Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

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WELCOME, CLASS OF 2023-2024 — Don’t expect echoes of the Kevin McCarthy speaker saga on Beacon Hill today.

Ron Mariano and Karen Spilka are poised to be reelected as House speaker and Senate president, respectively, as the new Legislature gets underway. They're already preparing speeches outlining their priorities for the session.

Spilka intends to call for free community college for all in her remarks, according to a person familiar with her plans. She'll also talk about the need for more investments in public higher education, early education and child care — reviving some of her priorities that fell short in the House last session.

Democrats are growing their supermajority in the House and maintaining it in the Senate. The incoming class of five new senators and 20 new representatives includes just one Republican, Wrentham’s Marcus Vaughn. Three representatives, Paul Mark, Liz Miranda and Jake Oliveira, are making the jump to the Senate. There will be a near-record number of female lawmakers and the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus will see a “significant increase," according to its chair, state Rep. Chynah Tyler.

But the new crop of lawmakers won’t immediately include two Democrats whose recount wins are being contested in court by their Republican opponents.

Mariano is delaying swearing in Margaret Scarsdale, who edged Republican Andrew Shepherd by seven votes in the 1st Middlesex district, and Kristin Kassner, who defeated GOP state Rep. Lenny Mirra in the 2nd Essex district by just one vote, to give a special legislative committee time to “review the last minute legal issues raised in each race.”

Scarsdale, in response, warned that the “new and dangerous trend of not just denying election results, but using frivolous, disingenuous methods to delay the certified winner from taking her seat is chilling, and it poses a direct threat to our democratic process.” Mirra’s case was dealt another blow in court yesterday.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The red carpet is already rolled out for Gov. Charlie Baker's “lone walk” out of the State House today.

But before he makes his symbolic return to private life — Baker is still governor until noon tomorrow — he’ll swear in the new Legislature.

He’ll present his successor, Maura Healey, with four symbolic gifts: the original key to the governor's office, the governor’s gavel, a Bible from the late Gov. Benjamin Butler and a two-volume copy of the Massachusetts General Statutes, both of which date back to the 1800s. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will pass on the Governor's Council gavel to her successor, Kim Driscoll.

And he'll have to contend with the flurry of bills, including one that aims to curb catalytic converter thefts, that lawmakers sent to his desk during marathon final sessions that stretched past midnight. But Baker felt short, again, in his quest to outlaw "revenge porn" despite a late revival in the Senate.

TODAY — Baker swears in new lawmakers at 11 a.m., presents Healey with the traditional symbols at 2:10 p.m. in his office and takes his “lone walk” at 5 p.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m.; outgoing state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz is on the show at 12:30 p.m.

Tips? Scoops? Thoughts on what you want to see Healey talk about in her inaugural speech(es) tomorrow? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Baker bids farewell,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “From behind the desk of his formal State House office, [Gov. Charlie] Baker delivered a six-minute, livestreamed address thanking Massachusetts residents. The speech was an unemotional, straightforward goodbye touting his administration’s accomplishments. Baker said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito had visited all 351 cities and towns, and Baker himself ‘got to more than 250.’ ‘Both of us were amazed by the creativity, decency, and shared sense of purpose that we saw everywhere we went,’ Baker said.”

Baker also addressed the issue he received some of his harshest criticism over — the pandemic: “While I know that many of you didn't agree with all of the decisions the lieutenant governor and I made during the pandemic, you tried your very best to abide by the rules," Baker said. "I believe that's why we've recovered almost all the jobs we lost during the pandemic, why we have an unemployment rate that's below the national average and why the nationally renowned Commonwealth Fund concluded that we did a better job of managing the pandemic than every other state except Hawaii."

— HELPING HAND: Baker is setting up some of his Republican allies with state jobs on his way out of office. State Rep. Shawn Dooley, who unsuccessfully challenged state Sen. Becca Rausch, abruptly resigned from the House last week to serve on the state Civil Service Commission , the State House News Service reports. Baker appointed state Rep. Tim Whelan, who lost his Barnstable County sheriff race, to the MassDOT Board of Directors last week. Earlier last year, Baker nominated then-state Rep. Sheila Harrington and former MassGOP Chair Kirsten Hughes as clerk magistrates, and Jim Kelcourse to the Parole Board. CommonWealth Magazine’s Bruce Mohl has more on Baker’s last-minute appointments .

— “Massachusetts teachers unions push for the right to strike,” by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Teachers Association says giving educators the legal right to strike is necessary to break logjams in contract talks and compel local school committees to bargain in good faith. … The legislation, which is expected to be filed this month, would extend the right to strike to all public sector workers except those in public safety. The effort has sparked a backlash since the MTA unveiled it on Dec. 8 as part of its legislative priorities, which also include securing more state funding for public schools and public colleges.”

— “15 Mass. police officers suspended by POST Commission,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “The state agency tasked with regulating law enforcement in Massachusetts suspended 15 police officers in the state, including Worcester Police Department’s Colby Turner, who is accused of stealing $45,000 of off-duty assignment pay for details he did not work, and Springfield Police Department’s Leon Davis.”

TRANSITION TIME

— “Healey, Driscoll help with supply drive in Taunton,” by Adriana Rozas Rivera, WPRI: “Governor-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Governor-elect Kim Driscoll joined forces on Tuesday with local organizations in Taunton to collect essential supplies for families in need. The visit was part of their ‘Team Up Massachusetts’ series of regional inaugural events. ‘I find these visits moving and there’s a reason why we did this,’ Healey said.”

— “Heroux sworn in as Bristol County sheriff; promises change but asks for patience,” by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle: “[Paul] Heroux said that housing, employment and health care are the ‘three pillars’ to reduce the rate of recidivism and he will work to establish and improve programs to achieve that goal. He also said he will bring in outside help to determine why the rate of suicide is so high in Bristol County correction facilities.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Legislators favor paring down MBTA to subway, bus operator only, report says,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “In a new report, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation recommended a structural change that would leave the MBTA in charge only of subway and bus operations, stripping it of Commuter Rail, ferry and construction responsibilities. The committee also recommended moving state safety oversight of the agency from the Department of Public Utilities to a new entity, with both chairs favoring a move to the Inspector General’s office, citing its independence from the governor.”

— “Pedestrians, cyclists gain protections with new law meant to reduce traffic deaths,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “On Monday, Governor Charlie Baker signed a bill into law requiring drivers to stay at least four feet away from ‘vulnerable users’ of the road when passing them. The law also requires cyclists to use rear red lights, large state vehicles to have backup cameras and other safety features installed, and gives municipalities the ability to petition to change speed limits on state-owned roads.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— MAKING IT LOOK EASY: Newly minted Democratic whip Katherine Clark helped keep her caucus fully behind Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) while a faction of Republicans moved to thrice deny Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) the speaker’s gavel on Tuesday. And Clark, like other Democrats, reveled in Republicans’ disarray, tweeting that the GOP’s House majority has “no shared vision & no leader.” Rep. Jim McGovern took it a step further, tweeting : “Even George Santos is having a better day than Kevin McCarthy.”

— EXTRA CREDIT: Read Kara Voght’s profile of Clark, “Nancy Pelosi’s heir,” in The New Republic.

— “The last time a House speaker vote went to multiple ballots? It was 100 years ago, for a Mass. Republican,” by Travis Andersen and Amanda Kaufman, Boston Globe: “The last time a vote for speaker went to multiple ballots was in 1923, when a bloc of Republicans refused to reelect Representative Frederick Huntington Gillett, a patrician Massachusetts Republican, according to the US House archives . Gillett didn’t emerge victorious until the ninth ballot, with a tally of 215 votes that was the lowest total of any speaker since the House reached its modern size, according to the Washington Post .”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “As offshore wind falters, Mass. makes its move to boost giant wind farm in Maine,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Friday decided to move ahead alongside energy officials in Maine in setting up contracts that would finance a wind farm with roughly 170 giant towers in Aroostook County, by the Canadian border. The Massachusetts agency made its ruling right before a Dec. 31 deadline, with Governor Charlie Baker about to leave office.”

FROM THE 413

— “Incoming Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue wanted to hire his wife to fill a key position on his staff. But the state said no,” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: “After Timothy Shugrue's primary victory in September over current DA Andrea Harrington, he asked ethics officials whether he could hire his wife, Joann Shugrue, to serve in the office. It was for a role he envisioned as chief of staff — she helped manage his campaign for office and the transition. But the State Ethics Commission said no, Shugrue told The Eagle on Tuesday. An official with the commission determined that state nepotism law prevents her from working in the office.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— “Welcome to the great Marblehead newspaper war,” by Dana Gerber, Boston Globe: “Three independent local news outlets — The Marblehead Weekly News, the Marblehead Current, and the Marblehead Beacon — have all launched in the North Shore town this year alone, filling the gap left by Gannett-owned Marblehead Reporter.”

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Toya Irish will become SVP of community relations for Beacon Communities.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Shawnee Tannenbaum and Chris Huntley, VP of strategic comms at Blue State and a former Warren speechwriter.

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