Lovely Named Committee Chairwoman in First Term

State Sen. Joan Lovely has been named to seven committees on Beacon Hill, including chairwoman of one of the committees.

The state senator representing Danvers has been named chairwoman of a Beacon Hill committee just a month after being sworn in to her first term in office. State Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) announced on Tuesday that she has been named chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Lovely was elected to the Second Essex District seat in the state Senate in November, filling the seat that was held by Sen. Frederick Berry for 30 years. Lovely emerged on top of a field of four Democrats in the September primary and beat Republican Richard Jolitz of Beverly in November to be the first person besides Berry to represent Danvers in the state Senate in three decades. Before being elected to the state Senate, Lovely was a 15-…

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Homeless in Motels a 'Top 3' Issue for Lovely

Three weeks into her first term in office, state Senator Joan Lovely addressed small business owners from the North Shore on Friday.

State Senator Joan Lovely addressed dozens of North Shore small business owners on Friday, identifying constituent services and an effort to drop the statue of limitation on child sex abuse as top key focuses. Lovely, a Democrat from Salem, was elected last November and has been in office for 23 days. She takes over for Frederick Berry, the former Senate Majority Leader who served for 30 years before retiring. Timely response to constituents is "crucial," she told the North Shore Business Forum as it gathered for breakfast at Danversport Yacht Club. "My time as a City Councilor taught me constituent service comes first," she said, after earlier saying she became involved in Salem city government after her concern about the condition of a …

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Patch Facts

5 Things To Know on Jan. 25: Where to Get Girl Scout Cookies This Weekend

A great way to start the day with a quick look at the events and happenings in town.

Welcome to “5 Things,” your daily resource for community events, happenings in town and other little tidbits of information. Here are five things you need to know on Friday, Jan. 25.  1. Cold Again: The forecast for temperatures on Friday call for it to be slightly “warmer,” with the temperature getting into the low 20s. The sky will be mostly cloudy and the west wind may gust to 24 miles per hour, creating wind chill factors as low as -6 degrees. 2. Cookies Are Here!: Girl Scout cookie sales continue this weekend. They’ll be on sale at Market Basket on Saturday from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 3. Senator Lovely: Joan Lovely, the newly elected state Senator to the Second Essex District that includes Danvers, with address the North Shore Business Forum …

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Lovely Sworn in to Massachusetts Senate

Joan Lovely officially began her term as Danvers' newest state Senator on Wednesday.

Salem's Joan Lovely took her seat in the Senate chamber Wednesday to officially start her tenure on Beacon Hill, according to the Salem News. She now represents Danvers in the state Senate. Lovely was sworn in by Gov. Deval Patrick during a brief ceremony and then took her first vote to return Therese Murray to the Senate presidency -- it was a unanimous vote. The 54-year-old Lovely, a longtime and popular Salem city councilor, defeated Peabody opponents John Slattery and Mary-Ellen Manning along with Salem's Ed Carroll during the Democratic Primary in September. She then easily beat Beverly Republican Richard Jolitz in November for the 2nd Essex District seat. The seat was long held by by Peabody's Fred Berry, who retired last year after …

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Senator Berry to be Feted at Soldout Event in Danvers Thursday Night

Outgoing state Senate Majority leader Fred Berry will be honored at an event at the Danversport Yacht Club on Thursday night.

Outgoing state Senator Fred Berry will be honored at a soldout event at Danversport Yacht Club on Thursday night. Berry, a Democrat from Peabody, was first elected to the state Senate in 1982. In recent years, he has served as the Majority Leader. He announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection to the Second Essex District seat this fall. This district includes Danvers, plus Beverly, Peabody, Salem and Topsfield. He is a Peabody native who graduated from Bishop Fenwick High School and Boston College. Before he was elected to the Senate, he served two terms on the Peabody City Council. Nelson Benton, who recently retired as editorial page editor of the Salem News, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. Proceeds from the event …

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Slattery Commends Opponents for Hard Work After Second Place Finish

State Senate candidate John Slattery said he felt like his team ran a good campaign and had lots of support throughout the district, the final result, however, was not as he had hoped.

Former Peabody state Rep. John Slattery was gracious to both his main opponents in the Senate race Thursday night as he made his concession speech at the Peabody Ancient Order of Hibernians Hall. Slattery, who finished well behind Salem city councilor Joan Lovely in the Democratic primary, commended Lovely particularly for her hard work over the past several months. According to total vote counts across the Second Essex District, Lovely won with 7,450, Slattery came in second with 4,418, Mary-Ellen Manning picked up 2,610 and Edward Carroll received 309. The district includes Danvers, plus Beverly, Peabody, Salem and Topsfield. "I think Joan Lovely will probably be the next state senator. She worked hard and she ran a good campaign, so …

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Despite Heated Senate Race, Low Voter Turnout Expected in Primary

Local election officials predict anywhere from 9 to 23 percent turnout Thursday at the polls for the state primary.

Despite a hotly contested state Senate race here on the North Shore and a handful of candidates vying for an opening on the Governor's Council, local election officials are predicting a relatively low turnout in Thursday's state primary election. Those expectations are based on historical turnout at the polls and due to the fact that the primary is two weeks before it usually is held and it's on a Thursday this year instead of a Tuesday. Danvers Town Clerk Joe Collins says he expects 15-20 percent of voters to come out (there are approximately 18,000 registered voters in Danvers), while Beverly City Clerk Kathleen Connolly anticipates no more than 9 or 10 percent -- possibly less -- which was the turnout for the presidential primary. That …

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LIVE: Chat With State Senate Candidate Joan Lovely

Have a question for Joan Lovely? Ask it here.

Salem city councilor and attorney Joan Lovely is chatting live with Patch readers today from noon - 1 p.m. Lovely is running for the 2nd Essex District seat in the state Senate, a district that includes Danvers.

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Chat Live With State Senate Candidate Joan Lovely on Monday

The Salem City Council President seeking the open state Senate seat will be chatting live with readers from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday.

State Senate candidate Joan Lovely will be joining us on Monday at noon for a live chat with readers. If you have any questions for Lovely on her bid for the 2nd Essex District seat, which includes Danvers as well as Peabody, Salem, Beverly and Topsfield, this is a great opportunity to get those questions answered. Be sure to head on over to our homepage between noon and 1 p.m. on Aug. 27 to join our chat. You simply have to provide your name and you'll be able to ask your questions immediately. Be sure to mark your calendar today. Questions submitted, as always, will be subject to moderator approval. No vulgar or libelous comments will be allowed. Due to the fact that we expect a high volume of questions for that hour, we will keep the …

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