Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey hustles in D.C.

Monday, May 1, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey hustles in D.C.

GETTING THOSE FREQUENT FLIER MILES — Gov. Maura Healey is returning to the D.C. area today for a summit on foreign direct investment with a key new hire in tow.

Healey has hired Will Rasky as her federal affairs director, tapping a Biden administration alum and son of the late public relations guru Larry Rasky to serve as her liaison to the president's team and to Congress.

Similar positions have existed in past administrations, but Healey is placing renewed emphasis on the role as she looks to strengthen her relationships with the federal government and with other states. Rasky, who was most recently a governmental affairs adviser in the federal Department of Transportation, will earn $125,000 a year in his new gig, a Healey spokesperson told Playbook. He'll work closely with Quentin Palfrey, Healey's director of federal funds and infrastructure.

Rasky's first task: joining Healey at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, where U.S. officials court foreign companies and investors to get them to boost their business stateside. Healey will speak on a workforce development panel on Tuesday and meet with “a number of foreign dignitaries,” according to her office. She's set to return Wednesday.

It’s a whirlwind week for Healey, who’s briefly back in Massachusetts right now after hitting the D.C. party circuit with her partner, Joanna Lydgate, for White House Correspondents’ Dinner weekend.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and her partner, Joanna Lydgate, at the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2023. | Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Beyond attending the marquee event itself, Healey was spotted hobnobbing with political and media bigwigs at POLITICO and CBS’ pre-dinner reception at the Washington Hilton. She hit up Saturday's Garden Brunch at the Beall-Washington House, where New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (who attended the big dinner at CNN’s invitation), Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and California Gov. Gavin Newsom were among the guests. And Healey, who was at the WHCD as POLITICO’s guest, was also at the annual Sunday brunch hosted by past publisher Robert Allbritton .

Glitz and glamor aside, Healey showing up for Washington’s biggest weekend hints at her interest in moving among a bigger political circle.

And she took advantage of the opportunity: Healey talked voting rights with actress Rosario Dawson and women’s rights with actress Sophia Bush , met J. Smith-Cameron , who plays Gerri on “Succession,” and discussed broadband in Massachusetts with FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING MASSACHUSETTS. Also spotted out and about on WHCD weekend: House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Rep. Ayanna Pressley , who attended the main event as the Boston Globe's guest.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., poses for photographers as she arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, Saturday, April 29, 2023. | Jose Luis Magana/AP

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll meets virtually with A Better City and delivers remarks at 10 a.m. The new chairs of the state Democratic and Republican parties, Democrat Steve Kerrigan and Republican Amy Carnevale , are on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Rep. Jim McGovern presents an Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal to his constituent, Leo Quinn , at 11:30 a.m. in Worcester.

Tips? Scoops? Need to blow off some steam about the B's? That was a rough end to a record-breaking season. Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

DON’T MISS THE POLITICO ENERGY SUMMIT: A new world energy order is emerging and America’s place in it is at a critical juncture. Join POLITICO on Thursday, May 18 for our first-ever energy summit to explore how the U.S. is positioning itself in a complicated energy future. We’ll explore progress on infrastructure and climate funding dedicated to building a renewable energy economy, Biden’s environmental justice proposals, and so much more. REGISTER HERE .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— ROLLING OUT THE RED CARPET: Before she went to Washington, Gov. Maura Healey greeted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the State House, where the two had a private lunch .

Mass. Governor Maura Healey greets South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol outside the Massachusetts State House, Friday, April 28, 2023, in Boston, Mass. Yoon stopped at the State House ahead of a talk at Harvard University as he wrapped up a state visit to the United States. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha) | AP

— “Mass. teachers’ union rallies in support of legislation to improve public education,” by Dave Canton, Springfield Republican: “Hundreds of teachers, staff members and employees of the state’s public education system rallied on the steps of Springfield City Hall Friday afternoon calling for the end of the state’s high-stakes Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) testing and what they call the anti-democratic school system receivership process, better pay for the state’s teachers and the right for those teachers to strike if their needs and the needs of students are not met. At the same time, the governing delegates of the Massachusetts Teachers Association threw their support behind legislation aimed at improving educational outcomes and prospects in the state.”

— "Mass. set up a mental health hotline. 6,000 people called in the first 3 months," by Deborah Becker, WBUR.

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston mayor, council president: White supremacist groups are ‘not welcome here’,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and City Council President Ed Flynn strongly condemned a Saturday appearance by the white nationalist group, Patriot Front, which joined a faith-based protest outside a Satanic conference in Copley Square. Clad in khakis and blue hooded sweatshirts with their faces hidden behind scarves and hats, their roughly hour-long appearance was also denounced by Satanists and Christians alike, the two groups who were most at odds during SatanCon 2023."

— ENDORSEMENT CORNER: Ahead of tomorrow’s primary, Amparo “Chary” Ortiz is endorsing former rival John Moran for 9th Suffolk state representative. Ortiz exited the race last month — though she’ll still appear on the ballot — leaving Moran as the sole active candidate.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— ‘DEATH SPIRAL’: MBTA Advisory Board Executive Director Brian Kane can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel of the T’s troubles yet. But he told WBZ’s Jon Keller that Gov. Maura Healey ’s shakeup of the system’s leadership is giving him hope.

“I’m not going to sit here pollyannaish and tell you the fix is right around the corner. I can’t even see the corner right now,” Kane said. “But I do hope and I remain optimistic that with the new leadership in place — the new [general manager], three new board members led by very seasoned veterans and a new safety chief — we can begin to at least begin moving forward and not continue to spiral downward.”

Part of moving forward means having “all hands on deck, all the time, in person” from the T’s top brass, several of whom the Boston Globe recently reported have a primary residence outside of Massachusetts. The Globe now says it's six senior managers, not nine as initially reported, who are going the distance.

Kane also isn’t in favor of privatizing the T, saying “it certainly wouldn’t save any money” but acknowledging that it “could provide better customer service.”

— “With South Coast Rail finally in view, New Bedford floats lawsuit claiming MBTA wrongly seized its land,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “New Bedford officials are threatening to sue the MBTA on a claim the transit agency wrongly seized city land to construct the South Coast Rail project, casting new uncertainty onto a $1 billion project that’s labored through decades of fits and starts. … If filed, the suit would seek to have the land returned to the city.”

DAY IN COURT

— “Teixeira family says they hope Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets will receive ‘fair and just treatment’,” by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: “The family of Jack D. Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guardsman charged with leaking military secrets online, said in a statement Friday night that they support him and hope he receives ‘fair and just treatment’ as his case unfolds.”

— “Former chief of staff to Mayor of Lawrence indicted on child pornography charges,” by Teddy Tauscher, Eagle-Tribune.

ROLLINS REPORT

— “Ethics probe of US Attorney Rachael Rollins complete, Justice Dept. watchdog has yet to release findings,” by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “The Justice Department’s internal watchdog has completed a months-long ethics investigation of US Attorney Rachael Rollins that was triggered by her attendance at a Democratic fundraiser featuring First Lady Jill Biden last summer and expanded to include scrutiny of her travel expenses, whether she used her personal cell phone for business and other matters, according to several people who are familiar with the probe."

DATELINE D.C.

— "First Republic Bank seized, sold to JP Morgan," by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "The San Fransisco-based bank, which until recently had been among the largest in Massachusetts by deposits, has been seized by federal regulators and sold to JP Morgan Chase in the largest bank failure so far this year."

— “Fed blames Trump-era policies, SVB leaders — and itself — for bank’s stunning collapse,” by Victoria Guida, POLITICO.

— “Days after House GOP bill is approved, debt ceiling deadlock continues,” by Kelly Garrity, POLITICO: “House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark called on Republicans to ‘be the grown-ups in the room,’ in addressing the debt ceiling.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “It’s not just faulty lines and failing cars. The MBTA has a climate problem,” by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: “By the end of this decade, a new study finds that flood damage to the T will cost tens of millions a year as sea levels rise and storms become more intense and frequent, according to the authors of the report in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.”

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Cannabis shop battles Malden in 'precedent-setting case' over zoning laws,” by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: “The owners of a dispensary trying to open in Malden have filed a lawsuit accusing the city of creating zoning laws that they say make it nearly impossible to open their business.”

GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGSITER HERE .

FROM THE 413

— “Second Easthampton School Committee member resigns over superintendent search,” by Emily Thurlow, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “On Saturday morning, Laurie Garcia submitted her resignation to her colleagues via email. The resignation comes two weeks after former member Shannon Dunham also quit.”

— “Teacher retention sees sharp drop across Franklin County districts,” by Mary Byrne, Greenfield Recorder: “In the wake of what local school officials have described as ‘the most challenging years’ in education, administrators across the state and locally experienced one of the sharpest declines in teacher retention rates this year compared to previous years.”

— “Pittsfield police want to reduce the level of force used by officers. Some have taken up jujitsu training as a less-lethal option,” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Early signs point to packed City Council field with every seat on the line,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “Thirty-two potential candidates have pulled papers for City Council seats as of Friday, setting off a potentially packed election season where every seat on the City Council may be up for grabs.”

— “City Council chooses not to override mayor’s veto on rent control, other ballot questions,” by Arthur Hirsch, New Bedford Light: “[T]he November ballot will not include non-binding public opinion questions on the four-year mayoral term, on a program supporting community projects, and on whether the city should govern rent increases.”

— “Dozens of Haitians fleeing turmoil shelter at Boston Medical Center,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "Messing with New Hampshire’s primary could have consequences for Biden and the ballot, senator says," by Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity, POLITICO: "Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is warning that President Joe Biden could jeopardize his prospects — and those of down-ballot Democrats — in a key swing state by messing with New Hampshire’s presidential primary."

Shaheen also took shots on WCVB’s “On the Record” at GOP Gov. Chris Sununu over his abortion actions and his flirtation with a 2024 presidential bid.

“He’s not putting together a campaign as you would if you were really serious about running,” Shaheen said. “He’s not raising money, he hasn’t put together a campaign organization, so I think it remains unclear.” Sununu has launched a political action committee, a common precursor to running for president. His spokesperson didn't respond to a request for comment.

Sununu running for president — or not running for governor again, another option he’s raised — opens the door for Democrats to retake the corner office. Outgoing Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington are among those eyeing the race on the Democratic side. The Boston Globe’s Steven Porter has other possible contenders .

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SPOTTED — at the Harvard Crimson’s 150th anniversary celebration gala at the JFK Library: Joe Kahn, Alessandra Galloni, Susan Glasser, Amanda Bennett, Abby Phillip, Mary Louise Kelly, Jeff Zucker, Donald Graham, Jessica Lessin, Sewell Chan, Jim Cramer, Ravi Agrawal, Robert Decherd, Phil Pan, Susan Chira, David Sanger, Jonathan Cohn, Julian E. Barnes, Javier Hernandez, Jennifer 8. Lee, Bill McKibben, Nicholas Fandos, James Bikales and Mark Whitaker.

TRANSITIONS — Tom O’Shea has been named commissioner of the Department of Fish and Game. He previously was VP of conservation and resilience at The Trustees of Reservations.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Daniel Donahue, John Olds, Abbie Ruzicka and Gary Uter.

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 .

Follow us on Twitter