Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Moderate Massachusetts

Monday, April 3, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Moderate Massachusetts

NEW: POLL POKES AT LIBERAL LABEL — If it wasn’t clear from her nearly 30-point win last year, Gov. Maura Healey knows how to read an electorate.

But new data from center-left Priorities for Progress backs up Healey’s decision to ditch her progressive-prosecutor image for a more moderate gubernatorial persona that marries liberal charges like defending abortion rights with more centrist policies like tax breaks for the wealthy.

A little over half of Massachusetts voters identify as political moderates , according to the PFP poll shared with Playbook. That’s hardly a surprise in a deep-blue state where voters sent fiscally conservative but more socially moderate Republicans to the governor’s office for the better part of 30 years. And the last of that line, Charlie Baker, consistently earned sky-high approval ratings.

But what’s intriguing here is the evidence that Healey’s play is starting to pay off. Voters see Healey as hewing closer to their moderate proclivities than staunchly progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren. And they gave the governor a higher favorability rating than Warren and other top Democrats including Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Sen. Ed Markey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Auditor Diana DiZoglio.

“If somebody told you five years ago that the hard-charging, [Donald] Trump-suing attorney general would be the heir to Charlie Baker’s most-popular mantle, and that voters would view her as closer to him ideologically and further away from Elizabeth Warren, I think they’d be surprised,” Liam Kerr, PFP's founder, said. “Healey knows where the voters are, and she joined them there.”

One last thought: The online poll of 500 registered and likely voters was conducted March 16-21, making it the first survey to be publicly released after Healey introduced her budget and tax-relief proposals. Healey’s 64-percent overall favorability rating, and net favorability of 38 percent, appear to show that people like what they’re seeing. See if future polls make that a trend.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. DiZoglio has a lower favorability rating in the PFP poll in part because nearly two-thirds of respondents hadn’t yet formed an opinion of the new statewide officer. Her ongoing media blitz over her audit of the Legislature could change that.

DiZoglio told WCVB’s “On the Record” that her staff has now found seven other audits — she brought the books to the taping as proof — that back up her push to probe the Legislature. One looks at information technology within the Legislature. Another, she said, looks at policies and procedures surrounding overpayment of a legislative court officer. Neither of those are as all-encompassing as DiZoglio’s review aims to be.

But DiZoglio is offering a new argument that she says neuters the separation of powers clause legislative leaders have been leaning on to reject her efforts.

The House and Senate post audit and oversight committees, by law , have the power to examine and request records from “any agency of the state” — a provision DiZoglio found while reviewing her office’s 1983 audit of that committee’s work. Other legislative committees regularly provide oversight of and request documents from the executive branch through hearings, such as their probes into the Baker administration’s Covid-19 response.

It’s all a “salient reminder that legislative committees exercise audit and oversight authority over state agencies in the executive branch,” DiZoglio told Playbook. “I hope legislative leaders will decide to cooperate with our office just as they expect executive branch agencies to cooperate with them.”

TODAY — Healey and Driscoll meet with President José Maria Neves of Cape Verde at 10 a.m. at the State House. Healey tours Advent Technologies at 11 a.m. in Charlestown. Driscoll speaks at the Massachusetts Chapter of National Association of Housing & Redevelopment Officials Spring Conference at 8:30 a.m. at the Waltham Westin hotel and attends a STEM Council meeting at 11 a.m. at the Museum of Science. Markey keynotes the RENEW Northeast event at 9 a.m. at the Federal Reserve Building.

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

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Inside the state commission for the blind: alleged verbal abuse, shrinking services, questionable spending,” by Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: “Workers have filed a litany of complaints in recent years against Commissioner David D’Arcangelo, alleging verbal abuse and inappropriate comments, with some of those investigations still ongoing, a Globe investigation found. Five current employees, and six former members of the agency, told the Globe that D’Arcangelo has slashed resources and services while pursuing costly and quixotic projects such as a television studio in Boston and a comic book that’s unavailable in Braille and nearly unusable on the screen readers used by many blind people.”

— UNDER PRESSURE: Add Auditor Diana DiZoglio and Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman to the list of those in favor of legalizing teacher strikes. “We believe very strongly that teachers should have the right to strike if they’re not getting anywhere in negotiations,” Tolman said on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large.”

Tolman was a key supporter of DiZoglio’s auditor campaign. But that doesn’t mean the former legislator is fully behind her audit of the branch in which he served. “I respect her decision to do what she’s doing,” Tolman told host Jon Keller . “She made that pledge when she was running, she’s following through with that pledge.”

JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE .

FROM THE HUB

— “‘Anybody need tickets?’: At Opening Day, an anachronistic part of the Fenway experience returns,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “According to city data, hawking tickets outside event venues in Boston appears to be a slice of city life that is technically illegal but tolerated, like jaywalking or double parking. A request to Boston police for citations or charges related to illegal ticket resells in the last five years came back with nothing."

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: 9th Suffolk state representative candidate John Moran raised more than $54,000 from 178 individual donors in the opening 23 days of his campaign, his team said. He’s running against Amparo "Chary" Ortiz for the seat vacated by now-Veterans Secretary Jon Santiago .

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— NEW THIS AM: Henry Santana , director of civic organizing for Mayor Michelle Wu and an alum of Boston City Councilor Kenzie Bok ’s office and 2019 campaign, is launching his bid for at-large city councilor today.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Democratic activist and former Environmental League of Massachusetts political director Juan Jaramillo is launching his campaign for Revere city councilor at-large today. Jaramillo is endorsed by outgoing Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo and state Sen. Lydia Edwards , who represents the city. Jaramillo previously ran for state representative in 2021.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “MBTA subway ridership takes hit with slow zones,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “[S]ince mid-year 2022, the T’s ridership recovery slowed and then more recently lost ground. The loss of riders coincided with the safety-related scale-back of service that began in June 2022, the shutdown of the Orange Line for a month starting August 19, 2022, and the more recent imposition of slow zones as a safety response to the discovery of a breakdown in maintenance efforts.”

PARTY POLITICS

— “MassGOP Chair: Geoff Diehl campaign liable for bulk of party’s $600K debt,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Party Chair Amy Carnevale said the bulk, or $404,000 of the $602,000 in unpaid invoices she inherited from past Chair Jim Lyons are from advertising and media-related expenses authorized and signed by the Diehl campaign, ‘but incredibly were billed well after Election Day to the MassGOP.’ 'Not on my watch,’ Carnevale said in a Friday email to state Republicans.”

Carnevale is also recommending the state committee drops the lawsuit Lyons started against treasurer Pat Crowley , ahead of a planned June vote on it. “It’s time to stop suing fellow Republicans and move forward,” she wrote in the email.

Another lawsuit she hopes will end: Lyons suing the party for back pay dating back to what she called a “voluntary salary reduction” he took in 2021. “This lawsuit is asking for triple damages — all at a time when the party was left over $600,000 in debt!" Carnevale wrote.

DAY IN COURT

— “Massachusetts reaches $40M settlement with minority police officers over civil-service suit,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The state attorney general has reached a $40 million settlement with the hundreds of minority police officers the state has ruled the civil-service promotional exam discriminated against, drawing to a close a long-running case that has wide-ranging repercussions.”

DATELINE D.C.

ADDED: PROTECT THE PUBLIC TRUST WAS FOUNDED BY MICHAEL CHAMBERLAIN WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF PPT, A FORMER EMPLOYEE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. IT WAS FOUNDED AS A NON-PROFIT SO ITS FUNDERS ARE CONCEALED.

FOR THE SAKE OF FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY, BOSTON HERALD SHOULD DO FURTHER RESEARCH BEFORE QUOTING THIS SOURCE. 

— “John Kerry won’t say if he uses private email account for Climate business,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: “One key email shows that on Jan. 31, 2022, a 'Manchin discussion/engagement' dispatch was cc’d to ‘John F Kerry (redacted) @gmail.com.’ That same email about U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is also cc’d to ‘Kerry, John F (redacted) @state.gov.’”

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FROM THE 413

— “Easthampton rescinds job offer for superintendent over term ‘ladies’: Protest over dismissal of Vito Perrone planned,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “Perrone sent an email about upcoming contract negotiations to School Committee Chairwoman Cynthia Kwiecinski and the board’s executive assistant Suzanne Colby on March 29 that included three requests. When the School Committee convened in executive session the next day, Perrone said he was told members took umbrage that he addressed the email to ‘Ladies.’ They called the term a microaggression and rescinded the job offer.”

— “‘Fix the problem:’ State leaders on rift over UMass Amherst plan to privatize 100 jobs,” by Luis Fieldman, MassLive.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— ICYMI: Asian American Women’s Political Initiative founder and executive director Diana Hwang made this year’s POLITICO’s The Recast Power List. Check it out .

— “‘Parents are terrified the whole family will be labeled as racist.’ Amid rising hate, Mass. group provides lifeline for children on verge of extremism,” by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: “The 15-year-old had been talking online with a terrorist group about building bombs, they said. Suddenly, the Massachusetts parents, whose biggest concern before that knock was refinancing their home for a better interest rate, were plunged into a frightening world of hate and extremism. … Eventually, they found their way to a nonprofit group called Parents for Peace, based in Brookline, which runs a confidential help line to assist families, usually parents, who are grappling with a child on the verge of extremist violence.”

— “Book banning debates grip South Coast school elections,” by Colin Hogan, New Bedford Light: “Debates about book bans and parental influence in the curriculum have spread into several school committee races, owing in part to grassroots conservative organizing that seeks to drive voter turnout on these emotional issues."

— “Women hold top leadership position in only 8% of biggest Massachusetts companies,” by Yasmin Amer, WBUR.

— “Texas decision on Obamacare could imperil coverage of preventive services in Massachusetts,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe.

2024 WATCH

— INDICTMENT FALLOUT: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is testing anti-Donald Trump sentiment among Republicans by becoming the first candidate to announce a run for the White House since the former president was indicted. But while Hutchinson called for Trump to drop out , others in the still-forming GOP won’t go that far, POLITICO’s Adam Wren, Natalie Allison and I report .

— “Potential GOP presidential hopeful Sununu: Trump shouldn't be 2024 nominee, but indictment bolsters his base,” by Kit Maher, CNN.

— IN OTHER SUNUNU NEWS: “Sununu’s proposal to increase border patrol under fire,” by Amanda Gokee, Boston Globe.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Emiley Z. Lockhart is now associate VP of ocean sustainability, technology and innovation at the New England Aquarium.

— Anthony Langone is now chief of staff for OCPF. He was previously the community and digital coordinator for the Executive Office of Veterans’ Services and legislative aide to state Rep. Richard Haggerty.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Alex Powell of Gov. Maura Healey’s office; Ed Cash , founder and president of Frontier Security Strategies; UMass Journalism’s Karen List, Niall Murphy, Juan Jaramillo, Greg Honan, Mark Lannigan and Molly Thomas. Happy belated to MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale , who celebrated Sunday (h/t WCVB’s OTR) , and to Irene Pepperberg , who celebrated Saturday.

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