Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu’s 100-day message

Thursday, February 24, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu’s 100-day message

KEEPING IT 100 — Many politicians mark their first 100 days in office with a speech touting their early accomplishments and setting their long-term agendas. Michelle Wu is marking her mayoral milestone by conducting Boston’s homeless census.

It’s not for a lack of content. Wu’s tenure is, by nature of being the first woman and first person of color elected Boston mayor, historic. In her first few weeks she signed legislation divesting Boston funds from fossil fuels and created offices to advance racial equity and streamline child care access. Her expanded fare-free bus pilot program gets rolling next week.

But the Omicron surge ruined any honeymoon period Wu — whose transition was already truncated — might have had. Protests, hate and legal woes have clouded Wu’s early days. She’s burned early political capital fighting to implement her vaccine mandate for city workers.

Wu told POLITICO she’s “not daunted” by the backlash — and said her supporters and those eyeing public office shouldn’t be, either.

“I’ve seen how quickly the dynamic can shift when there are more of us at the table,” Wu said in an extensive sit-down interview.

She knows “not everyone is excited about these barriers coming down.” But Wu said there are “many more people who are excited … and have helped fundamentally change how we will see city government and politics from this point forward.”

Wu’s unabashedly progressive policies have made her as much a rallying point for the left as a political punching bag for the right. The next few months will bring new municipal challenges — locking in new school and police leaders, navigating her first budget as mayor — that will attract fresh scrutiny of her administration. And her political acumen will be put to the test beyond Boston as the 2022 election cycle heats up.

“Early on, I decided that I was never going to run for office to try and be in office. The goal, then, was to run for office to earn a mandate to deliver changes and then work as hard as I could to build a team that could actually get that done,” Wu said. “I’m really inspired by how much we’ve already been able to see that happen.”

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Gov. Charlie Baker is shoring up support for his latest attempt to revamp the state’s criminal dangerousness statute and outlaw “revenge porn.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, an independent state agency that supports crime victims, has endorsed both of Baker’s criminal justice bills. MOVA Executive Director Liam Lowney said the legislation would “provide survivors additional tools to protect their personal safety and empower well-informed decision making in the face of trauma.”

Baker has been needling lawmakers to act on the thrice-filed bills that would expand the list of offenses that could provide grounds for a dangerousness hearing and make sharing sexually explicit images of someone else without their consent illegal. The dangerousness bill has been met with mixed reviews in the past. House Speaker Ron Mariano recently said lawmakers could soon take up a version of a revenge-porn bill.

The Republican governor again pressured the Democrat-controlled Legislature to get moving and “demonstrate their commitment to survivor protections” in a statement thanking MOVA, which has endorsed the bills before, for its continued support.

TODAY — Baker is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 1:30 p.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune host a virtual roundtable at 10:30 a.m. to discuss the “harmful impacts” of the Title 42 policy for asylum seekers. Wu makes a food justice announcement at Mattapan’s Fowler Clark Epstein Farm at 10:30 a.m. and speaks at the annual Children’s Winter Festival at noon on Beacon Hill. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a media availability with GE workers in Lynn at 10:30 a.m. Rep. Jim McGovern talks ARPA funding at 11 a.m. in Worcester.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com. Also, we’re aware that some links may be missing from Playbook when we publish. Our engineers are still working on it.

JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS ACROSS AMERICA: The Fifty: America’s Mayors will convene mayors from across the country to discuss their policy agendas, including the enforcement of Covid measures such as vaccine and mask mandates. We’ll also discuss how mayors are dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their local economies and workforce, affordable housing and homelessness, and criminal justice reforms. REGISTER HERE.

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

— PRAYERS AND SANCTIONS: Russia’s attack on Ukraine triggered swift rebukes from President Joe Biden, members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation and state lawmakers.

“My prayers are with Ukraine,” Sen. Ed Markey tweeted. “This is a fabricated conflict that could have a massive human toll, all spurred by the delusional aspirations of a weak dictator. We stand with Ukraine. The world is united against Vladimir Putin.”

Rep. Bill Keating, who met with the Kyiv mayor days ago, tweeted that "Putin’s actions are the acts of a craven, insecure leader who deserves contempt from us all. And for those that think this is some war in a remote part of the world - make no mistake, this is an act of aggression and violence against all who value peace and democracy."

Rep. Jim McGovern condemned the attack and tweeted that the "world community must stand together, demand an end to violence and aggression, and prepare humanitarian relief efforts for the Ukrainian people and refugees."

Republican state Rep. Lenny Mirra tweeted, “May we be united in our opposition to this unprovoked and unjustified invasion.”

ON THE STUMP

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll has earned 42 new endorsements in her bid for lieutenant governor, per her campaign. They include mayors Charles Kokoros of Braintree; Robert Sullivan of Brockton; Michael Nicholson of Gardner; Jim Fiorentini of Haverhill and Katjana Ballantyne of Somerville; Plymouth County Commissioner Gregory Hanley; and community leaders including Gladys Vega of Chelsea’s La Colaborativa.

— “Governor candidate and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz lands 20 endorsements from racial justice leaders,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, a Democrat gubernatorial hopeful who’s campaigning on the premise of toppling the status quo on Beacon Hill, has landed 20 endorsements from racial justice leaders. … The latest supporters of Chang-Díaz include state Rep. Russell Holmes, Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune…”

— DIZOGLIO STAFFS UP: State Sen. Diana DiZoglio has brought on Northwind Strategies as general consultant for her state auditor bid.

— GETTING IN: Aaron Saunders, a former Ludlow selectman and legislative chief of staff on Beacon Hill who's now senior VP of Benchmark Strategies, is running for the 7th Hampden state House seat that state Rep. Jake Oliveira is vacating to run for state Senate.

— Ron Beaty , a former Barnstable County commissioner known as the “Donald Trump of Cape Cod,” is once again running to be a county commissioner.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts reports 938 new COVID cases; hospitalizations dip to pre-Thanksgiving levels,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive: “The last time the state Department of Public Health reported fewer than 1,000 new cases in a single day was Aug. 4, 2021, which saw 962 newly confirmed positive tests. DPH noted that Wednesday’s report reflected lower numbers than usual due to a systems error ‘that temporarily interrupted reporting from several hospital systems.’ Any missing data will be included in Thursday’s report.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Massachusetts unemployment office plans to drop facial recognition technology in coming weeks,” by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: “Just weeks after the IRS announced plans to drop its fraught use of facial recognition platform ID.me by next filing season, facing scrutiny from elected officials and advocacy groups, the state Department of Unemployment Assistance plans to do the same in the coming weeks.”

— “Massachusetts small businesses can now apply for $75,000 grants, Gov. Charlie Baker announces,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Massachusetts small businesses grappling with the economic repercussions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic can now apply for grants up to $75,000, Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday as he announced a new round of funding for a program that launched during last winter’s virus surge before vaccines became widely available.”

— “Auditor finds many state-run construction projects employed zero women or people of color,” by Chris Burrell, GBH News: “The Massachusetts agency overseeing more than $2 billion a year of public construction projects failed to reach mandated targets for hiring women and minority workers in more than half of its projects, according to a state audit released today. Auditor Suzanne Bump’s report found that the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, or DCAMM, gave the state Legislature inaccurate reports over a 2-year period, painting a rosy picture of its hiring of women and minority construction workers.”

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

WU TRAIN

— “Covid, legal woes and hate: Boston mayor threads early challenges,” by Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO: “Michelle Wu earned a clear progressive mandate with a 28-point victory in the Boston mayor’s race last fall. Yet, the mandate that’s consumed her first 100 days is about vaccines.”

— “Wu to add early childhood office to Boston City Hall,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday the addition of a new Office of Early Childhood to City Hall to serve as a connection point for families looking for early education and child care programs and services. … Wu said the city is looking to hire a director of the new office ‘right away.’ It’s unclear how much that new official will be paid, or what the office’s budget will look like.”

— “Boston will put young people to work as part of city’s Green New Deal,” by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: “The Youth Green Jobs Corps will provide green job training and placement for unemployed and underemployed Boston residents between the ages of 18 and 30, including formerly incarcerated people. Last week, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the program will be led by Davo Jefferson, a longtime social justice reform advocate.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston Public Health Commission to weigh mask mandate ‘soon’,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The Boston Public Health Commission soon will weigh whether to drop the city’s mask mandate, likely based on specific pandemic metric thresholds — but it’s not yet clear when that meeting will happen before the quiet board. … Other places are getting rid of mask mandates, including neighboring Cambridge, which on Wednesday announced it would phase its out next month.”

— "Tents are gone from Boston encampment, but dozens still congregate in the area," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "Even without tents from the Boston encampment cleared by the city this year, dozens of people continue to congregate in the area. There are concerns that some people may return to living on the same streets near Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard as warmer weather approaches. Some family members of people who frequented the encampment are also questioning whether enough treatment services — beyond housing — are available to help their loved ones."

— “Rent Soars, Leaving Tenants Feeling ‘Priced Out' of Boston Area,” by Abbey Niezgoda, NBC10 Boston: “As rent prices skyrocket across the country, some tenants in the Boston area who are looking to renew their leases are being asked to pay hundreds of dollars more a month. According to Realtor.com, rents are up 20% over last year in Boston, and the city is on the verge of becoming the second priciest city for renters in the country.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “What’s best for T: No fares or low-income fare?” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The debate is likely to kick into high gear on Thursday at a meeting of the MBTA board of directors, which has an item on its agenda entitled ‘alternative fare proposals.’”

DAY IN COURT

— “Massachusetts food services company TriMark to pay record $48.5 million to settle federal fraud allegations,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald: “TriMark USA, LLC, a Mansfield-based food services company, has agreed to pay a record $48.5 million to settle federal allegations of a scheme to manipulate small, veteran-owned businesses into giving them government contracts they weren’t entitled to.”

— “Athol man charged in Capitol riot released on $10K bond,” by Domenic Poli, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The Athol man facing federal charges for allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has been released from jail and is due to return to court Thursday. Vincent J. Gillespie, 60, a former resident of Greenfield and Easthampton, posted a $10,000 unsecured bond in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Friday.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “Facing climate and social justice crises, older people are getting back into the protest battle,” by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: “‘It’s definitely time for people to spring back to action,’ said author and environmentalist Bill McKibben, 61 … McKibben and like-minded contemporaries are launching a movement called Third Act. It aims to mobilize Americans over 60 — mostly baby boomers and the so-called silent generation that preceded them — as advocates for the climate and voting rights, which the organizers see as deeply intertwined.”

EX-PATS

— ON TO HOLLYWOOD: “Tom Brady Makes Post-Football Moves, to Produce, Act in Road Trip Comedy for Paramount, Endeavor Content (Exclusive),” by Borys Kit, Hollywood Reporter: “In his first post-retirement move, Brady is making a blitz into Hollywood and will produce and, yes, appear, in a football-themed road trip movie titled ‘80 for Brady.’ … Inspired by a true story, Brady tells of four best friends and New England Patriots fans who take a life-changing trip to the 2017 Super Bowl LI to see their quarterback hero, Tom Brady, play and the chaos that ensues as they navigate the wilds of the biggest sporting event in the country.”

FROM THE 413

— “British consul general: Springfield, UK cities face similar challenges, opportunities,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Springfield, Pittsfield and Lynn have a lot in common with industrial cities in the UK. In the north of England, manufacturing left in the middle of the last century and jobs concentrated in London, just as job growth here has concentrated in Boston. ‘What we are looking to learn here is how the cities, the Gateway cities, in Massachusetts, have dealt with those challenges,’ [said Peter Abbott, British Consul General in Boston]. ‘And whether there is a kind of a secret sauce of prosperity as we call it that we can learn from and take back to the UK.’”

— “Petition to Gov. Baker asks for help with Housatonic water. It also asks that Great Barrington seize the company,” by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: “Residents fed up with what they see as insufficient action by regulators in fixing Housatonic’s drinking water system now are taking their case to the top.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Curry College hires former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis amid hate incidences,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis is helping Curry College with security amid of series of race and hate-related incidences. … A series of swastikas and graffiti targeting the Black community were found in a campus building over the past two weeks and have been the subject of an investigations by the Milton Police Department.”

— “Tewksbury loses $102,000 to phishing scam,” by Trea Lavery, Lowell Sun: “A phishing email spoofed to look like it came from a regular vendor cost [Tewksbury] six figures last month.vA town employee received an email in late December that appeared to be from a regular vendor requesting $102,000 via wire transfer for invoices authorized for payment, Town Manager Richard Montuori said in a statement Wednesday.”

— “Taxpayer lawsuit alleges Barnstable County Sheriff's agreement with ICE is illegal,” by Jeannette Hinkle, Cape Cod Times: “Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings exceeded his authority when he entered into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allows local deputies to serve as federal immigration agents, a new lawsuit alleges. The lawsuit was filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights and Rights Behind Bars on behalf of a group of Massachusetts taxpayers with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Feb. 17.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— “GBH’s Jonathan Abbott to step down as CEO at the end of the year,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: “Jonathan Abbott, chief executive of Boston’s GBH, plans to step down in December, signing off after a 15-year run in which he emerged as one of public media’s most influential leaders in the nation. … GBH said on Wednesday that it has launched a search for Abbott’s successor, which will include input from staff and the community. It has had just three leaders over the past five decades.”

— “Abolition newspaper revived for nation grappling with racism,” by Philip Marcelo, Associated Press: “America’s first newspaper dedicated to ending slavery is being resurrected and reimagined more than two centuries later as the nation continues to grapple with its legacy of racism. The revived version of The Emancipator is a joint effort by Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe’s Opinion team that’s expected to launch in the coming months.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “New Hampshire no longer recommends masks in most indoor spaces as COVID-19 declines,” by Adam Sexton, WMUR: “New Hampshire is no longer recommending that face masks be worn in indoor public spaces, including schools, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the state continues to decline. … [Gov. Chris] Sununu said that schools can no longer require that masks be worn because that would conflict with the new guidance.”

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

— “Morgenthau poised to join crowded Democratic primary in CD2,” by Ian Donnis, The Public’s Radio: “Sarah E. Morgenthau, a U.S. Commerce Department official with a prominent lineage in Democratic politics, is expected Thursday to join the crowded field for an open seat in Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District, The Public’s Radio has learned.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former acting Gov. Jane Swift and Sarah Groh, chief of staff to Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

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.

Follow us on Twitter