Longmeadow Lyrics to perform for electors in Boston

Dec. 15, 2016 | Chris Goudreau
cgoudreau@thereminder.com

LONGMEADOW – Longmeadow High School (LHS) students in the Longmeadow Lyrics honors level choir will be performing at the State House in Boston on Dec. 19 while electors gather to finalize their votes for president.  

Kayla Werlin, music department chair and vocal music director at LHS, told Reminder Publications an elector living in Longmeadow, Mary Gail Cokkinias, invited the group to perform.

“[Cokkinias] said when the Electoral College meets to cast the vote they always have a musical group to perform, but they’re usually from the Boston area,” Werlin noted. “So, she said, ‘Well, can’t we do something from Western Mass.?’ [LHS Principal Thomas Landers] came to me and asked if I would consider taking the students there and I thought of it as an incredible opportunity for all of us, but particularly for high school students to see this process up close.”

She added the Longmeadow Lyrics would start off the ceremony with a traditional arrangement of the national anthem, followed by two additional pieces of music.

“We’ve chosen two pieces that reflect American music,” Werlin explained. “One of them is called, ‘Unclouded Day,’ and it’s a bluegrass hymn tune and the other one is called, ‘Walk Together Children,’ and it’s an African American spiritual.”

The students are very excited to perform at the statehouse while electors from across the Commonwealth will meet, Werlin said.

“They do a pretty decent amount of performing, but they know this, beyond the musical, is very unusual opportunity to have,” she explained.  

Landers said the high school is honored to have its students participate in “such an important and historical event.”

Cokkinias, who was elected to serve a four-year term as a Democratic elector this fall, said she is excited to have the Longmeadow Lyrics performing at the State House.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing and both state Rep. Brian Ashe and state Sen. Eric Lesser are going to have a pizza party in their offices for these kids after the induction of the Electoral College. They’ll have fun as well performing,” she added.

This is the first time Cokkinias, who has lived in Longmeadow since 1976, has served as an elector, but she said she’s no stranger to politics in Western Massachusetts.

She previously served as chair of the Longmeadow Democratic Committee and has served as a delegate during past Democratic National Conventions since 1988. She also served on the Children’s Defense Fund after being appointed by then Gov. Michael Dukakis.

She added she is a supporter of Hillary Clinton for president and will be voting for her as an elector. Under Massachusetts state law electors are bound to vote for the individual who won the state.

“Every state can make their own laws and the electors when they do run in most states they are required to take an oath that they will support the candidate for whom they are running,” Cokkinias said.  

When asked whether she believes the Electoral College is antiquated, she responded, “I think that it’s run its course the way it is set up.”

She said she believes in the future some states might examine how electors are chosen and how electors could be better representative of the people living in certain geographic areas.

“Or the states could petition for a constitutional amendment to amend Article 2 [of the United States Constitution] to remove the Electoral College,” Cokkinias explained. “Amending the Constitution may take a very long time.”

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