Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The anniversary no one wants to celebrate

Thursday, March 10, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The anniversary no one wants to celebrate

PANDEMIC STATE — Two years ago today, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency over Covid-19.

Cases had doubled — to 92. Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and political breakfast had already been canceled, but the marathon was still on for April. The State House wasn’t closed to the public yet. The WHO wouldn’t declare Covid a pandemic until the next day.

Seven hundred and thirty days later, here’s a look at the pandemic by the numbers in the Bay State:

1,546,685 — Total confirmed Covid cases, per Wednesday’s DPH report.

22,944 — People confirmed to have died from Covid.

31 percent — The highest seven-day average positivity, reported on March 8, 2020.

0.31 percent — The lowest seven-day average positivity, reported on June 25, 2021.

5,300,535 — People fully vaccinated against Covid.

8.6 — The percent of fully vaccinated people who have contracted breakthrough cases.

462 — Days Massachusetts was under a state of emergency.

708 — Days the State House was closed to the public.

Infinite — March 2020.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The Senate is marking this Covid anniversary by taking up its version of legislation to overhaul oversight of the Holyoke and Chelsea soldiers’ homes after coronavirus outbreaks at both facilities in 2020 turned deadly.

The House and Senate bills would both make the top official at each facility a licensed nursing home administrator. But while the House added layers to the chain of command, the Senate is working to streamline it. State Sen. John Velis, who represents Holyoke and has been working closely with veteran advocates, told Playbook that removing “burdensome reporting layers” is a “priority” given the well-documented communication breakdowns that contributed to the Holyoke tragedy.

Veterans’ advocates who panned the House version of the bill are more optimistic about the Senate’s proposal. And they hope, after an inevitable conference committee, that the final legislation will strengthen governance and oversight of the soldiers’ homes, preserve local input and restore trust in the facilities that’s been long lacking.

“The veteran community wants to feel comfortable with where this legislation is going to be, and feel that the home is going to be better able to care for its veterans,” John Paradis, a leader of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Coalition and a former deputy superintendent at the facility, told Playbook. “If we don’t come out of this legislation with some assurance that those systems have been put in place, I don’t think we would have achieved what we were hoping to achieve.”

TODAY — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov discuss how Boston is standing in solidarity with Ukraine during an 8 a.m. call. Wu makes a rent-stabilization announcement at 11 a.m. at Whittier Street Health Center in Roxbury.

Acting Gov. Karyn Polito visits Fitchburg High School at 11 a.m. and participates in Jane Doe Inc.’s 15th Anniversary White Ribbon Day Campaign virtual event at 5:30 p.m. Auditor Suzanne Bump chairs a meeting of the Municipal Finance Oversight Board at 11 a.m. Governor hopeful Geoff Diehl kicks off his “Berkshires to Boston” tour at 8 a.m. in Lee. Attorney General Maura Healey attends evening gubernatorial campaign fundraisers in Boston.

Tips? Scoops? Annoyed with the weather whiplash? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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ON THE STUMP

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 12, Operating Engineers Local 4 (IUOE Local 4), Roofers Local 33 and Teamsters Local 122 have endorsed Shannon Liss-Riordan for state attorney general. The unions represent about 10,000 workers, her campaign said.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Marblehead community activist and Democrat Jenny Armini is launching her campaign for 8th Essex District state representative today. Armini cofounded grassroots political group ElectBlue and has worked on Capitol Hill, at the state Department of Revenue and at MassINC. She was also former Acting Gov. Jane Swift’s speechwriter. Armini follows fellow Democrat Doug Thompson into the race to succeed former state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, who left to serve as FEMA’s regional administrator in New England.

— ALSO GETTING IN: Gardner Republican Bruce Chester, a retired U.S. Army captain, is again challenging Democratic state Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik for the Second Worcester House seat, per a MassGOP press release.

— State Rep. Paul Donato is running for reelection in the 35th Middlesex District.

— “2022 elections are important, women say — but a poll suggests they may be too overwhelmed to prioritize politics,” by Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th News: “More women are increasingly disengaging with politics even as they see the stakes rising, according to a new poll from the Women & Politics Institute at American University and the Barbara Lee Family Foundation. Forty-one percent of women say they’re more tuned out from politics — a 12-point increase compared to polling conducted last year. The figure was higher for women of color (49 percent) and women under 40 (55 percent). That’s despite 3 in 5 women saying the upcoming midterm elections in November will be more important than most.”

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts reports 775 new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations keep dropping,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported 775 daily coronavirus cases, down 15% from last Wednesday’s total of 907 infections. … The state’s average percent positivity is now 1.61%, significantly down from the rate of 23% in early January. The positive test average for Wednesday’s count was 1.10%.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— RUNNING OUT OF GAS: House Democrats dashed GOP state Rep. Peter Durant ’s plan to suspend the state’s gas tax until the average price at the pump falls under $3.70. Durant’s proposal, filed as an amendment to a $1.6 billion supplemental spending bill that is now on to the Senate, failed on a voice vote during yesterday’s session. The Spencer Republican had argued that giving taxpayers facing record-high gas prices “a little bit of relief does not hurt.”

But top Democrats told reporters they weren’t having it. House Speaker Ron Mariano called it a “political stunt” and state Rep. Mark Cusack, the House chair of the revenue committee, dismissed it as a “gimmick.”

— “House OKs $10M for resettling Ukrainian refugees,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “On Wednesday, the House of Representatives approved a plan that would provide $10 million for resettling refugees, with a focus on Ukrainians if the federal government gives approval for them to seek refuge in the United States. The resettlement money was tucked into a supplemental budget that calls for spending $1.6 billion to expand COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, fund transportation projects, and pump more money into the state’s rental assistance program. The measure passed the House on a 156-0 vote.”

— “Russia Divestment Bid Fizzles In Mass. House,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service (paywall): “A Republican-led effort to divest state pension holdings from companies with business interests in Russia fell flat in the House on Wednesday where lawmakers rejected an amendment that sought to make Massachusetts one of a number of states that have used their retirement funds to make a political statement against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. … [House Minority Leader Brad] Jones, a North Reading Republican, said he did not view the issue as dead in the House, but acknowledged that in conversations with House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz some questions had been raised.”

— “Push to strengthen Massachusetts' hands-free driving law hits Beacon Hill,” by Mike Beaudet, WCVB: “A deadly crash in western Massachusetts last year has prompted one lawmaker to try to close what she calls a loophole in the hands-free driving law with a new bill that would prohibit drivers from holding their phones behind the wheel or watching any video. But the Massachusetts law does not ban drivers from vlogging, recording or broadcasting video of themselves while driving, even if they're not holding their phones.”

— “Governor’s Council ends meeting streams,” by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: “The Governor’s Council, an elected body that makes lifetime appointments to the state’s courts, votes on commutations and makes nominations for several other boards, quietly posted on its website it would no longer stream its hearings. ‘We shouldn’t be putting the public in the dark again, not knowing. It’s not fair,’ said Councilor Marilyn Petitto Devaney of Watertown, who raised the issue in Wednesday’s meeting. … Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who presides over the Governor’s Council meetings pointed out to Devaney that the State House is fully open to the public, without a masking or vaccination requirement.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston public health officials rescind public health emergency, take steps toward ending school mask mandate,” by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: “Boston public health officials on Wednesday voted to rescind the city’s COVID-19 public health emergency on April 1 and took their first crucial step toward ending the mask requirement in city schools. … The Boston Public Health Commission is recommending that Boston Public Schools lift the mask mandate when daily COVID-19 rates reach 10 cases per 100,000 residents. As of Wednesday, the rate was at 13 cases per 100,000 residents.”

— “Boston subpoenaed in federal investigation of Violence in Boston nonprofit,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The U.S. Attorney’s office has subpoenaed the city of Boston as part of the investigation into the Monica Cannon-Grant-led Violence in Boston nonprofit, which also continues to withhold some tax documents from the Attorney General’s office. A city spokesman told the Herald that Boston had received a subpoena from the feds and is complying with it as part of the ongoing investigation into the organization.”

— “Federal COVID funds offer Boston Mayor Michelle Wu a big boost with her big plans,” by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: “Progressive politicians are used to the skepticism: Nice idea, but how will you pay for it? Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has a ready answer: with all that money from the federal government. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, Boston is sitting on a transformative sum of money just as it welcomes a new mayor intent on transforming the city. The COVID relief package, signed into law by President Biden in March 2021, has built Wu a fiscal sandbox of several hundred million dollars where she can test new policies that critics warned would never be financially feasible.”

— “After mayoral election, Essaibi George goes back to school,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “Annissa Essaibi George, the former city councillor at-large who ran for mayor in 2021, is back in the classroom. Essaibi George, who spent 13 years teaching at East Boston High School before she joined the City Council, is substitute teaching around the city for a couple of days a week.”

— “Boston Progressives Fear Rollback of Reforms After DA’s Early Exit,” by Eoin Higgins, Bolts: “In appointing Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins as a U.S. Attorney, President Biden promoted one of the most visible figures in the ‘progressive prosecutor’ movement. But he also created a vacancy in a powerful local office, which covers Boston and some of its surrounding suburbs, enabling Republican Governor Charlie Baker to choose a new DA. After Rollins left in January, Baker appointed Kevin Hayden to replace her. Within a month of taking office, Hayden pumped the brakes on his predecessor’s most emblematic policy—a public list of lower-level arrests that the DA’s office would decline to prosecute—sparking concern among local progressives who want to decrease people’s ensnarement in the criminal legal system.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Overhead-electric buses have been in Cambridge for nearly 90 years. This weekend they’ll take their last trips,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “The MBTA’s electric trolley-buses, which have glided down the streets of Cambridge and surrounding towns for nearly 90 years, will be permanently disconnected from their overhead wires this weekend and replaced with buses that belch diesel fumes. The buses, which ply routes between Harvard Square and Watertown and Waverley squares, will be sent to the scrapyard. Taking their place, for about two years, will be diesel hybrid models — which, in turn, will be replaced by battery-powered buses, T officials say.”

DAY IN COURT

— “SJC hears life and death arguments in medical aid in dying case,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state’s highest court on Wednesday heard oral arguments in an emotional and high-stakes case over whether a physician can prescribe lethal medication to a terminally ill patient. Several Supreme Judicial Court justices appeared skeptical of the claim that the judiciary, rather than the Legislature, is the proper forum to legalize medical aid in dying. But others suggested that maybe it is time for the judiciary to establish a new interpretation of the law – as the court did with gay marriage.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— SPENDING HABITS: Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s security spending is generating some Republican backlash after the conservative website Daily Caller published a story on the thousands of dollars of office funds she’s spent on security services. [DAILY CALLER = TUCKER CARLSON]

Yet Pressley’s spending isn’t unusual. Lawmakers are allowed to use office funds to pay for security personnel for events in their districts and to accompany them on official business, my POLITICO colleague Katherine Tully-McManus writes in.

More and more members are using official funds for security as the number of threats against members of Congress continues to increase. The list of allowed security expenses expanded in recent years following the shooting of Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) at a constituent event and the shooting at a baseball practice of GOP members of Congress.

— “Democrats Target Oil Companies With Plan to Tax Windfall Profits,” by Laura Davison, Bloomberg: “Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Elizabeth Warren say they’re working on a proposed new tax targeting profits being reaped by oil companies as crude prices spike amid geopolitical tensions. ‘Big Oil’s first priority is to maximize profits,’ Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, tweeted on Wednesday.”

— “Keating calls on Biden administration to speed immigration for some Ukrainians,” by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: “In a letter sent Wednesday to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, [Representative Bill] Keating, Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, and other lawmakers called on the administration to create a program that could shave years off the waiting time for some Ukrainians who want to join family members who legally reside in the United States.”

FROM THE 413

— “Epidemiological study urged as more workers flee toxic mold at Springfield courthouse,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Two unions representing staff at the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse demanded Wednesday that their members be reassigned out of the building until it can be made safe from toxic mold. Some department heads within the building are already moving their workers out.”

— “Amherst will petition state for reparations initiative,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Amherst’s Town Council is pursuing a home-rule petition through the state Legislature that will allow a reparations initiative for Black residents, aimed at ending structural racism and achieving racial equity, to get underway.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Tamar Bucci funeral: Massachusetts State Trooper laid to rest as family, friends, and thousands of police gather in Revere,” by Will Katcher, MassLive: “Thousands of law enforcement officers from across New England, government officials, and family and friends of Massachusetts State Police Trooper Tamar Bucci turned out to a Revere church Wednesday to remember the trooper, their fallen ‘sister,’ killed in a line-of-duty car crash last week.”

— “Parent's post seeking school play tickets sparks 1st Amendment brouhaha,” by Ethan Forman, Gloucester Daily Times: “Gloucester parent and musician Inge Berge went to the superintendent’s office on Blackburn Drive last week with a cell phone camera in hand seeking five tickets to his daughter’s sold-out opening night of the middle school play, ‘The Little Mermaid.’ … After Berge posted the video of his interaction with school officials on Thursday, March 3, that same day, according to court documents, he got a letter from the school’s director of human resources, Roberta Eason, demanding he take down the video, alleging he violated the state’s wiretapping statute because at least one of the school employees in the video objected to being filmed.”

— “Irish ambassador said her new role was ‘unexpected turn in the road’,” by Donna Whitehead, Wicked Local: “Easton’s Claire Cronin has begun her new job as the US ambassador to Ireland. ... She said her first weeks have been ‘really exciting.’”

— “New Bedford police submit inaccurate data to state agency reviewing officer misconduct,” by Anastasia E. Lennon, New Bedford Light: “According to a dataset compiled by the New Bedford Police Department, a sergeant, who also serves as the union vice president, had two sustained complaints for excessive force against him. In reality, he did not.”

TRANSITIONS — Boston University professor Jonathan Woodson is a Biden administration nominee for vice chair of the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: MILLER TALKS CHANGING CAUCUSES — The Bay State Banner’s Yawu Miller joins hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky to talk about the changing nature of the Democratic caucuses in Boston. Smith and Koczela discuss the future of Boston’s downtown. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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