Voting has begun
With mail-in voting that was approved by the legislature in July, voting for the September 1, 2020 primary has begun. Vote-by-mail applications were mailed to every person who was registered to vote by July 1 and who had not already requested an absentee ballot for the State Primary. The applications are pre-addressed to your local election official and no postage is necessary. If you did not get one, you can download an application by clicking here.
For the State Primary ballot, your application must reach your local election office no later than August 26. If you wish to vote by mail, you are strongly encouraged to return your application earlier than that to make sure that you will receive your ballot in time to return it and have it be counted. And you can drop off your completed ballots in specially marked boxes at Town Hall. You can even track the progress of your ballot here.
You can also take advantage of early voting. In-person voting for the September 1 State Primary will take place over 8 days, with 7 days of early voting being held August 22-28. All cities and towns are required to offer early voting on Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23. The early voting schedule for Franklin is here. The early voting information for Medway is here.
Finally, you can vote in person on Tuesday, September 1 at the regular polling places. Your vote is essential for our democracy, so I hope you will take advantage of one of the three available methods to let your voice be heard. As always, please stay safe and keep in touch.
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Boston 25 News and reporter Bob Ward ran two stories on the revitalization of Franklin's PPE factory. You can view them by clicking the video above.
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PPE Produced in Franklin
Over the past several months, Rep. Roy was delighted to join a team of engineers, politicians, and innovators who took an idea for fabricating medical gowns in an old closed factory in Franklin and turned it into reality. A number of great people collaborated and participated to make it happen and we now have PPE being produced right here in Franklin. Rep. Roy partnered with Franklin Town Council Chair Tom Mercer to provide the state and local support for the project.
This cooperative project is a prime example of how the great Massachusetts ecosystem can help companies grow and prosper. Getting Contollo Mass Manufacturing from an idea conceived on March 30, 2020, to a fully operating manufacturing production facility six weeks later, is a feat that could only happen here because of the foresight and energy of all those who came together to act quickly and decisively.
As a result of this group effort, lives will be saved, jobs have been created, and our supply chain continues to grow stronger.
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 Homecoming
Rep. Roy joined the Franklin Fire Dept. to celebrate a special homecoming. The American-LaFrance (ALF) 75-foot aerial ladder truck, after a 35-year absence, has returned to its original home.
The truck was donated back to the Franklin FD by Bellingham Police Sgt. Edward Guzowski, who has spent the last 24 years restoring it and driving it in various community events. Franklin Fire Chief James McLaughlin, his staff and town officials were on hand at the downtown station to accept the donation.
Chief McLaughlin is looking forward to using the truck, not only as a historical teaching tool, but as a recruiting tool as well. And how great will it be to see this grand old timer the next time we actually have a parade!
You can view the Milford Daily News report on the event here. More details and photos can be viewed here.
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Solidarity
Rep. Roy joined community members at events organized in Franklin by Franklin Area Against Racism, and in Medway by Medway Marches. These events were organized to bring awareness of systemic racism as it exists in our country today. “I am proud to be part of communities that stand in solidarity and look to support one another, while still being aware of and practicing the social distancing that is keeping us all safe,” noted Rep. Roy.
You can find more details and photos from the events by clicking here and here.
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Police reform bill passes House
On July 24th, Rep Roy joined a majority of his colleagues to pass the House Bill on Police Reform. It’s one of several bills on the issue. Part of the legislation calls for a commission to study qualified immunity, a provision that was added as a result of Rep. Roy's amendment #204. As you can see from the above newspaper article, the police chiefs are in support of what the House did on police reform, and Rep. Roy will do his best to try to preserve that work.
The bill is designed to create more transparency and accountability, as well as to integrate a certification and credentialing process for officers in Massachusetts. Rep Roy’s blog post outlining the bill and his reasons for supporting it can be found here.
Rep. Roy met with both the Franklin and Medway Police Departments to discuss the proposed Police Reform Legislation and gather feedback for the Conference Committee. In a Facebook post on the department page, the Franklin and Medway Police Departments thanked Rep Roy "who responded to our request to meet and discuss the proposed legislation on police reform which could have a significant impact on our profession. Representative Roy stayed and answered every question posed by the officers who will be affected by these changes. We thank him for his time, transparency, and willingness to listen and learn how the legislation as drafted would affect the officers working in all the communities of the Commonwealth.”
Following the meeting, Rep. Roy drafted a letter to the Conference Committee outlining the requests from the Franklin and Medway officials and asking that they be incorporated into the conference report.
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Climate change action on the move
 Rep. Roy, along with the former president of the Mass Climate Action Network, Ted McIntyre, co-authored an op-ed piece on creating a thriving, sustainable future, and the consequences we will face if we do not act now. You can view the piece here.
In the piece, they noted that the predictions of science are bleak based on our current approach to the problem of carbon pollution. But it doesn’t have to be that way and we still have the option to construct a good future. We have the power to build a world that does more than simply avoid catastrophe. And we can create a thriving, sustainable future that our children’s children will thank us for.
The following week, the House passed An Act Creating a 2050 Roadmap to a Clean and Thriving Commonwealth (H. 4933), which builds on the House’s long-standing commitment to effective and lasting climate change policy and fulfills the pledge to pass 2050 greenhouse gas emissions net zero limits.
The legislation also increases support for clean energy workforce development programs, improves access to renewable energy and energy efficiency programs for low-income communities, and requires the state to increase its use of renewable resources for its electricity needs. It further establishes the criteria in statute that defines environmental justice populations.
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