Franklin Town MA
8-30-2026 4:07am

People, Power, and Politcs

After being arraigned on 11 federal charges, Rep. Francisco Paulino of Methuen walks away from the Moakley Courthouse in the Seaport on Aug. 26, 2026, as members of the press ask him questions.  The arrest, indictment and arraignment of Methuen Rep. Francisco Paulino for alleged pandemic benefit fraud hit Wednesday. His alleged scheme included fraudulently obtaining more than $700,000 in pandemic-related relief funds, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Foley said, some of which he went on to use "for his own personal use including real estate expenses, loan payments and transfers to his campaign account."  At a press conference in the Moakley Courthouse that morning, Foley covered both Paulino's indictment and the indictment of Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña, who was arrested and charged this month with fraudulently obtaining over $1.5 million in COVID small business loans and using the proceeds to fund his campaign account and pay personal taxes and mortgages.

FRANKLIN

New Town Website Does Not Support “Cut and Paste” of calendar entries. Go to https://franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx to view directly. Steve Sherlock from Franklin Matters has kindly compiled and and shared the below information. Thanks Steve!

September arrives Tuesday with the State Primary election taking center stage from 6 AM to 8 PM and all voting at Franklin High School. A newly announced write-in campaign may delay the results as those write-in ballots require manual counting; so let’s be patient and allow time for the democratic voting process to work and count accurately.

Note: the Town Clerk’s Office in the Municipal Building is closed Tuesday as they are working at the election.

The Cultural Council meets on Monday. Their agenda is rather spartan and by the way, there are still a number of vacancies for this group that administers the cultural grant process locally.

The Agricultural Commission is also scheduled to meet on Monday. A key item on this agenda is planning for the Pumpkin Festival at the Farmers Market Oct 2.

The 250th Anniversary Celebration Communications Subcommittee meets on Tuesday to work on several items relating to their formal communications (website, press releases, guidelines for social media, etc.)

The Board of Health returns to meet on Wednesday after taking the summer months off. A bunch of health related items are on this agenda.

The Town Council has a full session of work on its agenda for Wednesday. The Police Station Building Committee formally makes their presentation/recommendation, the new Police Chief is up for approval, the Deputy Town Administrator and Administrative Assistant is introduced.

The excess sewer capacity discussion and potential decision is back again (as promised), an overview of town owned buildings is scheduled (to set up for the future police station decision and related decisions on Parmenter, Davis Thayer, etc.). The public session also closes with an Executive Session on “other town property”

The Commission on Disability has its monthly meeting on Thursday at 4:00 PM in advance of the Ad Hoc Charter Committee (6:00) and the ZBA meeting (7:30).

For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news/ where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.

*** Event & Meeting schedule (with agendas) as of Town pages 8/28/26 7:30 PM ***

Franklin Cultural Council Meeting

Monday, August 31 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08312026-2476

Franklin Agricultural Committee Meeting

Monday, August 31 Time: 7:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08312026-2472

250th Anniversary Celebration Communications Subcommittee Meeting

Tuesday, September 1 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09012026-2475

Board of Health Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 5:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2480

Police Station Building Committee Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2481

Town Council Meeting

Wednesday, September 2 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09022026-2482

Franklin Commission on Disability Meeting

Thursday, September 3 Time: 4:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2474

Town Charter Ad Hoc Committee

Thursday, September 3 Time: 6:00 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2479

ZBA Meeting

Thursday, September 3 Time: 7:30 PM

https://www.franklinma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09032026-2469

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*** Looking back at the week that was ***

Town/ School meetings

All Access programming

Franklin Matters

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For all the meetings and cultural events, check out the calendar at Franklin.news/ where each day, that day's events are posted on the top of the page, the TV and radio schedules are on the bottom, and all the other goodness falls in-between.

Town calendar -> https://www.franklinma.gov/Calendar.aspx

Community calendar -> https://bit.ly/FranklinCommunityCalendar

Subscribe for the daily dose of information -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/welcome.html

Subscribe for the weekly dose of information -> https://www.franklinmattersweekly.org/p/subscribe-for-email.html

MEDWAY

Medway’s new website, likewise, does not readily support cut and paste. Go to medwayma.gov.

STATE HOUSE and BEYOND

Primary elections wrap up Tuesday night, but it's largely a non-event for most elected officials on Beacon Hill. Each of the two major political parties has just one statewide primary for voters to decide: Republican voters will decide whether to put up Mike Minogue or Brian Shortsleeve against Gov. Maura Healey as she seeks a second term in November, and Democratic voters will choose between U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton for their nominee to the U.S. Senate. It will be the second cycle in a row that Markey will have to outpoll another member of the state's all-Democrat congressional delegation in order to stay in office. Look for both parties to host events Wednesday to kick off the general election cycle and project a sense of unity coming off the primaries. Of 400 possible legislative primary contests around the state (one for each party, in each district), only 42 are actually contested, according to the candidate list from Secretary of State William Galvin's office. Democrats account for 37 of those 42 contested primaries. Only in one district -- the 9th Bristol seat in the House -- do both parties have more than one candidate, making the race for the seat Rep. Chris Markey is vacating the sole opportunity for voters from both parties to actually choose their nominees rather than having at least one decided by default. Though most races will not be competitive, the ones that are bear watching. Democrats will retain overwhelming majorities in 2027-2028 but contested races may influence the ideological direction of the House and Senate and will test the political standing of several veteran incumbents. Rep. Majorie Decker of Cambridge faces a rematch against Evan MacKay after surviving the 2024 Democratic primary by just 41 votes following a recount. Longtime Springfield-area Rep. Angelo Puppolo Jr. faces one of the most serious primary challenges of his two-decade legislative career from Michael Lachenmeyer. Newton City Councilor Alison Leary is taking on the powerful chairman of the Health Care Financing Committee, Rep. John Lawn. No member of House leadership faces a primary challenge, but the same is not true across the hall in the Senate. There, Senate President Pro Tempore William Brownsberger and Senate Majority Whip Michael Rush each face another Democrat on Tuesday's ballot. Rush, of West Roxbury, faces attorney Persis Yu in his first primary challenge since 2012. Brownsberger, of Belmont, faces Daniel Lander of Boston. Lander is one of two candidates running to unseat a Senate incumbent with the backing of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Wu was unable to push her property tax reclassification proposal through the Senate and on Tuesday she's backing challengers who hope to unseat opponents of the city's tax shift proposal: Lander will face Brownsberger and Latoya Sherria Gayle of Boston is Wu's preferred candidate against Sen. Nick Collins of South Boston, who also faces a primary contest from Juwan Khiry Skeens of Boston.

A handful of sitting lawmakers are looking to leapfrog into other offices this fall, including Reps. Christine Barber and Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville, who are competing in the same primary to be the Democratic nominee for the seat Sen. Patricia Jehlen is retiring from. And Rep. Tram Nguyen of Andover is jockeying in a crowded field of Democrats to advance to November in the contest to fill the North Shore congressional seat that Moulton is vacating. The district attorney race with the most direct connection to Beacon Hill is in Bristol County, where Rep. Chris Markey of Dartmouth is Democrats' only choice for the county prosecutor job David Quinn is leaving. Markey has no opponent Tuesday but will face Republican Seth Aitken of Swansea in November. The Democrat already has the backing of popular Republican former Gov. Charlie Baker and former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito – perhaps returning the favor after Markey broke with his Democratic Party in 2018 to endorse Baker and Polito for reelection. In Norfolk County, seven Democrats (including former Governor's Councilor Bob Jubinville) are vying to replace Michael Morrissey, a former state senator. No Republican is running, so Tuesday's primary may determine who holds that office come January. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan faces a primary challenge from David Solet and Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois faces a primary challenge from Michael Giardino.

Secretary of State William Galvin guessed that turnout in this year's primaries could reach roughly 800,000 votes on the Democratic side and around 280,000 ballots on the Republican side -- both would be increases over the last midterm primary cycle in 2022. He noted that several high-profile Democratic congressional contests (Reps. Richard Neal, Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Stephen Lynch and Willam Keating all face other Democrats this year) could help drive participation. "I'm obviously aware that in a number of other states, there's been pronounced increases in the Democratic primary turnout," Galvin said Thursday, attributing some of that trend to the political environment under President Donald Trump's administration. In 2022, about 777,000 Democratic ballots and about 275,000 Republican ballots were cast. Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. statewide.

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026

MINOGUE ON KELLER: GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue joins political analyst Jon Keller's weekly talk segment "Keller at Large" to discuss his plans for reviving manufacturing in Massachusetts, closing the MBTA operating deficit and eradicating "waste, fraud and corruption," according to Keller. (Sunday, 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV)

SIXTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT ON @ ISSUE: Reporter Matt Prichard takes a look at all six Democrats running in the Sixth Congressional District race on NBC 10's weekly segment "@ Issue Sit Down." (Sunday, 9:30 a.m., NBC 10)

CONSERVATION BALLOT QUESTION RALLY: Gov. Healey rallies with supporters of a ballot question that could lead to $100 million being spent annually for nature and water conservation. Question 6 requires the creation of a Nature For All Fund and calls for the Legislature to appropriate "an amount equivalent to 50% of all monies received by the commonwealth from the receipts from taxes on sales and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and golf courses" as classified under the 2022 revision of the North American Industry Classification Codes. (Sunday, 10 a.m., Hammond Pond trailhead, Hammond Pond Parkway, Newton)

"ON THE RECORD": WCVB anchor Ed Harding and anchor/reporter Ben Simmoneau discuss primary races in Massachusetts and across the country. "On the Record" Democratic political analyst Mary Anne Marsh and Republican political analyst Ginny Buckingham weigh in on local races, while White House correspondent Christopher Salas talks about national contests.(Sunday, 11 a.m., WCVB)

SUFFOLK DA RACE ON CITYLINE: WCVB's weekly program Cityline focuses on the Suffolk County district attorney's race, featuring one-on-one discussions with candidates Kevin Hayden, Rachael Rollins and Linda Champion. (Sunday, 11:30 a.m., WCVB)

NGUYEN RALLY: U.S. Reps. Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Andrea Campbell lead a rally for Rep. Tram Nguyen, who's running for the Sixth Congressional District seat. For location details, media should RSVP to amunger@melwoodglobal.com and dguarino@melwoodglobal.com.. (Sunday, 12 p.m., Salem)

Monday, Aug. 31, 2026

OVERDOSE AWARENESS DAY: In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day, more than 20,000 purple flags will be planted on Boston Common to represent the number of lives lost in Massachusetts. The memorial is presented by the Department of Public Health, Boston Public Health Commission and Boston Medical Center. Flag planting starts at 7 a.m., followed by programming at 9 a.m. (Monday, 9 a.m., Boston Common, Liberty Mall across from the State House)

MICROTRANSIT LAUNCH: MassDOT and electric shuttle company Circuit launch The Link, a new free, on-demand, all-electric microtransit service for Woburn, Burlington, Reading and Wakefield operated by Circuit and funded through a MassDOT grant. There are two ribbon-cutting ceremonies Monday. (Monday, 10 a.m., Anderson Transportation Center, 100 Atlantic Avenue, Woburn | 11 a.m., Colonel Connelly Park, 146 Route 129, Wakefield)

HOUSE: House meets in an informal session. (Monday, 11 a.m., House Chamber | Livestream)

SENATE: Senate meets. (Monday, 11 a.m., Senate Chamber | Livestream)

UMASS LOWELL CONVOCATION: UMass Lowell holds a convocation ceremony to welcome first-year and transfer undergraduate students. The keynote speaker is Dezanae Boston-Bernier, who works at the T. Howard Foundation and helps students from underserved backgrounds get internship opportunities in media, entertainment and technology. There are 3,700 new undergraduates, including 836 who are joining the university's Honors College. There's also 755 first-year students joining the River Hawk Scholars Academy, which provides academic and support services for individuals who are the first in their family to attend college. (Monday, 11 a.m., Tsongas Center, UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell)

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Long-Term Services & Supports and Health Equity Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities meets. Agenda includes a healthcare access presentation from Jill Pineda, a licensed clinical psychologist at the Lurie Center for Autism and a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School. (Monday, 11 a.m. | More Info and Zoom)

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Disability Employment Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities meets. Agenda includes a presentation from the Massachusetts State Rehabilitation Council. (Monday, 12 p.m. | Agenda and Zoom)

TRINIDAD FLAG RAISING: To celebrate Trinidad Independence Day, Boston hosts a Trinidad flag raising ceremony. The event brings together community members, local leaders and performers. (Monday, 12 p.m., 1 City Hall Sq., Boston)

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: Workforce Supports Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities meets. Agenda includes a presentation from the Human Services Research Institute. (Monday, 2 p.m. | Agenda and Zoom)

GAYLE IN CHINATOWN: Democratic candidate for First Suffolk Senate District Latoya Gayle is set to "kick off Election Day GOTV operations" with a speaking program alongside elected officials, local union members and community supporters, according to her campaign. Gayle, a Boston Mayor Wu-backed candidate, is challenging South Boston Sen. Nick Collins in the Tuesday primary. (Monday, 5:15 p.m., Chinatown Gate, Boston)

SHORTSLEEVE RALLY: Candidate for governor Brian Shortsleeve holds a primary eve rally. (Monday, 6 p.m. Traveler's Alehouse, 111 Huttleston Ave., Fairhaven)

LANDER CANVASS: Daniel Lander, candidate for the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate district, canvasses in Boston on the eve of the Democratic primary, alongside political allies Boston Mayor Wu and David Hogg, national gun control activist and former vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. Lander's campaign said he'll also be joined by members of the Working Families Party and Hogg's PAC, Leaders We Deserve. (Monday, 6 p.m., Brighton Common, 30 Chestnut Hill Ave., Boston)

ENCORE CONTRACT EXPIRES: Contract between Encore Boston Harbor owner Wynn Resorts and casino workers expires. The workers, part of UNITED HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25, are pushing for higher pay and voted Thursday to authorize a strike. (Monday)

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026

PRIMARY ELECTION DAY: Polls open across the state for Election Day voting in the 2026 state primaries. Polling locations close at 8 p.m. (Tuesday, 7 a.m. | Find your polling place)

COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND: Massachusetts Commission for the Blind holds a public hearing on its proposed Comprehensive Annual Independent Living Social Services Plan for fiscal 2027. (Tuesday, 3 p.m. | Livestream)

EV REBATES: Department of Energy Resources holds a virtual public hearing on proposed regulatory changes to the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program. Officials say the changes are meant to streamline the application process and make the program "more cost-effective and equitable." The changes also lower certain vehicle price caps for rebates. (Tuesday, 6 p.m. | More Info and Register)

HEALEY-DRISCOLL ELECTION NIGHT PARTY: Gov. Healey and Lt. Gov. Driscoll, who are both seeking reelection and running unopposed in the Democratic primary, host a primary night party. Healey and Driscoll are set to deliver remarks. Media interested in attending can contact kerry@maurahealey.com. (Tuesday, 8 p.m., IBEW 103, 256 Freeport St., Dorchester)

MBTA FARE PILOTS: MBTA launches two fare pilot programs the agency says are aimed at making transit more affordable, flexible and simpler for passengers. One pilot allows riders to transfer an unlimited number of times within a two-hour period and for the price of the most expensive service. Currently, subway and bus passengers can transfer two times within two hours for the cost of the highest-priced ride. The other program eliminates higher fees charged for express service along seven bus routes. Under the program, riders on express bus routes would be charged $1.70 for a full fare or $0.85 for reduced fares (as opposed to $4.25 for a full fare and $2.10 for reduced fares.) The MBTA says the pilot programs will last for a maximum of six months and the agency plans to evaluate fare pilots over the winter to assess their effects on ridership, revenue equity and simplicity. (Tuesday | More Info)

ELECTION NIGHT: Republican gubernatorial contenders will be in Medford (Mike Minogue) and Boston's Back Bay (Brian Shortsleeve) on Tuesday night as results in their primary election flow in. Gov. Healey, who awaits the winner on November's ballot, will be at her own party in Dorchester. The News Service is compiling a list of candidate events on primary night, please click here for a more complete listing of primary night parties and events. (Tuesday)

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026

ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Energy Efficiency Advisory Council's Executive Committee meets. (Wednesday, 10 a.m. | Livestream)

EV REBATES: Department of Energy Resources holds an in-person public hearing on proposed regulatory changes to the Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV) program. Officials say the changes aim to streamline the application process, make the program more cost-effective and reduce certain price caps. (Wednesday, 1 p.m., 100 Cambridge St., Boston | More Info)

POST-PRIMARY BRIEFING: Partners in Democracy hosts a post-primary briefing and delves into what the results could mean for Election Day in November. Panelists include Partners in Democracy CEO Jerren Chang, former U.S. Senate candidate Alex Rikleen and Mass Voter Table Executive Director Shanique Rodriguez. (Wednesday, 1 p.m. | Zoom)

COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND: Massachusetts Commission for the Blind's Rehabilitation Council meets. Agenda includes a commissioner's update, plus updates on the budget and programs and services. (Wednesday, 1 p.m. | Agenda and Livestream)

STATE INTEROPERABILITY: State Interoperability Executive Committee and Executive Management Committee meet. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 50 Maple St., 2nd floor, Conference Room 2122, Milford | Agenda and Livestream)

CLEAN WATER TRUST: Clean Water Trust Board of Trustees meets remotely. The agenda includes a report from the executive committee and votes on several grant commitments and agreements. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., for access email masswatertrust@tre.state.ma.us | More Info and Agenda)

WATERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL OPENING: Treasurer Deb Goldberg attends a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Watertown High School. The new school building is the first in the country to reach both net-zero energy and LEED 4.1 Platinum status and the $219 million project is the largest capital investment in Watertown's history, according to school officials. (Wednesday, 3 p.m., 50 Columbia St., Watertown)

WIDETT CIRCLE: MBTA holds a public meeting about the Widett Circle Layover Facility Project and takes feedback. The MBTA is planning to construct a new train layover facility at Widett Circle for Commuter Rail operations and future Regional Rail service. Located about one mile from South Station along the Fairmount Line, the facility will provide a centralized location for storing and servicing trains. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., State Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, 10 Park Plaza, Boston)

DEATON TOWN HALL: U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton hosts a "People Over Politics" town hall. Billed as a non-partisan forum, the statewide listening tour will focus on "what Massachusetts families actually care about: skyrocketing housing costs, crushing affordability challenges, rising taxes, energy prices, and fixing our broken infrastructure," Deaton's campaign said. (Wednesday, 7 p.m., Knights of Columbus, 340 Hancock St., Quincy)

Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

EARLY ED, CARE: Advisory Council on Early Education and Care meets. Agenda topics include a fiscal 2027 budget overview and an expansion of childcare financial assistance programs. (Thursday, 10 a.m. | Agenda and Zoom)

SENATE SESSION: Senate meets in an informal session, per Senate President Spilka's office. (Thursday, 11 a.m., Senate Chamber | Livestream)

EARLY ED, CARE WORKFORCE: Early Education and Care Workforce Council meets. Agenda items include a fiscal 2027 budget overview, workforce priorities, and an update on apprenticeships. (Thursday, 1 p.m. | Agenda and Zoom)

HEALTHCARE WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: House and Senate negotiators tasked with hashing out differences between their healthcare workplace violence prevention bills meet for the first time, more than a month after the end of scheduled formal sessions. The House unanimously passed its bill (H 4767) on Nov. 19, while the Senate passed its version (S 3184) on a voice vote on July 16. People who assault healthcare workers, including at hospital and doctor's offices, could be charged with misdemeanor offenses under the Senate bill. The House bill carries much stiffer penalties; an assault resulting in "serious bodily injury" could trigger a combination of imprisonment and fines, with the maximum penalties entailing 10 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association estimates that every 38 minutes, someone in a healthcare facility is physically assaulted, verbally abused or threatened. (Thursday, 2 p.m., Room 428A)

PCA WORKFORCE: Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council meets in an executive session for a bargaining update. (Thursday, 3 p.m. | Zoom)

DEATON TOWN HALL: U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton continues his "People Over Politics" town hall series. (Thursday, 7 p.m., Weymouth-Braintree Lodge of Elks, 788 Liberty St., Braintree)

AUGUST REVENUES: Department of Revenue is due to report on tax collections from August. (Thursday)

Friday, Sept. 4, 2026

BALLOT QUESTION CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS: Deadline arrives for campaigns backing or opposing statewide ballot questions to file 60-day reports with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. This marks the end of a stretch where ballot question committees don't have to report on their finances between Jan. 20 and September – a span House Speaker Ron Mariano has dubbed a "blackout period." After Friday, which marks 60 days until the Nov. 3 general election, ballot committees must file reports on the 5th and 20th days of each month leading up to the election. (

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