Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu flexes her political muscle

Monday, May 9, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu flexes her political muscle

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POWER MOVES — Michelle Wu sparked some drama when she waded into one of Boston’s most hotly contested primaries over the weekend, but the biggest tests of her rising political clout as mayor are yet to come.

Wu endorsed Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo for Suffolk District Attorney against Kevin Hayden, who was appointed to the position by Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this year. And the response from Hayden’s campaign was scathing.

“If Mayor Wu believes a novice attorney with zero public safety experience should be the top law enforcement officer in the [county], that’s her choice,” Hayden campaign spokesperson Adam Webster said of Arroyo, a former public defender, in a statement.

The endorsement, and Hayden’s response, set Twitter ablaze and put Bostonians differing views on public safety and criminal justice — and old wounds from last year’s municipal elections — on full display. Arroyo’s campaign responded to the brouhaha in a statement to Playbook on Sunday, in which a spokesperson cited the 17 other electeds who’ve endorsed Arroyo — including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey — “because he’s the best candidate," but also said that "the most important endorsement" is from voters.

That Wu’s endorsement ignited such a firestorm points to the influence she could wield in this year’s elections in Boston and beyond.

Wu’s been strategic about her endorsements since becoming mayor. With Arroyo, Wu chose a former council colleague who endorsed her in the mayor’s race (after initially backing Acting Mayor Kim Janey) and who has pledged to uphold U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins’ progressive policies from her time as Suffolk DA. Wu also endorsed a key ally and former colleague, Lydia Edwards, for state Senate. But she stayed out of the race to replace Edwards on the City Council and took a more hands-off approach to the Democratic caucuses than some of her predecessors.

Now Wu faces some tricky political calculus. Four prominent leaders in Boston’s Black community are facing off in the Democratic primary for the open Second Suffolk state Senate seat. Its current occupant, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, is battling another Bostonian, state Attorney General Maura Healey, in the Democratic primary for governor. But getting involved in those primaries could potentially affect Wu’s influence on Beacon Hill, where the mayor will need buy-in to accomplish some of her biggest policy goals — and it could unnecessarily create some bad blood for her in town.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Healey topped another poll of the governor’s race.

A new Emerson College/7 News poll shows Healey leading Chang-Díaz by 34 percent to 8 percent in the Democratic primary. In the Republican primary, Geoff Diehl leads Chris Doughty 37 percent to 9 percent.

More than 40 percent of voters were undecided in both primaries. But only 10 percent were undecided in a hypothetical general-election matchup between Healey and Diehl, which the Democrat led 59 percent to 31 percent.

Diehl and Doughty are both open to Gov. Charlie Baker’s endorsement. Yet 45 percent of Republican primary voters said the outgoing governor’s support would make them less likely to support that candidate. That’s not surprising given that Baker’s long been more popular among Democrats and independents than within his own party — a finding this poll also supports.

TODAY — Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and administration officials testify at 10 a.m. before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies in support of their $3.5 billion economic development legislation. Wu attends a Charlestown Coffee Hour at 9:30 a.m., is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. and announces a new renewable energy program at 1:15 p.m. at East Boston’s LoPresti Park. Senate President Karen Spilka shares the story of her stroke during a Massachusetts Association of Health Plans virtual policy forum at 10 a.m. Anthony Fauci is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Rep. Richard Neal hosts a press availability on the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections at noon in Springfield.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

A message from PhRMA:

Thousands of scientists in Massachusetts are creating ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer. Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill would let the government set prices on medications, limiting the amount of research scientists can do to create cures. More importantly, it might make some medications harder to get. Gov. Baker: let the scientists do their jobs, don’t discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

AS SEEN ON TV

— BAKER ON ABORTION: Gov. Charlie Baker said he “support[s] a woman’s right to choose” while appearing on WCVB’s “On the Record” Sunday. And he again defended his veto of the 2020 bill that codified abortion rights in Massachusetts by reiterating that he only took issue with sections that would expand access to abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy “to preserve the patient’s physical or mental health” and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to seek the procedure without consent from a parent or judge.

Baker also pushed his proposed tax breaks, which could gain some support on Beacon Hill now that Senate President Karen Spilka’s on board with providing some form of tax relief.

“Connecticut suspended their gas tax and is on its way to passing the largest tax cut in Connecticut state history, and that’s a Democrat state with a Democrat governor and a Democrat legislature,” Baker said. “We should not be, at this point in time, with so many people out there who are really struggling to deal with the rising costs of everything, holding onto everything and not putting some of it back.”

— “Keller @ Large: Sen. Elizabeth Warren Calls For ‘Interoperability’ Between Social Media Platforms,” by Jon Keller, WBZ: “The senator made the comparisons to phone companies, saying people can use a phone to call anyone, regardless of what company is the service provider. Meanwhile, Warren argued that Twitter users can only interact with other Twitter users. Warren said the competition between platforms would be a good thing. According to Warren, that should be the case even for Truth Social, a platform created by former President Donald Trump, who she has regularly clashed with.”

— “Auchincloss plans endorsement ‘soon’ in race for Mass. governor,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss is getting closer to picking sides in the Democratic primary for governor between Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz. Asked on WPRI 12’s Newsmakers this weekend who he would be supporting for the Democratic nomination, Auchincloss replied, ‘You will hear from me on that soon.’”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Theoharides takes US offshore wind job for German company,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Kathleen Theoharides, who oversaw offshore wind development for the Baker administration, is now taking a job as the head of US offshore wind development for a German company that is a big player in the worldwide industry.”

— “DeLeo feels ‘right at home’ in new academic life,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “When Robert DeLeo resigned as speaker of the Massachusetts House a year and a half ago and took an academic position at Northeastern University, his life changed dramatically. … On Beacon Hill, as one of the most powerful people in state government, he wielded enormous clout over an institution charged with creating the laws of the Commonwealth. At Northeastern, his days involve giving guest lectures to various classes, offering career advice to freshmen, and arranging guest speakers.”

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— “25 Investigates: Pharmacist probed for forging vaccine cards,” by Ted Daniel, Boston 25 News: “The MA Department of Health confirms an investigation has been launched into a licensed pharmacist who worked at the Stop and Shop in Lynn. 25 Investigates has learned he’s been accused of issuing COVID-19 vaccination cards to people who never received a COVID shot.”

— “Seven Massachusetts counties ranked with high COVID-19 levels, says CDC; masks recommended,” by Martin Finucane and Amanda Kaufman, Boston Globe: “Berkshire, Franklin, Worcester, Middlesex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Barnstable counties are cited as high on the CDC’s website."

— “Boston-area COVID wastewater rises again: ‘Worrisome although not too surprising’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The north-of-Boston COVID wastewater average has jumped 38% in the last week, and the south-of-Boston average has increased 25%.”

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FROM THE HUB

— "Fed, business groups to update study that found average Black Boston household had net worth of $8," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released its 'Color of Wealth' report in 2015, and it quickly became one of the most widely cited studies of any sort in Boston. The biggest reason? Its stark estimate for the median net wealth of US-born Blacks in the region: $8. ... Now, business leaders working with the Boston Fed are revisiting the ground covered by that oft-mentioned study. Late last month, they embarked on an extensive initiative that will involve a survey that’s far more comprehensive than the previous one."

— “Tufts details plans for patients and doctors following the announced closure of its children’s hospital,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: “More than three months after Tufts Medicine abruptly announced plans to shut its children’s hospital, the health system is revealing long-awaited details about the fate of dozens of doctors and nurses as well as thousands of patients, many of whom are on Medicaid and live with complex medical conditions. The details include employment opportunities for all physicians and a pledge to keep open a unique rheumatology clinic at Tufts, which several families had feared would close.”

— “Priced out of the city, Black Bostonians are finding their dream homes on the South Shore,” by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: “[Kattia] Ira’s homebuying experience was a perfect prelude to her work: She is a real estate agent, specializing in helping other first-time homebuyers find their dream home. And increasingly, she said, they are Black buyers, like her, who find themselves priced out of their home neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan, and find their place in familiar communities south of the city such as Randolph, Stoughton, and Brockton.”

ON THE STUMP

— “Transparency! Accountability! Watchdog! Two Democrats are trying — seriously — to get voters excited about the auditor’s race,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “Here’s a heavy lift: Make the race for state auditor seem relevant, interesting, and meaningful to primary voters. That’s the task facing Senator Diana DiZoglio and former transportation advocate Chris Dempsey. … On the campaign trail, the Democrats make promises of bringing climate action to the office, auditing agencies through a racial equity lens, and holding the Legislature accountable, all of which go beyond what’s required of the office by law: To audit the state entities at least once every three years and offer recommendations.”

— FROM THE OPINION PAGES: “What I Learned When I Ran for Governor of Massachusetts,” by Danielle Allen, Wall Street Journal: “During the caucuses, the path to ballot access disappeared. Could we have organized better? Sure, though I invite anyone to give it a shot in pandemic conditions. Could I have been a better candidate? Absolutely. But I was good enough to outraise two of the three longstanding politicians in the race. I would have liked to have had the chance to bring my message directly to primary voters, but the law of politics was that our campaign must, in such conditions, fail. What does this experience tell us? We the people are healthy, but our vehicles of political participation need some attention.”

A message from PhRMA:

DAY IN COURT

— “US Attorney Rachael Rollins is recused from case against Newton District Court judge Shelley Joseph,” by Samantha J. Gross and Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “US Attorney Rachael Rollins has been recused from prosecuting a high-profile case against a Newton District Court judge who was indicted in 2019 for helping an undocumented immigrant evade a federal agent who had come to the courthouse to detain him.”

— “Bristol DA charges Worcester man after rape kit collected 12 years ago was finally tested,” by Laura Crimaldi and John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: “For years, thousands of rape kits collected by Massachusetts authorities have gone untested, leaving many victims with little hope their assailants would ever be held accountable. On Friday, Bristol District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced that a concerted effort to reduce that persistent backlog had yielded a breakthrough in one case that had gone unsolved for a dozen years. Evidence collected from a rape victim in 2010 but only tested in February identified a suspect in the attack: a 47-year-old Worcester man who was released from federal prison last year for an unrelated sex crime.”

— “Boston trial of celebrity chef Mario Batali on charge of indecent assault starts Monday,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe.

HEALEY WATCH

— “Would a nationwide abortion ban be enforced in Massachusetts? Not by Maura Healey, her office says,” by Will Katcher, MassLive: “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey would not enforce a nationwide ban on abortion if it were passed by Congress, her office said. How exactly would she avoid enforcing a federal law? By the same logic that allows a recreational marijuana dispensary a half-mile from the office of Massachusetts’ top prosecutor.”

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “RNG touted as fossil fuel alternative, but critics abound,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport News: “Utilities are touting renewable natural gas as an alternative to burning fossil fuels as part of their long-term plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but state leaders and environmentalists are raising alarms about the costs, limits and potential harms of relying on the fuel source to meet climate change goals.”

ADDED - IT'S STILL METHANE!

“Bio-methane is still methane, and RNG saves nothing really because it’s literally equivalent to methane getting piped into homes and burned,” said Caitlin Peale Sloan, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation in Massachusetts. “Even if they fix leaks on the distribution system, you’re still venting an enormous amount of methane into the atmosphere.”

— “Green groups urge probe of plastic pollution,” by Christian M. Wade, Salem News: “Environmentalists are urging the state to join an investigation into the petroleum industry over its alleged role in fueling a global plastic pollution crisis. Last week, California’s attorney general subpoenaed ExxonMobil as part of a broader probe into whether the industry encouraged the development of petroleum-based plastic products while minimizing the harm to the environment and public health.”

— “Sen. Markey's congressional hearing on nuclear decommissioning in Plymouth gets commitment,” by David R. Smith, Old Colony Memorial: “While [Rep. Bill] Keating and [Sen. Ed] Markey did not receive an assurance from Holtec CEO Kris Singh, whose company is overseeing the decommissioning following the plant’s closure and subsequent sale from Entergy in 2019, that the water being stored in the defunct spent fuel pool would not be either trucked off site or evaporated, as opponents to the water release hope will be the case, they did receive confirmation that Holtec would both make its own testing data on the water available to other interested agencies.”

FROM THE 413

— “Advocates push for safe injection sites in western Mass.,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The first time Cara Moser considered the idea of a safe, legal place for her daughter Eliza Harper to use opioids was in 2018 after seeing Eliza dead. Her family discovered her following an overdose at age 26. … [I]ncreasingly, advocates in the state and across the country are calling for places where people using opioids can safely use them in the presence of medical experts and have access to medical care, information about treatment and other social services.”

— “Chicopee approves $3,000 COVID pandemic bonuses to employees,” by Jeannette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “Nearly all city employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic will receive a $3,000 stipend to thank them. The City Council approved spending $1.82 million from the city’s free cash account to award the retention stipends…”

A message from PhRMA:

Massachusetts is a booming biotech ecosystem. Its scientists and researchers are developing ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill imposes government prices on medications, which would then limit the amount of research scientists can do to create lifesaving treatments. By setting medication prices, it also means politicians decide which patients and diseases are more important than others.

State bureaucrats should not be playing doctor. When the government imposes artificial prices from the top-down, some patients can lose access to their medications. Seniors, the disabled, and the chronically ill are most vulnerable to these policies.

Gov. Baker: let the scientists and doctors do their jobs, don’t discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Massachusetts Gas Prices Reach New Record High Of $4.39 A Gallon, AAA Says," by WBZ: "The average price for a gallon of gasoline in the state is now $4.39 a gallon. That’s up 18 cents in just the last week."

— “MassDOT to remove asbestos construction debris stockpiled near Chelsea housing complex,” by Marilyn Schairer, GBH News: “MassDOT officials on Friday announced a plan to remove a stockpile of asbestos construction debris dumped on state land next to the Chelsea Housing Authority complex.”

— “'Right thing to do.' Framingham schools join national lawsuit against JUUL,” by Zane Razzaq, MetroWest Daily News.

— “Boston University announces largest tuition increase in 14 years,” by Trea Lavery, MassLive.

SPOTTED — at Massachusetts Playbook alum and Bloomberg breaking news editor Lauren Dezenski’s wedding to Michael Heifetz on Saturday in White Plains, N.Y.: Dorchester Reporter editor and publisher Bill Forry, who officiated, and his wife, former state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry; Axios’ Mike Deehan; the Dorchester Reporter’s Gintautas Dumcius and his wife, Amy Derjue; Kelly Smith; Josh Gee; Garrett Quinn and Erin Little; Danny Heifetz and Jackie Sirc; Maddie Kilgannon ; “The Horse Race” host Jennifer Smith; Chloe Gotsis, press secretary for the state attorney general’s office, and POLITICO’s Katherine Landergan.

TRANSITIONS — Yael Sheinfeld, former press secretary and digital director for Rep. Lori Trahan , is now Illinois press secretary for the Democratic Governors Association.

— James Conway has joined the lobbying and policy team at Thompson Coburn. He most recently served as a legislative correspondent to Rep. Stephen Lynch.

— Ellena Christopoulos has been promoted to research director for the state House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading, where she previously served as researcher; Isabel Lane has been promoted to researcher.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Marina Chafa, press assistant to Sen. Ed Markey, Drew Sullivan (h/t Laura Picard), Cory Bisbee, David Gergen and Ben Herman. Happy belated to Robert Horvitz, who celebrated Sunday.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS — Geoff Diehl’s campaign says the expenditures listed in his April OCPF report for signature collection were actually for his running mate, Leah Cole Allen, and will be updated.

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.

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