Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey's in pole position (again)

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey's in pole position (again)

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FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: NEW GOV RACE POLL — State Attorney General Maura Healey leads her Republican rivals for governor by at least 28 points in hypothetical general-election matchups, a new UMass Lowell poll shows.

Healey leads Geoff Diehl 61 percent to 30 percent in the survey of 1,000 likely voters being released online later this morning. Eight percent of respondents were undecided between the Democrat and Republican who secured their respective party’s endorsement for governor, and 1 percent said they would vote for another candidate.

Healey leads Chris Doughty by a slightly smaller margin, 58 percent to 30 percent, with 10 percent undecided and 2 percent who would vote for someone else.

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Healey’s Democratic primary rival, leads Diehl 54-29 and Doughty 50-30, with more undecided voters. The UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion survey was conducted from June 7 to 15 and has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.

“What we’re really seeing is the Democratic Party in Massachusetts sort of finally punching at its weight in the governor’s race,” UMass Lowell pollster and Center for Public Opinion associate director John Cluverius told Playbook.

And for the Republicans to close those “huge” gaps, “Doughty or Diehl would need to convince the state’s ‘Market Basket Democrats,’ the ones who are in the Gateway Cities or the suburbs and who vote reliably, to vote for a Republican and be convinced they are a Republican in the mold of Charlie Baker,” Cluverius said.

The survey also puts data behind several key issues:

— ON THE ECONOMY: 29 percent of respondents reported difficulty paying for a basic expense in May. And inflation is hitting lower-income earners harder: 58 percent of those who make $50,000 or less annually reported serious financial difficulties over the past month, compared to 15 percent of those who make $100,000 a year.

— ON GIG-WORKERS’ RIGHTS: The UMass Lowell survey was almost entirely conducted before the state’s top court tossed proposed ballot questions to continue classifying app-based drivers as independent contractors. But it showed 59 percent of likely voters opposed the initiative, 30 percent were in favor of it and 11 percent were undecided.

— ON ABORTION: 62 percent of respondents said people should “definitely” have the right to an abortion. But views on medication abortion were more mixed: 31 percent of respondents support access to over-the-counter abortion pills without a prescription; 28 percent believe a prescription and a telehealth appointment should be required; 29 percent believe a prescription and in-person medical appointment should be required; and 13 percent believe medication abortions shouldn’t be allowed.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Speaking of the economy, President Joe Biden will call to suspend the federal gas tax for three months in remarks scheduled for this afternoon — and he'll urge states to either do the same or find ways to offer similar discounts. Massachusetts' Democratic legislative leaders have for months rejected a gas-tax holiday. Look to see if that changes at the president's behest.

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a Governor’s Council meeting to address sexual assault and domestic violence at 10:30 a.m., presides over a Governor’s Council meeting at 12:15 p.m. and speaks at the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women's 2022 Commonwealth Heroines Event at 1 p.m. in Boston. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley join the AFL-CIO for a roundtable on student debt cancellation at 10:15 a.m. in D.C. Healey joins Holyoke officials for a campaign media availability at Carlos Vega Park at 3:30 p.m. and tours the Victory Theatre Project at 4 p.m.

State Sen. Adam Hinds announces the opening of the Berkshire Flyer pilot program at 9 a.m. at the Pittsfield Intermodal Transportation Center. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a mid-Dorchester coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., speaks at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Roca Boston at 11 a.m. and is on “Java with Jimmy” at noon.

Tips? Scoops? Still not totally convinced Gronk is retiring for good this time? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— GETTING THE T BACK ON TRACK: After Gov. Charlie Baker overhauled the MBTA’s financial and operations management in 2015 with the Legislature’s approval, he was met with mixed reactions.

“Some joked, after barking and chasing car, dog catches car. Now what?!” Baker wrote in “Results,” the book he released earlier this year. “Others more somberly warned, be careful what you ask for. The MBTA would now be my administration’s responsibility.”

Now Democratic legislative leaders want the outgoing Republican governor to own the T's woes. Prompted by service cuts and “alarming directives” from a federal review of the T that showed staffing and safety issues, top Democratic lawmakers are now calling for a rare oversight hearing into the beleaguered transit agency.

“Since 2015, at his request, Governor Baker has had control of the MBTA. It has since been the Administration’s responsibility to keep up with maintenance and manage an efficient system that customers can rely on,” House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka said in a joint statement yesterday that nodded to the Legislature’s approval of Baker’s oversight overhaul. “Given the FTA’s interim findings and alarming directives, there is an increased need to better understand the agency’s shortcomings and help restore public confidence.”

The pending legislative hearing and full FTA report on the T could spell more bad press for Baker and raise more questions about the managerial expertise he touted in the book that’s supposed to serve as a guide to good governance. A Baker spokesperson told the Boston Globe the "administration shares the Legislature’s goal to make the T as safe as possible."

But timing is everything. And with the Legislature’s formal session set to end July 31 and the full federal inspection report of the MBTA not expected until August, the T’s myriad issues are on track to become the next governor’s problems to solve.

Some transit advocates, including a former state transportation secretary, argue the Legislature should focus on stopping the T from riding off a fiscal cliff rather than doubling up on the feds’ oversight efforts.

Legislative leaders have tucked $400 million into a borrowing bill to help the MBTA address the FTA’s concerns. Both chairs of the joint Transportation Committee called that figure a placeholder that could be revised.

— “MBTA pulls all new Orange Line cars after ‘battery failure;’ says another up escalator reversed direction with passengers on it,” by Taylor Dolven, Matt Stout and Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “The MBTA pulled all of its new but troubled Orange Line trains out of service this week after a ‘battery failure’ on one of the cars, officials said Tuesday. … Responding to questions from the Globe late Tuesday, Battiston said that on Sunday at the Chinatown station an ‘escalator malfunctioned and reversed direction from up to down’ with about 10 passengers on it. She said no injuries were reported.”

— “Can $400 million fix MBTA safety issues? Transportation advocates look at how that money could be spent,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “[S]ome transit advocates are worried the funding may not tackle a large portion of operational issues outlined by the FTA like staffing challenges at the Operations Control Center, which coordinates train movements across the system.”

— “Report: MBTA is ‘rolling the dice’ on plan to pay off employee pension debt,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “A new report by a Boston-based think tank has found that the MBTA plans to undertake what it described as an ‘ill-advised, quick-fix’ approach to pay off its $1.3 billion unfunded pension liability by taking out more debt.”

— “East-west rail boosters upbeat following signals from Beacon Hill,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The proposed Western Massachusetts Intercity Rail Authority is not dead, according to both U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and state Sen. Eric Lesser. … The state’s legislative leaders — House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka — on Tuesday morning issued a joint statement saying they are not yet ready to create a Western Massachusetts Intercity Rail Authority despite Republican Gov. Charlie Baker calling for one. But Spilka and Mariano, both Democrats, also affirmed their support for the project and — picking up a theme voiced by Neal, D-Springfield — regional equity in the state’s transportation system. Later in the day, the state’s House Ways and Means Committee released a bill that could increase the bonding allocation for east-west rail to $250 million.”

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts COVID cases drop 24% over the long weekend, parents can start booking vaccine appointments for youngest kids,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state Department of Public Health reported a daily average of 1,017 COVID cases over the long weekend, which was down 24% from the daily rate of 1,334 infections last weekend.”

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— TRIED AND TESTED: Three dozen Democratic lawmakers are urging Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to reverse course on plans to stop providing Covid-19 testing to schools this fall . Districts will still be able to purchase self-tests through a statewide contract. But the lawmakers, led by state Rep. David LeBoeuf, say that’s not good enough.

“Withdrawing strategies to reduce transmission, particularly ones as effective and minimally disruptive as testing in schools, is extremely disheartening,” LeBoeuf wrote in the letter sent to Riley Tuesday night . “Moreover, offloading the costs of the existing testing program onto individual schools and districts would be a remarkable abdication of responsibility for the safety and lives of the state’s children and educators, as well as their families and communities, and it would disproportionately impact many districts serving lower-income and diverse residents.”

— PASSING NOTE: A group of 97 mostly Democratic state lawmakers also wrote to Riley and the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education yesterday opposing a proposal to raise the MCAS scores students need to graduate high school. "If the state's goal is equity, this is the wrong way to go," lawmakers wrote in the letter spearheaded by state Sens. Jo Comerford and Pat Jehlen, and state Rep. Jim Hawkins, all Democrats.

— “Police officer recertifications start to flow into the POST Commission as a race against the clock and deadline continues,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “Roughly 70% of police officers who are a part of the first group of law enforcement personnel to apply for recertifications have submitted their information to a state commission tasked with certifying police in Massachusetts, according to new data presented Tuesday morning. Members of the Peace Officer Standards and Training and law enforcement agencies across the state have been racing toward a June 30 deadline, when certifications for officers with last names starting with letters A-H expire.”

— “Estate tax, earned income tax credit under review in Senate, Spilka says,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The state Senate will work to provide some form of tax relief to residents before the end of the legislative session, the upper chamber’s president said Tuesday. ‘We are currently in discussions about a tax relief proposal, which may include changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit and the estate tax, among others,’ Senate President Karen Spilka told the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.”

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VAX-ACHUSETTS

— “BA.4, BA.5 Subvariants Now Account for 25% of All COVID Cases in New England,” by Marc Fortier and Mary Markos, NBC10 Boston: “[R]ecent data shows that the two new subvariants have begun to spread more rapidly, rising from 10% to 24% in New England in the last week alone. Nationally, BA.4 and BA.5 cases account for about 35% of COVID-19 cases, up 5% over the previous week.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Two local educators named finalists in Boston superintendent search,” by James Vaznis and Jenna Russell, Boston Globe: “ Two local educators with strong ties to the Boston Public Schools emerged Tuesday as finalists in the search for the system’s new superintendent, setting the stage for a whirlwind of public interviews this week and a decision next week. The finalists are Somerville Superintendent Mary Skipper, who previously worked in the Boston system for nearly two decades, and Tommy Welch, a regional BPS superintendent who oversees 15 schools, in East Boston, Charlestown, and the North End. The panel overseeing the search selected the two out of a field of 34 applicants. … Moving forward with only BPS insiders is a departure from other searches over the last two decades that mostly yielded finalists from out of state with limited or no prior knowledge of the Boston school system. And unlike the searches in 2019 and 2015, the slate doesn’t include any Black and Latino candidates, even though about three-quarters of the system’s 49,000 students identify that way.”

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— ENDORSEMENT RECAP: Rep. Ayanna Pressley endorsed NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan for secretary of state. Sullivan has now been endorsed in her Democratic primary challenge of Secretary of State Bill Galvin by two members of the congressional delegation; the other is Rep. Seth Moulton.

— JP Progressives endorsed state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz for governor, state Rep. Tami Gouveia for lieutenant governor, Chris Dempsey for state auditor, state Rep. Nika Elugardo for Second Suffolk state senator and Sam Montaño for 15th Suffolk state representative.

— Salem School Committee Vice Chair Manny Cruz has been endorsed for 7th Essex state representative by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the North Shore Labor Council.

JOIN TUESDAY FOR WOMEN RULE TALK ON THE ECONOMY: The U.S. economy is showing signs of slowing down after a period of robust growth last year. How would an economic slowdown affect women’s economic security across socioeconomic, racial, and geographic lines? Join POLITICO’s Women Rule for a conversation on what’s ahead for the U.S. economy and how it will impact women’s livelihoods and economic well-being. REGISTER HERE.

DAY IN COURT

— “Mass. high court to hear arguments in DiMasi lobbying case,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments, likely in the fall, on a case involving former House speaker Salvatore DiMasi, who was convicted of exploiting one of the most powerful offices in the state and now is a registered state lobbyist. At issue is whether those found guilty of federal corruption charges should be barred from lobbying state lawmakers, the governor, and other Massachusetts officials for 10 years after their conviction, even if their crimes aren’t directly cited in the state law. In a twist, while DiMasi is at the center of the case, he won’t be impacted by any ruling."

— “Emails point to concerns over Danvers surveillance system prior to Ritzer murder,” by Julie Manganis, Salem News: “In the months before Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer was murdered, in October 2013, the state of the security system at the newly renovated Danvers High was a topic of significant concern, according to emails described in court Tuesday.”

DANVERS — In the months before Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer was murdered, in October 2013, the state of the security system at the newly renovated Danvers High was a topic of significant concern, according to emails described in court Tuesday.

“I’ve never seen a worse software package,” wrote an employee of a subcontractor, American Service, in one email in 2012. “It’s like putting lipstick on a pig.”

In another email, in February 2013, the project architect, Richard Rice, acknowledged having “great difficulty” in getting the system to work.

The following month, then-assistant principal Keith Taverna said in an email that the system “seems to be shaky at best” and “incapable of meeting specifications.”

By July there was still no solution, just “all kinds of finger-pointing going on,” lawyer Dan Murphy told Lawrence Superior Court Judge John Lu during a hearing Tuesday afternoon.

The hearing was on a motion by DiNisco Design Partners, the sole remaining defendant in a wrongful death suit filed by Peggie and Tom Ritzer, of Andover, to dismiss the case prior to trial.

It’s a hearing Danvers officials did not want to be held in an open courtroom. Earlier this year, they took the unusual step of asking to re-enter the case for the sole purpose of seeking to have all of the documents related to the hearing sealed, The Salem News first reported.

Then, at the request of now-retiring superintendent Lisa Dana, they went even further, asking that the entire hearing be closed to the public. Lu denied that request.

John Davis, a lawyer for the district, had argued that revealing any details of the school’s security system would endanger the safety of students.

Much of Tuesday’s hearing on the architect’s motion for summary judgment dealt with the security — or lack thereof — in place in 2013.

And the school came in for blame from both sides, with DiNisco attorney Katherine Kenney saying that it fulfilled its contract to design a “live view” camera system with motion activated cameras.

“The town could have live-monitored if they chose to do so,” Kenney told the judge. “They did not.”

She said only the town of Danvers was in a position to decide whether the cameras would be live-monitored.

Instead, she argued, Taverna and former school resource officer Steve Baldassare said in depositions that the intent was to use the cameras for deterrence, and for forensic, or after the fact, investigations and viewing.

She also argued that it is only speculation that having someone live monitoring the cameras would have possibly prevented Ritzer’s death.

Murphy, who represents the Ritzer family, urged Lu to allow the case to go to trial, saying the central facts of the case remain in dispute — including whether the system was working as intended at the time.

“The software chosen was never going to integrate properly with the hardware at Danvers High School,” Murphy told Lu. “This is the disastrous outcome.”

To that end, he referred to a series of emails exchanged between school officials, the architect and contractors in 2012, when issues about compatibility between the software the system used and computers the school used became apparent.

The issues were ongoing as the opening of the school approached.

Taverna was still pressing for answers in September.

“This is obviously very important for the security of the building,” Taverna wrote.

Eventually, a workaround was devised. But it would not be implemented until November.

By then, Philip Chism, a 14-year-old freshman, had raped and murdered Ritzer, 24, on the afternoon of Oct. 22, 2013.

“There’s just no question that the system was not working, not operational, on the day of the death of Ms. Ritzer,” Murphy told Lu during the hearing.

And while Kenney stressed the fact that video from the system was used to successfully prosecute Chism, Murphy pointed out it took Baldassare four days of work to find those videos.

“That’s hardly a functioning video system,” Murphy argued.

In addition, the cameras were motion-activated and the system designed to send alerts to authorized people, whether or not the person was watching the cameras live on a monitor.

Murphy said it’s possible that had someone received an alert, and had the system been working, revealing a male student following Ritzer into the women’s restroom, her death could have been prevented.

Lu did not immediately rule on the motion.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Nativity School of Worcester gets $100,000+ in donations since Worcester Bishop strips it of Catholic identity for flying Pride, BLM flags,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Since the Bishop issued his decree, Nativity President Thomas McKenney said the school has received over $100,000 in donations from more than 1,200 people from across the country.”

— "Mass. housing prices continue to rise," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Massachusetts housing costs are continuing to skyrocket, with the median price of a single-family home jumping to $590,000 in May, according to a new report."

SCOTUS WATCH

— “Maine cannot ban tuition aid for students at religious schools, Supreme Court rules,” by Brian MacQuarrie and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “In its latest decision supporting religion in public life, the US Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Maine law that since 1981 barred the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for tuition at religious schools. … The Massachusetts Constitution bars taxpayer subsidies to religious schools, and voters have twice upheld that policy by overwhelming margins in statewide referendums, once in 1982 and again in 1986. The policy also has withstood court challenges.”

A message from PhRMA:

Did you know that PBMs, insurers, hospitals, the government, and others received a larger share of total spending on medicines than biopharmaceutical companies? That’s right, more than half of spending on brand medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them. Let’s fix the system the right way and ensure more of the savings go to patients, not middlemen. Learn more.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — GBH has hired Sandra Lopez Burke as managing director of community and government relations.

— Caroline Fenyo is now digital press secretary for Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ congressional office and digital director for his campaign. Fenyo previously worked for GMMB and is a Pete Buttigieg presidential campaign alum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is 73; state Rep. Tram Nguyen, state Rep. Kay Khan, Matt Sheaff, senior communications adviser to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, and Brendan Concannon.

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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