Happy Thanksgiving!

My wife and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all constituents a "Happy Thanksgiving." And as we celebrate this holiday we are particularly grateful that our neighbors in Danvers did not suffer loss of life as a result of the terrible disaster yesterday morning.

Sergeant Durham honored with Hanna Award...

Here's an item of 'old news' that I forget to include earlier on this blog.

I was on hand at the Oct. 13 George L. Hanna Jr. Memorial Awards for Bravery to present Medford Police Sergeant Edward Durham with a State House Resolution for receiving a Hanna Medal of Valor for saving the life of a 5-week-old baby.

Named for the fallen Mass. State Trooper George Hanna, the awards are presented annually to members of the law enforcement who go above and beyond the call of duty and perform heroic acts of bravery when faced with life and death decisions. Now in their 23rd year, the awards have become a prestigious symbol of service within the commonwealth's public safety community.

My congratulations to Sergeant Durham for recieving this award.

Lawmakers recess without voting on constitutional amendment...

The House and Senate, meeting in a special joint session yesterday, voted to recess before taking up a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would limit the legal definition of marriage to the union of one man and one woman. Lawmakers voted to adjourn the session until Jan. 2, the last official day of the session.

The 109-87 vote to recess dealt a blow to opponents of same-sex marriage looking to override the landmark court decision three years ago. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a 4-3 decision in 2003 that gays and lesbians could legally marry under the state constitution.

I'll keep you updated on this issue. If you have any questions or comments you can contact me by email at RepDonato38@aol.com

A big "Thank You"...

I want to thank all who voted for me yesterday.

Be assured that I'll continue to work hard to represent the best interests of all the people in our District. I am honored to serve you!

May I extend congratulations to all the other candidates who were victorious in yesterday's election. A special word of congratulations to Deval Patrick for his landslide victory. We have many challenges confronting the Commonwealth and we'll all need to work together to address these challenges.

Again, I am always happy to hear from constituents. To contact my office send an email to RepDonato38@aol.com

Update on work in the Legislature...

Over the past couple of months we have continued to work on a wide variety of issues. Of particular interest to some constituents will be the Constitutional Convention on November 9. We will vote on the marriage amendment. You can expect this gathering will get a lot of attention in the media.

As usual, I am always pleased to get input from people in my District. Send your feedback to RepDonato38@aol.com

Elections: State Ballot Questions...

I am hoping that all constituents will go to the polls next Tuesday to cast their votes. You will have the opportunity to vote on some important ballot questions. Click on this link for information on each of those questions. If you have any particular questions send an email to RepDonato38@aol.com.

I'll be posting some more information on the election over the next few days.