Coffee and Conversations connect constituents to their reps.

by Diane Proctor

Holding the newest issue of The Concord Bridge in our hands, with State Representative Simon Cataldo’s picture on the front page and his commentary on page five, ten citizens gathered to hear Cataldo discuss his first busy weeks in office. He’s been attending gatherings and meetings in the State House, and myriad additional events throughout the 14^th Middlesex District he represents—portions of Concord, Carlisle, Chelmsford, and Acton.

“I learned more about state government in that hour and one half than I have learned in my 40+ years living in Concord!”

Cataldo announced the committees he’ll be serving on:

• House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight
• Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery
• Joint Committee on Financial Services
• Labor and Workforce Development 

His command of many issues of concern proved deeply impressive, and he’s already sponsored or co-sponsored several bills. He shared, in particular detail, his thinking on use of the Concord Best Western hotel as a shelter for unhoused families and his signature piece of legislation, HD2861—an act to advance fairness, integrity, and excellence in higher-education admissions policies.

About HD2861, Cataldo stated that “the system for college admissions is fundamentally unfair, and our seniors in high school know this.” His bill would fine colleges that practice legacy preference, development preference, and binding early decision (which is impossible for needy students who must apply for this before their financial situation is submitted). The legislation would create a trust fund to eventually enable initiatives like the underwriting of community colleges.

He emphasized that we need more low-income housing in Concord and neighboring communities. Concord has added only five units in the last few years; we need to do our part to help.

Cataldo has visited both the Best Western and the Devens base that has served as an intake office for newly unhoused families. His first-hand knowledge of these institutions has provided penetrating glimpses into the lives of those who are less well-off than most area residents and helped to inform his perspectives.

Regarding the Best Western shelter, Cataldo began by describing the grim conditions at Devens, with 20 families and 69 people sleeping together on cots in a common space. Some are single parents, some are intact families, some are pregnant, and all are in need of urgent assistance. Making Opportunities Count (MOC), an NGO based in Fitchburg, provides the shelter care, including meals. A security firm monitors the shelter, but no drugs, theft, or violence has been observed in its many years of operation. 

The increase in unhoused persons has been driven in part by the end of restrictions on evicting families that applied during Covid. Cataldo recommends that concerned citizens and groups not bring clothes or food to the Best Western but give donations to MOC. 

Expressing the sentiment of all who attended, one person wrote: “It was a blockbuster of a meeting. I learned more about state government in that hour and one half than I have learned in my 40+ years living in Concord! Cataldo is outstanding.”