Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Meet Healey’s new campaign manager

Thursday, March 17, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Meet Healey’s new campaign manager

SCOOP: HEALEY HIRES A CM — Jason Burrell will manage state Attorney General Maura Healey’s campaign for governor, multiple sources tell Playbook.

Burrell is a former aide to Sen. Elizabeth Warren who chaired the Boston Turnout Project PAC that backed Michelle Wu for mayor. He is taking leave from his job as an associate at Mintz to join Healey’s team. Her campaign declined comment.

Burrell is the latest Warren 2012 alum to join Healey’s campaign. Mindy Myers, who managed Warren's inaugural Senate bid and then served as her chief of staff, is now a general consultant for Healey. Playbook first reported Myers’ role in December.

Healey just now bringing on a campaign manager might seem odd. But it's a reminder that she's only been running for governor for two months, and that her campaign is still in its early stages despite her fundraising and polling dominance.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CLARK’S ENERGY PUSH — Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark is calling on the Biden administration to do more to reduce energy costs for low-income households as Russia’s assault on Ukraine pushes fuel prices even higher.

Clark is leading 88 of her colleagues in a new letter asking Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to take stock of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program — the main federal program that helps low-income households and seniors pay their energy bills — and make recommendations to Capitol Hill about any additional funding needed to minimize the impact of price increases through the end of the next fiscal year. Warren and Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Lori Trahan and Stephen Lynch also signed onto the bipartisan letter.

“While we commend President Biden’s leadership in addressing rising fuel costs caused by Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, we are nonetheless concerned that this war could worsen and prolong the financial impact of high energy prices on American families,” lawmakers wrote. “We know that even with the additional funding provided in this year’s funding, LIHEAP cannot meet the demand for assistance.”

Massachusetts secured a record $307.5 million for LIHEAPin fiscal 2022, funded partly through ARPA. More than 146,000 Bay State households received help paying their energy bills through LIHEAP in fiscal 2020.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and administration officials make an infrastructure bond bill announcement in Worcester at 11 a.m. Wu gives remarks at the annual Evacuation Day Historical Exercises at 11 a.m. in Southie.

Tips? Scoops? Know someone else joining a campaign? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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ON THE STUMP

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo has picked up another seven endorsements in his bid for Suffolk district attorney, per his campaign. They include governor candidate and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Senate Assistant Majority Leader Sal DiDomenico, Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, Revere City Councilor Steve Morabito, Chelsea City Council President Roy Avellaneda and Councilors Enio Lopez and Giovanni Recupero.

— CASH DASH: NH-01 congressional hopeful Gail Huff Brown returns to Boston Friday for a campaign fundraiser at the UMass Club hosted by her husband, former senator and ambassador Scott Brown, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.). Suggested donations for the noon event with the WCVB-reporter-turned-politician range from $2,900 to $5,800, according to an invite obtained by POLITICO.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— RESOLVED TO HELP: House lawmakers are poised to take up a resolution calling on the state and the feds to expedite resettling Ukrainian refugees here. More than 145 lawmakers had signed onto the non-binding resolution circulated by Speaker Ron Mariano and Minority Leader Brad Jones by yesterday evening’s deadline. Should it pass, copies will be sent to the governor, Congress and the White House.

The resolution comes after the House approved $10 million to help resettle immigrants and refugees from Ukraine as part of a mid-year spending bill yet to be taken up by the Senate. Gov. Charlie Baker has also directed the state Office for Refugees and Immigrants to work with its federal counterpart to provide support for those displaced by the war.

More than 3 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, and the United Nations estimates another 1 million could follow.

None have arrived in the Bay State yet, according to the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition. If and when they do, they’ll likely head to existing Ukrainian refugee communities in the western part of the state, MIRA Executive Director Elizabeth Sweet said. About 800 Ukrainians living in Massachusetts are eligible for temporary protected status, but that only applies to those who were here before March 1.

“Given that the national refugee resettlement program is so overwhelmed and under-resourced, [funding from Beacon Hill] will go a long way to assist Ukrainian refugees, and all refugees that seek to call Massachusetts home,” Sweet said.

— RELATED: "Biden administration opens temporary protected status to Afghan evacuees, including around 1,900 in Massachusetts," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "Roughly 80,000 people who evacuated from Afghanistan last summer, including nearly 2,000 now in Massachusetts, will get the opportunity to apply for temporary protected status, allowing them to remain legally in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday morning."

— “Massachusetts lawmakers moving to make hair discrimination illegal,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts House on Thursday is expected to vote on legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of a person’s natural hairstyle, including protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, or twists. It would also bar schools from creating any policy that ‘impairs or prohibits’ natural hairstyles.”

— “Juvenile arrests continue to decline following reforms,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Arrests and jail time for young offenders are continuing to drop in the wake of an overhaul to the state’s juvenile justice laws, according to a new report.”

— “State health policymakers begin their annual battle with high costs,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “In their sixth annual meeting to mull over the cost of medicine, the state’s top healthcare cost regulators appeared alongside lawmakers Wednesday to begin the process of setting a new benchmark for how much medical spending will be allowed to rise in 2023.”

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

— “'Extraordinary level of heroism... bravery,' Mass. Gov. says about Ukraine,” by Karen Anderson, WCVB: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned memories of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terror attacks Wednesday in an impassioned live-video plea to Congress to send more help for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker watched the address from the State House, and said he’s been struck by the level of heroism and bravery and pride the Ukrainian people have had in their nation and themselves.”

— THE LONG VIEW: Zelenskyy’s emotional appeal prompted members of the Bay State's congressional delegation to say the U.S. is with Ukraine for the long haul.

“We have to be committed to the long term,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss told Playbook. “I’m not going to forecast how long the fighting will go on for, but we’ve got to be there [for] Ukraine as they rebuild and we’ve got to be there with Ukraine as they establish their security and sovereignty on the world stage.”

Delegation members took different tacks after Zelenskyy’s speech. Auchincloss called for the United States to pair its military aid for Ukraine with electronic warfare. Sen. Ed Markey focused on humanitarian aid by urging the U.S. to “open its doors to Ukrainian refugees.” Reps. Seth Moulton and Bill Keating called to send more weapons, including Stinger missiles, to Ukraine.

“This war could drag on,” Keating warned. “At the moment, the world is coming together. At the moment, Congress is coming together. I hope this is sustained.”

— “Boston doctor, addressing Russians, warns against nuclear war and ‘end of civilization’,” by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: “His impassioned remarks prompted some top Russian scientists — who’d spoken earlier about being ostracized by international colleagues behind a ‘new Iron Curtain’ — to say they’d consider joining US counterparts in a public call to oppose nuclear conflict and resume collaboration.”

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts reports 725 new coronavirus cases, 14 deaths,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state Department of Public Health’s report of 725 daily coronavirus cases is down 6.5% from last Wednesday’s total of 775 infections.”

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— “Boston-area coronavirus wastewater is ticking back up after plunge: ‘Something we need to keep our eye on’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Way to be a party pooper. The Boston-area coronavirus wastewater tracker is showing that COVID levels are starting to tick back up after the steep plunge following the omicron surge. … The south of Boston’s COVID wastewater average has increased 59% since the very low level at the start of March, and the north of Boston’s average has gone up 18%.”

— “Meet the hard-core maskers who never leave home without an N95,” by Mike Damiano, Boston Globe: “They cite a variety of reasons: underlying health conditions, fear of ‘long COVID,’ a desire to look out for others, or simply because they find masks so unobtrusive that they feel no need to take them off.”

— “Boston-area researchers develop new COVID-19 vaccine with eye toward vaccinating developing countries,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “Researchers at MIT and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have developed a new COVID-19 vaccine that they hope will ultimately serve as a viable option for vaccinating much of the developing world, where access to current vaccines has been limited. … This new vaccine is not based on the mRNA technology used by Pfizer and Moderna, which requires storage in extremely cold temperatures and has made transportation and distribution challenging in much of the developing world.”

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FROM THE HUB

— “Mayor Wu Talks With Hillary Clinton About Vaccine Mandate Protests Outside Home: ‘I Sleep Well At Night’,” by CBS Boston staff: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu opened up to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a new podcast about the backlash to her COVID vaccine mandate for city employees. … The protesters have not changed her mind about the city’s vaccine policy. … [Still,] Wu went on to explain how she sometimes feels ‘deep anxiety’ about bringing up her young children in such a contentious environment.”

— “Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade stirring controversy again,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The big annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in Southie returns this year with some of its customary turbulence as state Sen. Nick Collins is slamming organizers for shortening the route, and neighborhood electeds are calling for a police crackdown on drunken scofflaws.”

— “BPDA still guides building starts and plans under Wu administration,” by Jennifer Smith, Dorchester Reporter: “[Mayor Michelle] Wu ran for office on a platform of transit equity, climate readiness, and development overhaul. Notably, she pledged to ‘abolish the BPDA,’ which would require state legislation. Now with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over its future, waiting along with the rest of the city for Wu’s appointment of a cabinet-level chief of planning, the agency continues to drive new construction starts across the city.”

— "Reforming the Boston police has been a hard fought, uphill series of battles over the last 50 years," by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: "As mayor, [Michelle] Wu has refrained from spelling out specific reforms, but has made clear her intent to hire a reform-minded commissioner. That job will be a monumental challenge given half a century's record of almost total resistance to change from the police unions that represent the approximately 2,860 current members of the force, the nation's oldest."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Traffic’s Back, But Patterns Have Changed,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): “The morning slog on Interstate 95 toward Boston from points north and south of the city is six-plus minutes faster today than it was before COVID-19 rewired commuting. A morning rush hour trip on a well-traveled stretch of Interstate 93 southbound now takes nearly four minutes longer than three years ago. And on the Fall River Expressway, traffic flow changes are barely perceptible.”

MARKEYCHUSETTS

— “Health experts say making daylight saving time permanent is a terrible idea,” by Gal Tziperman Lotan and Sahar Fatima, Boston Globe: “The legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, would move the US to the time zone we now inhabit during the summer months, when the sun rises and sets slightly later. ‘In their zeal to prevent the annual switch, the senate has unfortunately chosen the wrong time to stabilize onto,’ said Dr. Charles Czeisler, chief of the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.”

THE PRESSLEY PARTY

— “The Democratic women on the House Oversight Committee want to meet with Xavier Becerra on the availability of abortion pills,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein, POLITICO: “All of the Democratic women members of the House Oversight Committee [including Rep. Ayanna Pressley] wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra on Wednesday asking for agency action to make abortion pills more affordable and accessible and demanding a meeting on the issue.”

FROM THE 413

— “‘I hope he listens to us’: Calls to close Springfield courthouse continue as state’s chief judge visits,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Judge Jeffrey A. Locke, chief justice of the state Trial Court, was in Springfield yesterday, touring the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse, where persistent air-quality problems and now sewage leaks have lawyers, employees and public officials calling for the building’s immediate closure. Locke came and went without making any public statement about the visit or its purpose. The judge declined a request for an interview, but the Trial Court, through a spokesperson, said there are no plans to shutter the building. … [In a press conference Wednesday, state AG hopeful Shannon] Liss-Riordan said that if elected she wouldn’t expect the attorney general’s staff to work in an unsafe building like the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse.”

— “Name that plan! Williamstown launches a contest to find the best name for the new comprehensive plan,” by Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle: “Andrew Groff, director of community development, noted that the term ‘comprehensive plan’ is not all that exciting. And given that the committee wants plenty of public participation in the planning process, he said, a contest could help in that effort.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Massachusetts’ gas prices not falling nearly as fast as oil: ‘Gas stations are enjoying the wide margins while they can’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “As oil prices plunge this week, gas prices have only dropped a few cents across the Bay State as gas stations take advantage of wider margins, watchdogs tell the Herald.”

— “Worcester commission looks at decriminalizing psychedelics, although vote won’t change state law,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Before David Slatkin used psychoactive plants his struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and chronic Lyme disease left him unable to work for years. The Worcester resident was one of many attendees at a Worcester Human Rights Commission meeting earlier this month petitioning for the decriminalization of entheogenic plants and fungi- natural psychedelics.”

— “Proposal would ban 'divisive concepts' in Mansfeld schools,” by Tom Reilly, The Sun Chronicle: “A proposed town meeting article would ask voters to prohibit the teaching of ‘divisive concepts’ about race and sex in Mansfield public schools, an initiative that echoes similar moves that have been made states nationwide. Among the provisions in the three-page article would be a ban on teaching that ‘an individual, by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.’”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “NH moves to shield remote workers from out-of-state taxation,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “New Hampshire lawmakers are moving ahead with a proposal that would prohibit residents who work out of state from being taxed by another state if they end up working from home or remotely. The legislation, which [was] recently approved by a key legislative panel, comes in response to a policy enacted by Massachusetts during the pandemic that required out-of-state residents working remotely to continue paying its state income tax. New Hampshire does not have an income tax.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— IN MEMORIAM: “Family mourns passing of longtime Boston broadcast meteorologist Mish Michaels,” by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe.

— IN MEMORIAM: “'An advocate for the underrepresented': Journalist and author Richard 'Dick' Lipez dies,” by Tony Dobrowolski, Berkshire Eagle.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to MassGOP chair Jim Lyons, Daniel Bellow, Cam Charbonnier, Amber Jamanka, Jeremy Comeau, and Northampton MayorGina-Louise Sciarra.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: SAVING DAYLIGHT, SAVING PACKIES — Luc Schuster of Boson Indicators talks about the U.S. Census undercount and what it might mean for Massachusetts. State House News Service’s Matt Murphy joins hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela to dive into liquor sale licensing issues. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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