Westminster Democratic Town Committee

History*

The Westminster Democratic Town Committee dates back to at least the 1930s.

In late 1953 or early 1954, Paul F. and Eleanor M. O'Leary resurrected the committee. Paul O'Leary worked as the steward (business manager) of the old Gardner State Hospital, located in Westminster. They and their children lived on the hospital grounds.

Shortly after the O'Learys moved to Westminster in 1953, then-Governor Paul A. Dever, a Democrat, lost his bid for re-election to Republican challenger Christian Herter. According to their son, there was no DTC at the time. But that soon changed because Paul O'Leary wanted to be a delegate to the next Massachusetts Democratic Convention.

Even in 1953, you needed three Democrats to start a town committee. Paul O'Leary decided to be chair; Eleanor agreed to be secretary/treasurer. They found an unknown “farmer,” who was a registered Democrat, willing to be the third member.

More than 50 years later, DTC members recall days when there was a headquarters in the center of town and women members wore red-white-and-blue striped dresses to campaign rallies. Elizabeth Aveni, a former chair, remembers the day a young Ted Kennedy knocked on her door during his first campaign for U.S. Senate.

Elizabeth Aveni, former chair of the
Westminster DTC, pins a boutonniere on
Senator Ted Kennedy during a campaign
stop at her home.

Phil Burgess says he fell into the chairman's position in the early 1990s. He was the only DTC member present when then-Chair Ralph Swanson Jr. announced his resignation. Phil agreed to take over as the committee's leader. He served as chair until August 2006.

Tom O'Toole, a member of the Board of Selectmen and several town committees, served as chair for a brief time, between August and November 2006.

Kimberly Caisse was elected chair November 18, 2006.


Women committee members stand with former Chair Austin Carol in their handmade rally dresses.	Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh speaks at a Westminster DTC meeting in August 2007.

Phil Burgess handles the Democratic campaign effort outside the Westminster polls on Election Day 2006.

* Research on the history of the committee is ongoing. New information will be added as soon as it becomes available.