Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey hits 100 days

Friday, April 14, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey hits 100 days

MAURA’S MILESTONE — If Maura Healey’s first 100 days as governor were about laying the groundwork for her administration, the last seven have been some of the most consequential in shaping what’s to come.

Healey installed a new MBTA general manager on Monday and took on full responsibility for fixing the failing transit system in doing so. She found herself at odds with top House lawmakers over spending and tax-relief plans, setting up new dynamics — and discord — between Democrats on Beacon Hill that could jeopardize some of her biggest campaign promises.

She also propelled Massachusetts to the forefront of the fight to protect access to medication abortion. And in the process, Healey stepped back into the national spotlight she’s largely eschewed in the transition from attorney general to governor.

“I’ve said for a long time that the battle to strip abortion rights away from people in this country has been waged in the states. And the battle to protect it and expand reproductive freedom and women’s access to health care will also be won in the states,” Healey told Playbook in an interview. “Massachusetts is a leader [in that] and will continue to be a leader.”

Healey enters a new and more challenging phase of her tenure backed by an increasingly diverse Cabinet, with new positions focused on climate, veterans affairs and — “very soon” — housing. She heads into budget negotiations having already secured tens of millions of dollars from the Legislature to bolster the state’s emergency shelter system and continue free school meals and extra SNAP benefits.

The governor was diplomatic about House Democrats trying to slow-roll the $600 child-and-dependent tax credit that’s a cornerstone of her affordability pitch. She didn't chastise lawmakers for tweaking her estate-tax proposal and dropping her UMass tuition lock from their spending plans. She said she hadn’t yet seen the House’s proposed changes to how Chapter 62F rebates are distributed .

“It’s early on in the process,” Healey said. “We all will keep an open mind about how we look at these things.”

While Healey reflects on her first 100 days in office (a milestone her team says she actually hits tomorrow), the events of this week have set in motion the next set of challenges that will test her leadership and define her governing style. Here’s more from Playbook’s interview with Healey, edited for length:

Gov. Maura Healey at her inauguration on Jan. 5, 2023. | AP

You’ve been looking for ways to market Massachusetts. Does protecting abortion access now rise up the list of selling points for the state?

Absolutely. And it's very important that people across this country understand that we are a state that will protect people's access to health care. We will protect women's access to reproductive health care and reproductive freedom. We will protect our LGBTQ residents.

You pledged to hire a transportation safety chief within 60 days of your inauguration. Where is that process at and what is the holdup there?

We’re still in the midst of a search and doing due diligence to make sure that we choose the very best person for the job.

Was it purposeful to bring on the MBTA GM before a transportation safety chief?

It’s important that [GM Phillip Eng] have the opportunity to have input on the position of transportation safety chief. I also expect to share more about appointments to the MBTA, including the [oversight] board, in the next few weeks.

What are your goals for the next 100 days?

We’re going to be really focused on housing. Now that we have the housing secretariat established, we are going to be all about driving housing production across the state, working with communities, working with our legislative partners through the budget process. … [Plus] getting a budget done, getting a tax-relief package done.

Do you and former Gov. Charlie Baker still keep in touch?

We do. I actually had the chance to see him the other night. He was honored down at the celebration of the Adams Presidential Center [in Quincy] and it was great to see him. … We mostly talked about, as you can imagine, NCAA basketball.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. I’m signing off for school vacation week, but Playbook is not! Send your tips, scoops, birthdays and calendar items to Sophie Gardner and Kelly Garrity at sgardner@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com . I’ll see you on the other side.

TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attend the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus’s annual Black Excellence on the Hill event at 11 a.m. at the State House. Healey is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 1 p.m. Driscoll attends a Ramadan Iftar Dinner at 6 p.m. in Billerica.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Lori Trahan tour UMass Lowell’s Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center at 10:45 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu participates in the One Boston Day Hat Giveaway at 9 a.m. at the James F. Condon School, speaks at a Boston EMS ceremony at 11 a.m. at Faneuil Hall and visits the BPD call center at 1:30 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND — Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

THERE’S ALWAYS A MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTION

— “F.B.I. Arrests National Guardsman in Leak of Classified Documents,” by Haley Willis, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Aric Toler, Christiaan Triebert, Julian E. Barnes and Malachy Browne, New York Times: “The F.B.I. arrested a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard on Thursday in connection with the leak of dozens of highly classified documents containing an array of national security secrets, including the breadth of surveillance the United States is able to conduct on Russia. Airman First Class Jack Douglas Teixeira was taken into custody to face charges of leaking classified documents after federal authorities said he had posted batches of sensitive intelligence to an online gaming chat group, called Thug Shaker Central.”

The FBI on Thursday arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, in connection with the major leak of dozens of pages of classified Pentagon documents, many of which were photos of slides developed by the Joint Staff to brief senior leaders about the situation in Ukraine. | WCVB-TV/AP Photo

Playbook dialed up Rep. Seth Moulton to discuss the national security concerns surrounding the leaked documents and the ramifications for the Massachusetts National Guard. Here are excerpts from our interview, edited for length:

How damaging is it that these documents leaked?

I think about this in two buckets. There’s the immediate concerns of releasing what the Ukrainians are doing in the war, the operational plans. At the end of the day it’s dangerous, but we can probably work around it. … The second bucket is revealing our sources, our methods and the places where our adversaries are compromised. And that has much deeper, further implications.

Should the feds try and make an example out of Teixeira?

Yes. We have laws for a reason and he needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. And obviously we’ve had a number of cases such as Edward Snowden that haven’t been effectively prosecuted and punished.

Are there ramifications here for the Massachusetts National Guard?

We're very proud of our Massachusetts National Guard. And there's no question that this hurts the credibility of the Massachusetts National Guard.

How can the Guard restore that credibility?

There’s a big-picture level at which we’re going to examine things like intelligence sharing and digital watermarking and things like that. But at the Massachusetts level, we have to look carefully at this unit and try to understand if there were any warning signs that this was a dangerous individual.

— MORE: “He’s from a patriotic family — and allegedly leaked U.S. secrets,” by Dan Lamothe, Evan Hill, Alex Horton and Missy Ryan, Washington Post.

— THE LOCAL ANGLE: “Jack Teixeira, suspect in documents leak probe, recalled as history buff with keen interest in military,” by Spencer Buell, Jeremy C. Fox and Nick Stoico, Boston Globe.

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FROM THE DELEGATION

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Jake Auchincloss is padding his war chest as he looks to fend off any potential 2024 challengers.

Auchincloss raised more than $480,000 in the first three months of the year between his congressional campaign account and his MA4Dems PAC. And he’s sitting on more than $2.7 million to spend on his reelection campaign, a spokesperson told Playbook.

He’s also spreading the wealth. Auchincloss has given $30,000 combined to Democrats’ congressional campaign arm; fellow Reps. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) and Jared Golden (D-Maine); and fellow U.S. Marine Corps veteran Lucas Kunce , who’s running to unseat Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in Missouri, as his party tries to win back control of the House next year.

— "An FSB meeting, Steven Seagal, and spies everywhere: The story of how Bill Keating investigated a Boston Marathon bomber in Russia," by Tal Kopan, Boston Globe.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Mass. House passes $1.1 billion tax package it says will help families, businesses, and even the dead,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The bill — worth nearly $1.1 billion once it takes full effect — cleared the Democrat-dominated House, 150-3, after about two hours of debate and with just three Democrats voting against it. … The bill’s easy passage included a smattering of failed Republican-led amendments and pushback from one progressive Democratic lawmaker, who criticized several elements as unnecessary handouts to corporations and wealthy residents just as the state’s new surtax on annual income over $1 million kicks in.”

— “State Senate signs off on Gov. Healey’s plan to create Mass. housing secretary,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “The state Senate approved a plan to create a housing secretariat Thursday afternoon, a move Gov. Maura Healey has pitched as necessary to help struggling renters and homeowners in Massachusetts. … Senators voted 39-0 to advance the bill over to the House for their approval, which could act on the proposal during their formal session Thursday.”

— “Police commission won't routinely publish school resource officer info online,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.

FROM THE HUB

— ”A second Boston city councilor is financially backing redistricting litigation,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “In the latest sign of a rift over redistricting on the Boston City Council, state campaign finance records show council president Ed Flynn last month gave $10,000 to a law firm that is leading a federal legal challenge over how the new boundaries were drawn. Flynn became the second councilor to help bankroll the litigation, following Frank Baker.”

— “Boston City Council weighing pay hike for their staff; top pay could hit $103K,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.

GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World , will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat .

TODAY'S SPECIAL (ELECTION)

— ENDORSEMENT ALERTS: Bill MacGregor has been endorsed for 10th Suffolk state representative by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO .

— The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts has endorsed John Moran for 9th Suffolk state representative.

— The Massachusetts Nurses Association has endorsed Dominick Pangallo for Salem mayor.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “‘They should not be happening’: Subway trains got dangerously close to T workers on tracks four times in past month,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “In four serious episodes over the last month, the MBTA’s trains came dangerously close to workers on subway tracks because of miscommunication between dispatchers and construction crews, the agency told members of its board of directors Thursday.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Unpaid utility bills mount after winter energy spike,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “The report, released Wednesday by the Boston-based National Consumer Law Center, found more than 420,000 residential customers were 90 days or more behind on utility bills at the end of February, totaling more than $557 million.”

— “Bristol County Sheriff Releases Suicide Report, New Ash Street Jail Closure Plan,” by Marcus Ferro, WBSM.

— “1,569 confirmed cases and 17 deaths in a week. See the latest COVID-19 data from Mass.,” by Peter Bailey-Wells, Ryan Huddle, Daigo Fujiwara and Amanda Kaufman, Boston Globe.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Anna Lucey is now EVP of legislative and external affairs for the New England Connectivity and Telecommunications Association.

— MassLive’s Chris Van Buskirk joins the Boston Herald in May as a State House reporter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former Rep. Chester Atkins , and Joe Rospars , founder and CEO of Blue State and an Elizabeth Warren alum.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Newsha Ghaeli of Biobot, Asher MacDonald and Andrés Garcia , who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers former Massachusetts First Lady Ann Romney ; Patriots coach Bill Belichick, Jane Oates , a former Kennedy staffer now with WorkingNation; and Doug Elmendorf.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: MAKE IT MAKE CENTS — State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski joins hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky for a House budget breakdown. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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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