lydia Vivante and Dennis DTC Chair Priscilla Mariani.  

Chatham Select Board Forum Sees SRO Crowd

A huge turnout on April 30 for the Chatham Select Board Candidate Forum at the Town Hall Annex where attendees filled the large conference room to SRO capacity, spilling over into the adjoining conference room and filling that to capacity as well.

Hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Cape Cod Chronicle, the forum was moderated by Harwich resident and League member Rosemary Shields.

The five candidates, Meredith Loomis Frye, Carol Ann Gordon, Brian Phillips and Randi Potash, were each allowed a two minute opening statement, two minutes to answer each of five questions, and a two minute closing statement. The candidates were all presented with the same five questions drawn from a pool of questions written on notecards from the audience and read by moderator Shields.

​The question topics encompassed town sewer hookups; how to balance affordable housing while preserving open space; airport upgrades; the role of the select board in prioritizing funding for climate related costs; and residential tax exemptions.
Look for a more detailed report forthcoming in the Chronicle. Or you can watch the rebroadcast on Chatham TV Xfinity Channel 1072. 
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Ed Markey Forum in Osterville

Saturday, April 11 saw a very fired up Senator Ed Markey at the Osterville Public Library addressing a packed room of upwards of seventy people, a Who’s Who of local politicians as well as delegates and others interested in hearing the senator’s take on our current situation.

Markey’s enthusiasm was palpable and infectious, bringing the crowd to their feet several times during his roughly thirty-minute talk. From the start, Markey hammered the Trump administration for its disastrous policies, gross mismanagement and ill-conceived decisions, chiding Republicans for their spineless response to the slashing of crucial funds to NIH and Medicare in favor of throwing billions of dollars at an unnecessary war, a war, he says, that is alienating the United States from its closest allies.

“People ask me what Republicans say about Trump behind closed doors,” Markey said. “I say they’re like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. There’s no one home. Their cognition is completely detached from the body. Republicans have to grow a spine. The only way we can get them to do that is by knocking out as many of them as possible in November.”

Markey made a point to connect with the audience on a local level, calling Barnstable, “the epicenter of the Climate Crisis” and reminding the audience that Constitutional Rule of Law is part of our DNA in Massachusetts.

“Trump has handed over the keys to our environment and economy to Big Oil and Gas. This is, without question, the most important fight of our lives. Failure is not an option.”

Among those in attendance were Cape and Islands District Attorney Rob Galibois; former State Representative and Markey campaign advisor Jim Cantwell; Barnstable County Commissioner Ron Bergstrom; Sheila Lyons and Mark Forest, also of the Barnstable County Commission;  Representatives Hadley Luddy and Kipp Digs; Ed McManus, president of the Cape and Islands Democratic Council; and Chatham Democratic Town Committee Chair, Mike Schell