Presented by the American Heart Association
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
POLL: MBTA'S PROPOSED SERVICE CUTS UNPOPULAR — The MBTA is preparing to cut service to make up for steep drops in ridership and revenue due to Covid-19.
But a new poll finds almost two-thirds of Massachusetts residents surveyed oppose slashing service across the system. And those who used the MBTA before the coronavirus pandemic are most opposed.
Overall, 64% of Massachusetts residents surveyed oppose cuts to the MBTA. That percentage increases among transit users: 73% of subway riders, 72% of bus riders and 79% of commuter rail riders oppose cuts to service. Sixty-six percent of all people surveyed said the legislature should boost MBTA funding to avoid cuts to the system. The MassINC poll released this morning surveyed 1,340 Massachusetts residents from Nov. 19 to Nov. 30.
The MBTA is facing a $579 million budget deficit due to Covid-19 and steep drops in ridership. To make up the difference, officials have proposed eliminating some bus routes, reducing subway service, closing six commuter rail stations with low ridership, and getting rid of all ferry service. The MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board will vote on the changes Dec. 7. And MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak will talk about the transportation agency and proposed cuts during a WBUR interview this afternoon, according to the station.
The commuter rail was top of mind for survey-takers. Three-quarters of respondents said they oppose cutting weekend service on the commuter rail. Seventy percent oppose closing the six stations, and the same percentage of people oppose eliminating 25 bus routes. Eliminating ferry service and increasing wait times between subways, trains and buses was met with similar opposition.
Those polled are not optimistic the transit agency would return to pre-pandemic service if cuts are made. More than half (54%) said they believe it is likely the MBTA would not restore the service it eliminates. That's even as 80% of people who used public transit on a daily basis pre-pandemic say they'll return to the MBTA after a vaccine is widely available.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks to the press about Covid-19. Boston hosts a virtual countdown for its Boston Common tree lighting. The Harvard Institute of Politics hosts its final JFK Jr. Forum of 2020 featuring Peter Hamby of Snapchat’s “Good Luck America,” Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project and Ashley Allison, former national coalitions director on President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign.
A message from the American Heart Association:
The facts on sugary drinks are simple. They pose a real health risk. Kids especially are drinking too many of them. All those sweet drinks contribute to major health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. And with Massachusetts already spending nearly $2 billion per year treating obesity-related diseases, we need to address the problem. Massachusetts should take a page from a growing number of places across the country and adopt a tax on sugary drinks. Learn more here.
TRACK THE TRANSITION: President-elect Biden has started to form a Cabinet and announce his senior White House staff. The appointments and staffing decisions made in the coming days send clear-cut signals about Biden's priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today.
 | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
– “Numbers continue to climb as Massachusetts reports 4,613 new COVID cases, 46 deaths, while hospitalizations increase to 1,259,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 4,613 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, pushing six days this month into the state’s record for the highest number of cases since the start of the pandemic. That brings the number of active cases statewide to 45,390.”
– RELATED: “Massachusetts reports new daily record for COVID-19 cases — but it’s probably a Thanksgiving backlog,” by Mark Gartsbeyn, Boston.com. Link.
| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
– “What’s in the 129-page policing bill on Governor Baker’s desk?” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “In mid-June, as calls proliferated to tighten accountability of law enforcement, Governor Charlie Baker unveiled a 16-page proposal to create the first certification system for police officers in state history. Six months later, a splintered Legislature delivered to Baker a proposal for a so-called Peace Officer Standards and Training system.”
– “Springfield, Boston council presidents urge Gov. Charlie Baker to sign police reform bill,” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “The City Council presidents of Boston and Springfield are urging Gov. Charlie Baker to swiftly sign a sweeping police reform bill, saying it will enhance public safety and racial justice. Boston City Council President Kim Janey and Springfield City Council President Justin Hurst submitted a letter to Baker on Wednesday.”
– “Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine could get approved as soon as Dec. 10, sending vaccines to Massachusetts by mid-December,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials expect Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to get approved as soon as Dec. 10 and send shipments to the state’s largest hospitals as early as Dec. 15, Massachusetts Medical Society President David Rosman said Wednesday, citing a state official.”
– “Black trooper in Deval Patrick’s gubernatorial security detail was removed because of his race, state agency rules,” by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination has ruled that a Black state trooper working on the security detail of then-Governor Deval Patrick was the victim of racial discrimination when he was removed from the team in 2013, awarding him a judgment that has grown to $1.29 million. The MCAD did not blame Patrick, Massachusetts’ first Black governor, in its June decision, but concluded that State Police supervisors discriminated against Sergeant Cleveland Coats when they removed him, instead of less-experienced white officers, from the security detail.”
– “'Consider rolling back a step' White House Coronavirus Task Force tells Massachusetts, WCVB: “The White House Coronavirus Task Force recently suggested that Massachusetts consider a statewide rollback of the economic reopening, rather than imposing restrictions specific to regional COVID-19 hot spots. ‘Consider rolling back a step in the state reopening plan as a whole and not just in high-risk areas,’ task force officials wrote in a Nov. 29 briefing document for governors, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News.”
– “Amid a tsunami of COVID-19 infections, strain on contact tracing grows. Should we keep trying?” by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: “Local health departments in Massachusetts, striving to track and prevent new COVID-19 infections amid an onslaught of new cases, are growing frustrated as testing turnaround times now stretch to a week in some cities and towns. The delays have made it more difficult for tracers to quickly reach potential contacts of infected residents, and increase the chances those infected will spread the virus in the interim.”
– “Coronavirus cases rise at Tewksbury and other state-run hospitals,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal: “Months after a surge of coronavirus cases hit Tewksbury Hospital last spring, the facility is facing a new outbreak. According to a memo sent out from Tewksbury Hospital Incident Command on Tuesday, 25 staff and 12 patients had tested positive for Covid-19 at Tewksbury Hospital, an inpatient psychiatric hospital overseen by both the Department of Public Health (DPH) and Department of Mental Health (DMH).”
– “DOC: Few inmates would qualify for home confinement,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Under pressure to release prisoners to home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Correction is downplaying the program’s impact, saying only about 20 to 25 of the state’s 6,700 inmates would be eligible.”
– “Mass. Deploys Mobile Testing Unit To School Clusters In 13 Cities and Towns,” by Meg Woolhouse, GBH News: “Thirteen Massachusetts communities, including Boston, Worcester and Lawrence, have had COVID-19 clusters in schools and received state testing services, officials said. The state Executive Office of Education told GBH News that as of Dec. 1 the state has deployed its rapid mobile testing unit to those schools and ones in Braintree, Acton/Boxborough, Milton, Malden, Rockland, Southwick, Haverhill, Winchester, Billerica and Marshfield.”
– “New bill limits facial scans,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Police agencies will be sharply limited in using facial recognition technology to solve crimes, detect threats or find suspects under a sweeping police reform proposal approved by the Legislature. The raft of legislation, which passed the state House and Senate on Tuesday, includes a provision banning most government agencies from using the technology.”
| FROM THE HUB |
– “As public health experts advise keeping schools open, superintendents grapple with logistics, politics, and the second wave,” by Stephanie Ebbert and Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: “If there was any school district determined to follow Governor Charlie Baker’s pleas to stay open in the face of the state’s second surge of COVID-19 this fall, it was this city’s. Serving mostly low-income families, it provides a safety net as much as an education to many, so even as Fall River’s infection rates climbed to the third-highest in the state in mid-November, far past the points where other districts closed, Superintendent Matt Malone kept schools open.”
– “Why a Boston church got Anthony Fauci to speak to its congregation,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Despite the recent promising news about a COVID-19 vaccine, a growing body of evidence has found that the drug faces high levels of distrust among Black and Latino populations — the same communities that have been hit hardest by the pandemic. So a Boston church decided to enlist the nation’s most trusted health expert to overcome that skepticism: Dr. Anthony Fauci.”
– “As COVID Cases Rise, Hospitals Again Move To Limit Visitors,” by Isaiah Thompson, GBH News: “Some of Massachusetts' biggest hospitals have announced new, strict limitations on patient visitation as the recent surge in COVID-19 infections continues across the state and the region. On Wednesday, Massachusetts General Hospital issued updated guidance aimed at minimizing contact with visitors.”
– “Most PPP money in Mass. went to a small number of companies,” by Anissa Gardizy, Boston Globe: “More than half the money that Massachusetts companies received as part of the federal Paycheck Protection Program went to fewer than 5 percent of the loan recipients, according to data released Tuesday night by the Small Business Administration.”
– “Once Bustling, Boston's Commercial Real Estate Now Fuels Fears Of A Slow Economic Recovery,” by Adrian Ma, WBUR: “Several months into the pandemic, many companies have vacated their leased offices, pushing the office vacancy rate to a seven-year high of over 10% in downtown Boston, and 13.5% across the metro region, according to a recent report by Newmark. Meanwhile, many remaining office tenants are trying to sublet their spaces.”
– “As students leave district schools, charters and vocational schools see growth,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Massachusetts public schools have seen a large decline in enrollment this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But the drop is not spread evenly across the public school system. Both charter schools and vocational technical schools have actually seen population increases, even as attendance at traditional district public schools dropped precipitously.”
– “Food aid centers face high demand,” by Morgan C. Mullings, Bay State Banner: “Lines at food pantries and soup kitchens normally grow around this time of year, but the pandemic has doubled them, aid workers say. With an unprecedented amount of need, relief centers are pooling their resources to make sure everyone is fed, though it may not be enough.”
– “Top Walsh aide heading to Amazon’s Boston office,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s departing chief of civic engagement is shipping out to Amazon. Jerome Smith, who is departing from Walsh’s Cabinet at the end of the week, will be senior manager of external affairs for Boston at the e-commerce giant. Amazon continues to expand around Boston, adding new delivery and sorting centers.”
– “Study: Affordable Housing In Mass. Among Most Vulnerable To Flooding,” by Simón Rios, WBUR: “Affordable housing in Massachusetts ranks among the most vulnerable to flooding, according to a new study and mapping tool from the nonprofit Climate Central. Researchers say it’s the first study to overlay affordable housing data — including both subsidized and free market low-income units — with sea level rise and flood risk data.”
– “In The Age of Black Lives Matter, New England Faces Its Own Role In Slavery,” by Phillip Martin, GBH News: “L’Merchie Frazier says she was not surprised to see her event drowned out by a busy news cycle this fall. During the week of October 12, the U.S. was experiencing dramatic increases in coronavirus cases, Amy Coney Barrett went before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss her Supreme Court nomination, President Trump and Joe Biden held dueling nationally televised town halls and hundreds marched again in Boston and elsewhere asserting that Black Lives Matter.”
– “Built For And By The Community, New Racial Justice Grant Program Launches,” by Cristela Guerra, WBUR: “A new grant program is awarding $250,000 to 16 artists, sowing seedlings of funding, encouraging artists to imagine radically, and through their work, build toward a racially just society. This three-year program is called ‘Radical Imagination for Racial Justice.’”
| THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
– “Matt O’Malley, environmental reform advocate, won’t seek reelection to Boston City Council,” by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: “He’s been known as the Plastic Bags Guy, Mr. Environment, and the Councilor Who Brought Sunblock to City Parks. Matt O’Malley, the district city councilor from Jamaica Plain, has cultivated a progressive image over the years while spearheading some of the city’s biggest environmental protection initiative. But after 10 years on the council, O’Malley will not seek reelection next year.”
| DAY IN COURT |
– “Serge Georges Jr. appointment would bring ‘promise of possibility’ to Supreme Judicial Court,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “The Governor’s Council could cap a year defined by the coronavirus pandemic, racial strife, social injustice and a ‘great loss’ on the state’s high court with ‘hope and the promise of possibility’ by confirming Boston Municipal Court Judge Serge Georges Jr., former U.S. Sen. Mo Cowan said.”
– “Defendant demands in-person, not virtual, day in court,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The question of whether to schedule an in-person court hearing during the COVID-19 pandemic may be a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins recently harshly criticized a Boston Municipal Court judge for requiring a defendant to appear in person during the pandemic. With Rollins’s support, the Supreme Judicial Court in early November vacated that same judge’s order requiring a defendant who lives out of state to show up in a Boston court.”
– “Sean Ellis Seeking New Trial To Erase Gun Conviction Linked To Detective's 1993 Murder,” by Phillip Martin, GBH News: “GBH News has learned that Boston attorney Rosemary Scapicchio is filing for a new trial for Sean Ellis to clear her client of a gun conviction that remains even after his conviction in the 1993 murder of Boston Police detective was overturned after he spent more than 22 years in jail.”
| DATELINE D.C. |
– “Colleges seek $120 billion for higher education in coronavirus relief bill,” The Associated Press: “A coalition of U.S. colleges and universities is urging Congress to pass a new coronavirus relief bill with at least $120 billion for higher education, saying the sector faces a crisis of ‘almost unimaginable’ scale.”
| MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND |
– “Raimondo emerges as frontrunner for HHS secretary,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein, Adam Cancryn, and Tyler Pager, POLITICO: “Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is now a top contender to be President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, according to two people close to the transition. Raimondo’s rise comes as New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is no longer favored for the role, according to one of those sources and another familiar with the discussions.”
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
— Herald: “HERE IT COMES!” — Globe: “Trying to unify in Ga., GOP braces for Trump," "Contact tracing marred by test delays.”
| FROM THE 413 |
– “‘Deeply concerned’ Springfield city councilors urge Gov. Charlie Baker to give more COVID-19 attention to Western Mass.” by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: “Ten city councilors have urged Gov. Charlie Baker to ensure that Western Massachusetts gets its fair share of attention regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccines, including representation on a new state coronavirus advisory board.”
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
– “Opinions among Cape Cod legislators differ on police reform bill,” by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: “A police reform bill that was spurred on by the Black Lives Matter movement earlier this year made it through the state legislature and onto the desk of Gov. Charlie Baker this week. Locally, the Cape’s legislative delegation was split along party lines on the 129-page bill.”
– “AG sues Marshfield real estate company, alleging housing discrimination,” by Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Patriot Ledger: “The state Attorney General's Office is suing a Marshfield real estate company and broker accused of discriminating against a disabled man receiving housing assistance. The Attorney General's Office recently filed a lawsuit in Norfolk Superior Court against Success! Real Estate and broker Zilda Faria, of Canton.”
– “Worcester councilors want a fresh look at homelessness as the coronavirus surges and winter approaches,” by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: “The City Council this week called for an examination of how the unique challenges of COVID-19 and financial pressures in the current economic climate have impacted the city's approach to dealing with homelessness.”
– “Lawrence General Hospital pauses elective surgeries to devote resources to COVID-19 care,” by Allison Corneau, Eagle-Tribune: “With coronavirus cases on the rise across the Merrimack Valley, Lawrence General Hospital has temporarily halted elective surgeries to use all resources to care for patients ill with COVID-19 and other urgent health issues.”
– “Area lawmakers call on governor to establish free COVID testing site in Attleboro,” by George W. Rhodes, Sun Chronicle: “With coronavirus spreading across the area, particularly in Attleboro, legislators called on Gov. Charlie Baker Wednesday to establish a free testing site in the city. Sen. Becca Rausch, D-Needham, and Rep. Jim Hawkins, D-Attleboro, both describe the area as a ‘testing desert.’”
– “Mitchell vetoes pay cut for non-resident New Bedford employees,” by Kiernan Dunlop, Standard-Times: “If there was any doubt about Mayor Jon Mitchell’s stance on an ordinance establishing a 10% pay cut for non-resident city employees, a three-page letter he sent to the city council vetoing the ordinance left little to the imagination.”
TRANSITIONS – Lisa Owens was appointed to serve as the new executive director of the Hyams Foundation. Link.
– Samantha Bennett is Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty's new chief of staff.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Robby Mook, senior fellow at the Kennedy School and president of House Majority PAC; and Dan Marino.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
A message from the American Heart Association:
The facts on sugary drinks are simple. They pose a real health risk. Kids especially are drinking too many of them. All those sweet drinks contribute to major health problems, like diabetes and heart disease. And with Massachusetts already spending nearly $2 billion per year treating obesity-related diseases, we need to address the problem. Massachusetts should take a page from a growing number of places across the country and adopt a tax on sugary drinks. Learn more here.
NEXT WEEK - DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT 2020: POLITICO will feature a special edition Future Pulse newsletter at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators determined to confront and conquer the most significant health challenges. Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses across our health systems, particularly in the treatment of our most vulnerable communities, driving the focus of the 2020 conference on the converging crises of public health, economic insecurity, and social justice. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage from December 7–9.
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