Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: 5 things to watch at the MassDems convention

Friday, June 3, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: 5 things to watch at the MassDems convention

TO THE LEFT — The state Democratic convention kicks off this afternoon. And you know what that means: endorsements, endorsements, endorsements.

In the governor’s race, it’s a battle of the progressive supporters: State Attorney General Maura Healey was endorsed by former rival Danielle Allen yesterday. Now she’s picked up the support of 42 of the 60 members of the state House Progressive Caucus and 11 of the 20 members of the Senate Progressive Caucus, her campaign shared first with Playbook.

Buckle up for this list of names: State Reps. Natalie Blais, Peter Capano, Patrick Kearney, David Linksy, Alice Peisch, Vanna Howard, Ruth Balser, Christine Barber, Jamie Belsito, Michelle Ciccolo, Mike Connolly, Marjorie Decker, Carol Doherty, Mindy Domb, Daniel Donahue, Bill Driscoll, Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Dylan Fernandes, Sean Garballey, Denise Garlick, Carlos Gonzalez, Ken Gordon, Jim Hawkins, Kate Hogan, Kay Khan, Jack Lewis, Kate Lipper-Garabedian, Jay Livingstone, Adrian Madaro, Liz Malia, Joan Meschino, Christina Minicucci, Tram Nguyen, Jake Oliveira, Sarah Peake, Dave Rogers, Jon Santiago, Adam Scanlon, Chynah Tyler, Steve Ultrino, Andy Vargas and Tommy Vitolo. Then there’s state Sens. Julian Cyr, Brendan Crighton, Cindy Friedman, Harriette Chandler, Jason Lewis, Jo Comerford, Lydia Edwards, Mike Barrett, Nick Collins, Paul Feeney and Sal DiDomenico, who are picking Healey over a member of their own caucus, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz.

Chang-Díaz is out with her own set of progressive endorsers this morning, including former state transportation Secretary Jim Aloisi; former gubernatorial hopeful and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Don Berwick; former state Rep. Jay Kaufman and 10 city council and school committee members.

Here are four more things to watch heading into the Democrats' two-day confab:

WHO MAKES THE BALLOT — If Bret Bero supporters’ motion to let every candidate advance to the primary fails — which the lieutenant governor hopeful expects it will — candidates will need 15 percent support to get on the ballot. And in the five-way LG race it’s likely at least one candidate might not make the cut.

SECRETARY OF STATE SHOWDOWN — Secretary of State Bill Galvin got upset by Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim at the 2018 convention, though he ultimately won the primary handily. Galvin has another challenger this year in NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan, who’s entering the convention with a new campaign manager and a new comms person. Keep an eye on how this race shakes out.

DOUGHTY REDUX — GOP gubernatorial underdog Chris Doughty surpassed everyone’s expectations — including his own — when he notched 29 percent support against favorite Geoff Diehl at the Republicans’ convention. The underdog on the Democrats’ side, Chang-Díaz, has been confident about getting her 15 percent. The bigger a number she puts up against Healey, the more interesting this matchup becomes.

MESSAGE TESTING — The Republican convention was a race to the right. The Democrats’ speaking lineup of progressive lawmakers and activists looks like a counterweight to that. Yet candidates who appeared at a Communities of Color/Boston Ward 12/14 delegate event last night were more focused on addressing pocketbook woes and the longstanding inequities laid bare by the pandemic. Pay attention to what they emphasize in their convention speeches.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. I’m sad to say I won’t be at the convention, but that’s only because I’ll be watching two of my best friends tie the knot (yay!). For everyone heading to the DCU Center, please keep an eye out for POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez, who will be there in my stead. Reach her at mfernandez@politico.com. And, as always, reach me at lkashinsky@politico.com — except for Sunday night when we'll all be glued to the Celtics again.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attend a ribbon-cutting event for Amazon’s new tech hub in Boston at 2 p.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss speaks at a National Gun Violence Awareness Day/Moms Demand Action event at Sharon Town Hall at 9:30 a.m. Rep. Jim McGovern visits Columbus Park at 10 a.m. and receives LIFT Worcester’s Outstanding Male Ally of the Year Award at 6:30 p.m. Sen. Ed Markey rallies with gun safety advocates outside Smith & Wesson in Springfield at noon. Markey and McGovern welcome Afghan refugee families at 3 p.m. in Worcester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at an Asian Community Development Corporation event at 10:15 a.m., a Caribbean American Heritage Month reception at 11 a.m. and a JROTC recognition ceremony at 11:15 a.m., both at City Hall.

THIS WEEKEND — MassDems Chair Gus Bickford is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. GOP auditor hopeful Anthony Amore is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Boston-area COVID wastewater data drops in southern region, stays up in north,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The COVID wastewater seven-day average for the south-of-Boston region is now 720 copies per milliliter, compared to 1,090 copies in the north-of-Boston area. Over the past week, the virus samples have gone down 15% in the south, while the data has climbed 22% in the northern region. … Meanwhile, the state Department of Public Health on Thursday reported 2,561 daily COVID cases, a 27% decline from 3,485 infections last Thursday.”

— “Mass. reports 6,106 new coronavirus cases among public school students and 1,941 among staff,” by Adria Watson, Boston Globe: “The 8,047 total cases represent a drop of 4,682, or nearly 37 percent, than those reported last week, according to data published by the state.”

— “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

Gov. Charlie Baker on stage at the "LIFE ITSELF" conference on June 1, 2022 in San Diego. | Courtesy/LIFE ITSELF Conference

— BAKER'S BACK: Gov. Charlie Baker is back in action in the Bay State today after speaking at a three-day health and medicine retreat in San Diego. During his "LIFE ITSELF" speech, Baker discussed the state's pandemic response, the need to better address mental health and more.

— "Budget Negotiators Named With 29 Days 'til Fiscal New Year," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): "The House and Senate on Thursday morning each appointed its Ways and Means Committee chair, vice chair and ranking minority member to serve on the budget conference committee: Reps. Aaron Michlewitz of Boston, Ann-Margaret Ferrante of Gloucester and Todd Smola of Warren, and Sens. Michael Rodrigues of Westport, Cindy Friedman of Arlington and Patrick O'Connor of Weymouth."

— “Pride month begins in Boston with calls for the Legislature to clarify legal parentage,” by Mary Blake, GBH News: “Advocates of a bill that would update Massachusetts' parentage laws are urging legislators to pass the bill before the end of the legislative session this summer. … They say the act would protect children no matter the circumstances of their birth, or the sexual orientation, gender or marital status of their parents.”

— “‘The power is with the people’: Demonstrators demand Beacon Hill override Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of immigrant driver’s license bill,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Demonstrators demanding the Massachusetts Legislature override Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of a driver’s license access bill marched around the State House Thursday afternoon, closing off narrow streets on Beacon Hill to car traffic as they energetically chanted in alternating Spanish and English amid blaring music. Some rallying cries directly singled out Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano, both of whom have pledged to override the governor’s veto of the Work and Family Mobility Act, which would allow immigrants without legal status to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts.”

FROM THE HUB

— “City releases state’s proposal to reform Boston Public Schools,” by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: “In his proposal to overhaul the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley would have made Mayor Michelle Wu directly accountable to him for improving schools and imposed on her short deadlines for addressing problems that were years in the making. … Riley’s original proposal to Wu would put the ultimate responsibility of executing the changes on the mayor, not the BPS leadership or its school committee. She would have been the only signatory on the document and she frequently would have confronted timelines of only a few months to ensure BPS got the work done as it prepares to change superintendents this summer.”

— “Car-free streets coming to Boston’s Dorchester, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “A new street initiative will temporarily shut down parts of three main thoroughfares to cars and open the spaces to pedestrians this year, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Thursday. Once a month, between July and September, the city will close a 1- to 2-mile stretch of road between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., allowing space for walking, outdoor vending and other programs — much like to the city’s six-year-old Open Newbury Street initiative, which shuts down a mile of the Back Bay–area road on a few summer Sundays.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “13 years after US recommended system to prevent Green Line crashes, still no tech and yet another crash,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “A collision Wednesday night that sent four to the hospital was the second time in a year that two Green Line trains crashed — safety incidents that could have been prevented by a technology the federal government first recommended the MBTA install 13 years ago.”

— “MBTA board approves $2.55B FY23 budget, faces $236M deficit in ’24,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The MBTA’s Audit and Finance subcommittee approved a balanced $2.55 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 on Thursday, but the T is still facing an approximately $236 million budget gap in FY24 when federal aid runs out.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

— ENDORSEMENT ALERTS: Our Revolution Massachusetts has endorsed Quentin Palfrey for attorney general with 63 percent support after ranked-choice voting eliminated his rivals, the group said.

— The UNITE HERE New England Joint Board has endorsed Shannon Liss-Riordan for attorney general, her campaign said.

— EMILY’S List has endorsed Andrea Campbell for attorney general and state Sen. Diana DiZoglio for auditor.

— IUE-CWA Local 255, an affiliate of the Communications Workers of America, has endorsed state Sen. Adam Hinds for lieutenant governor.

— “Maura Healey could be the nation’s first openly lesbian governor. Here’s how her identity has shaped her,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “If Healey wins the race to be the next governor, she will not just be a proven advocate — she will be the state’s first woman governor and the nation’s first out lesbian governor, whose lived experience will bring crucial representation to the state’s highest office. … However, Healey touts her time playing professional basketball, working for a Black federal judge, and being raised by a single mother as experiences that were just as formative to her political identity.”

— "Inside the Audition for Democrats’ Next Crusading Attorney General," by Blake Hounshell, New York Times: “The departing attorney general of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, gained a national following for suing Donald Trump’s administration in dozens of cases. … So the race to succeed Healey, who is running for governor, is very much worth following. At a time when many Democrats find themselves demoralized by the paralysis in Washington and by President Biden’s low approval ratings, its contours will tell us something about what voters on the left are most passionate about. It is also exposing a fault line within the Democratic Party over corporate money — between those who see it as inherently corrupting and reject it, and those who view it as a necessary evil.”

WARREN REPORT

— “Pentagon vs. Congress tension builds over monitoring billions in Ukraine aid,” by Andrew Desiderio, Lara Seligman and Connor O’Brien, POLITICO: “Concerns are mounting on Capitol Hill about the Biden administration’s ability to properly account for the unprecedented wave of cash and to track the thousands of U.S. weapons heading to Ukraine for its war with Russia. And given the Pentagon’s recent track record concerning congressional oversight, it’s coming under increased scrutiny from members of both parties — from progressive Elizabeth Warren to libertarian Rand Paul.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “'State of Emergency': WPI dean, others join Congressman McGovern for panel on youth mental health at UMass,” by Brad Petrishen, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “Doctors, students and providers sounded alarm bells about youth mental health Wednesday at a UMass Chan Medical School panel hosted by U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern.”

FROM THE 413

— “UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy to retire in 2023,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Nearly a decade after he arrived on campus, University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has announced that he is retiring next year. In a statement Thursday, the university said that Subbaswamy will step down from his position at the end of June 2023. The school’s board of trustees has named Springfield businessman and board member Victor Woolridge, a former board chair and alumnus of the university, to lead a search committee to identify candidates for the next UMass Amherst chancellor.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Locally educated Tulsa doctor murdered at work remembered for his drive, humbleness,” by Jessica Bartlett and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “In college, Dr. Preston Phillips had to make a decision — continue to play basketball or drop the sport to focus on the courses he needed to become a physician. … Phillips would go on to graduate from Harvard Medical School and hold fellowships at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital, records show, and eventually to work as an orthopedic surgeon at Saint Francis Health System in Oklahoma. Phillips, 59, was at work in the Tulsa medical office on Wednesday when a gunman entered the facility and killed Phillips, another doctor, a receptionist, and a patient.”

— “Brain drain goes on in municipal government,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Ed Augustus left his job as city manager in Worcester on Tuesday and on Wednesday started a new job as the first-ever chancellor of Dean College in Franklin. Augustus’s decision to leave the job he has held for the last eight years is a high-profile example of an ongoing trend in Massachusetts municipal government – a massive exodus of top managers and administrators.”

— "Malden teachers union votes no confidence in school superintendent," by Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: "The union representing educators in Malden Public Schools overwhelmingly approved a vote of no confidence against Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy over recent layoffs and what they describe as poor communication."

— "Joe Curtatone feels energized by his new gig," by Scott Kirsner, Boston Globe: "Curtatone will be in Reno, Nev., Friday to speak at the US Conference of Mayors about the role that cities can play 'in the transition to this clean energy future.'”

— "Somerset police chief wants more officers in schools following Texas shooting," by Audrey Cooney, Herald News: "Police Chief Todd Costa wants to permanently increase the number of police officers in Somerset school buildings, following the shooting in Texas that killed 19 young children and two adults."

— "Washington sworn in as new Fall River city councilor," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "Two days after former City Councilor Trott Lee announced his resignation, Laura Washington took the oath of office on Thursday morning as the newest member of the City Council."

SPOTTED — Working Boston Wards 12 and 14 delegates at a Communities of Color event in Dorchester with MassDems Chair Gus Bickford and state Rep. Russell Holmes the night before the Democratic convention: state Attorney General Maura Healey, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, state Sen. Eric Lesser, Bret Bero, state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, Chris Dempsey, Quentin Palfrey, Shannon Liss-Riordan and Andrea Campbell. Also there: Dianne Wilkerson, state Reps. Liz Miranda and Nika Elugardo, Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia, Suffolk County sheriff hopeful Sandy Zamor Calixte (Sheriff Steve Tompkins was there via Zoom), Carla Monteiro , Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden and 6th Suffolk candidate Haris Hardaway.

TRANSITIONS — Victoria Brophey George has joined Morgan, Brown & Joy as an associate.

— Diane Staheli has been named chief of DoD’s Responsible Artificial Intelligence Division. She previously was MIT Lincoln Lab’s assistant group leader of AI technology.

— Joelle Lawrence is now a press assistant for Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark. She previously was a staff assistant/legislative correspondent for Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Eric S. Rosengren, Sean McFate and Eric Farmer.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Lance Lambros, who celebrates Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, state Rep. Kevin Honan and Aaron Moser.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: CONVENTION TENSION — Lisa Kashinsky guides co-hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela through the Democratic and Republican conventions. MassINC Education Equity Fellow Simone Ngongi-Lukula discusses magnet schools. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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