Jason Lewis State Senate 5th Middlesex district

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1 Subject: October 2014 Newsletter: Regional Forum on the Opioid Crisis, Forums on the Ballot Questions, and More In This Issue Office Hours Coffee Hours Regional Forum on Opioid Abuse Ballot Question Forums Social Media Photo Gallery Quick Links Senator Jason Lewis' State House page SenatorJasonLewis.com (Legislative Website) ElectJasonLewis.com (Campaign Website) Dear Friends, I hope the adjustment from summer to autumn hasn't been too much of a shock to the system. The kids are back at school, leaves are beginning to change colors, and Halloween is just a few weeks away! In addition to my regular Office Hours and additional Coffee Hours, there are informative forums on the schedule for October. This month, I'll be convening discussions on issues including the opioid crisis and the four ballot questions on which we'll be voting in November. As always, it is very important to me to be as accessible to my constituents as possible, and to be a resource for the 5th Middlesex district. And, as usual, don't hesitate to contact my office at Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov or at (617) or visit my legislative website SenatorJasonLewis.com - should you ever have a concern to bring to my attention! Best wishes, Jason Lewis State Senate 5th Middlesex district

2 Office Hours As I've said before, it is my highest priority to maintain open lines of communication with you and to be fully engaged in every corner of the district. I want you to know that my staff and I will always be available to offer our assistance in any way we can. To that end, my staff and I hold regular monthly office hours in each community of the 5th Middlesex district. You are welcomed to come by and share concerns or just say hello! If you're unable to attend these times, but have a concern to bring to the attention of my staff and me, please don't hesitate to call our office at (617) Second Friday of the Month (October 10) 10am-11am: Wakefield Senior Center, 30 Converse Street, Wakefield 12pm-1pm: Winchester Public Library, 80 Washington Street, Winchester 1:30pm-2:30pm: Stoneham Senior Center, 136 Elm Street, Stoneham Third Friday of the Month (October 17) 10am-11am: Malden Senior Center, 7 Washington Street, Malden 11:30am-12:30pm: Milano Senior Center, 201 West Foster Street, Melrose 2:30pm-3:30pm: Reading Senior Center, 49 Pleasant Street, Reading Coffee Hours In addition to our regular monthly district Office Hours, and in the spirit of making myself as available as possible across the district, I am also holding informal Coffee Hours, at which constituents can come by and chat. The schedule currently includes: Friday, October 3: Wakefield 1-2pm: Beebe Memorial Library, 345 Main Street Monday, October 6: Melrose 11am-12pm: McCarthy Apartments, 910 Main Street 1-2pm: Steele House, 1 Nason Drive Tuesday, October 7: Malden 11am-12pm: 120 Mountain Avenue 1-2pm: 630 Salem Street 2:30-3:30pm: 312 Bryant Street Monday, October 27: Stoneham 1:30-2:30pm: Finnegan Hall, 74 Duncklee Avenue Regional Forum on Opioid Abuse Later this month, my office, along with the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse and the Mystic Valley Public Health Coalition will present a regional dialogue on opioid abuse. Residents of the 5th Middlesex district and neighboring communities are encouraged to attend and share their thoughts and feedback. The presentation will take place on Thursday, October

3 23, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, at Hawkes Field House at Reading Memorial High School, 62 Oakland Road, Reading. Opioid addiction in the Commonwealth has reached crisis level, and we need to take aggressive steps to prevent and treat addiction. With no community and no family immune to the reach of this epidemic, it is critically important that we engage all members of our community to be informed and take action. This forum will be a helpful step in that direction. The evening's agenda will include a panel presentation on the opioid issue from 7:00 to 7:30, followed by a rotating group discussion geared toward action items people can take to combat the opioid epidemic from 7:30 to 8:30, and then concluding from 8:30 to 9:00 with a summary of next steps members of the community can take. In addition to myself, the panel discussion will feature Penelope Funaiole, the Mystic Valley Opioid Abuse Prevention Coordinator, and Erica McNamara, MPH, Director of the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse. If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to the Director of the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse, Erica McNamara, MPH, at emcnamara@ci.reading.ma.us. Ballot Question Forums On Election Day (Tuesday, November 4), voters won't just elect officeholders. We will also vote on four important ballot questions that will have an impact on major policies here in the Commonwealth. To help folks better understand the ballot questions on which we'll be voting, I will be holding informational forums on the four ballot questions. They are scheduled for: Tuesday, October 21, 1:30-3:30pm Milano Senior Center, 201 West Foster Street, Melrose Friday, October 24, 2-3pm Stoneham Senior Center, 136 Elm Street, Stoneham Tuesday, October 28, 6:30-7:30pm Burbank YMCA, 36 Arthur B. Lord Drive, Reading Please feel encouraged to attend and bring friends and neighbors. If anybody is unable to attend, but would like information on the ballot questions, you can visit the Massachusetts Secretary of State's web page on the ballot questions by clicking on this link. Social Media Facebook and Twitter are helpful ways to see what I've been up to. I encourage you to Like my Facebook page and follow my Twitter feed! To Like my Facebook page, visit To follow my Twitter feed, visit

4 I had a great time at Malden Mayor Gary Christenson's Annual Senior Cookout.

5 They kept me very busy when I volunteered at the Sally Frank's Farmers' Market in Melrose.

6 It was a lot of fun attending the Grand Opening of Stock Pot Malden's new shared kitchen space at the former Polka Dot kitchen.

7 It is always an honor to congratulate a new Eagle Scout. Welldeserved congrats to Cameron Paul Bishop from Stoneham's Troop 513. Cameron's Eagle Scout project was re-doing the front desk at the Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham.

8 It was great to see so many friends at Melrose's 34th Annual Victorian Fair.

9 The Reading Fall Street Faire was a lot of fun, and it was an honor to spend some time in "UD Jail," raising money and awareness for Understanding Disabilities.

10 Congratulations to Bridgewell on their new Day Habilitation Center on Maple Street in Stoneham. A word of advice to aspiring local politicians: assisting in the Stoneham Town Day Cow Pie Contest is... interesting.

11 Great to see so many friends, including Mayor Gary Christenson, at the Malden Harvest Festival. Such a fun time!

12 Thank you to Housing Families Inc. of Malden for coming to the State House and sharing your stories and concerns with us. I enjoyed my interview with the impressive media team from Ablevision and Triangle Inc. We covered a lot of topics, from my background to the legislative process to priorities for individuals with special needs.

13 It was such a joy to read to the kids at the Children's Room of the Stoneham Public Library! We read Swimmy by Leo Lionni and I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry. I'm very proud to support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield. I enjoyed my tour of the Wakefield facility in the lower level of the Americal Civic Center with State Representatives Paul Brodeur &

14 Donald Wong - such a great space for our kids and young adults! We had a great turnout and thoughtful audience participation and questions at our forum in Wakefield on education funding.

15 It was a pleasure to join State Representative Jim Dwyer on a State House tour for Reading High School students and exchange students from Switzerland.