Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Council controversies eclipse Boston races

Friday, July 14, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Council controversies eclipse Boston races

HEAR US OUT — Michael Flaherty's decision to end his reelection bid blew open the at-large race for Boston City Council. But you'd hardly know there was an eight-way contest taking place with the current councilors’ drama drowning out the competition.

Ricardo Arroyo’s ethics fine, Kendra Lara’s car crash and the council’s ongoing infighting are looming over the five challengers vying for four citywide seats — one of whom is now guaranteed a spot on the governing body with Flaherty’s exit. And it doesn’t help that when this year’s council contests do get attention, it’s usually for the crowded race to replace outgoing Councilor Frank Baker in District 3.

The council’s dysfunction drove some of these candidates into the race. “That's one of the reasons really why I’m running,” at-large candidate Henry Santana told Playbook. “I want to be able to be a candidate that brings pride back to the City Council.”

But it’s also making it tougher for the non-incumbents to break through — and keep the conversation focused on issues like gun violence (a 12-year-old was killed in Mattapan yesterday ) and affordable housing in an increasingly unaffordable city.

“The community will continue getting the short end of the stick if the councilors keep fighting each other or are only concerned with what they’re doing next politically,” at-large candidate Clifton Braithwaite told Playbook. “Veterans, education, elders, violence — there are so many things we can get together and fix. And I think we have an opportunity with new leadership.”

On Thursday, the remaining incumbents and three of their challengers clashed not with each other but over policy in a forum hosted by the Boston Wards 4, 5 and 10 Democratic committees , establishing clear divides over their housing, transportation and education priorities.

Councilor Erin Murphy and Bridget Nee-Walsh, a South Boston ironworker making her second council run, stood against the rest of the field that supports rent stabilization and legalizing safe injection sites. Nee-Walsh also gave a thumbs-down to approving more money for fare-free transit when the mayor’s free bus pilot program runs out of federal funding; Murphy questioned whether the city could afford it.

As the challengers try to battle their way onto the council , Flaherty’s exit brings another upside: There’s no need for a preliminary election with only eight people left in the at-large field, meaning the candidates will have until November, rather than mid-September, to make their case.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Are you running for Boston City Council? We want to hear from you: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey departs New Jersey for Michigan to meet with the Michigan Women’s Commission and “fellow governors” including Gretchen Whitmer. Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll participates in the Salem United Negro Election Day Parade & Celebration at noon in Salem. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m.

THIS WEEKEND — House Speaker Ron Mariano is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. UMass President Marty Meehan is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz and House Speaker Ron Mariano outside the Massachusetts House chamber on July 13, 2023. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

— WELL THIS JUST GOT INTERESTING: Gov. Maura Healey may get more funding for the Housing Development Incentive Program after all.

Healey pitched raising the $10-million-per-year cap for the market-rate housing program to $50 million in the first year and $30 million thereafter as part of her tax-relief plan. The Senate included the increase in its tax package — and even upped the Year One bump to $57 million.

The House hadn’t touched HDIP — until now. The big amendment representatives added to the nearly $700 million supplemental budget they passed yesterday : expanding HDIP to $57 million in the first year and $30 million thereafter. (As a reminder, both the House and Senate wanted to increase HDIP funding as part of the economic development bill that fell apart at the end of last session.)

By popping HDIP out of tax-relief negotiations, House Speaker Ron Mariano told reporters that his chamber is attempting to "jump-start" the larger debate around how best to tackle the state's housing shortage. But he cautioned against “reading into” the move as a sign that a tax deal is far off.

And yet, the chamber’s chief budget negotiator, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz , wouldn’t commit to a timeline for delivering either a budget or a tax agreement. “It could be tomorrow, it could be next week,” he said.

Now it’s up to the Senate to choose how to proceed on HDIP. Senate President Karen Spilka ’s office said she's "pleased the House has agreed this is an important problem" and that senators "will need to review the House proposal before deciding on a course of action."

The House is also upping its pressure on the Senate to get moving on gun legislation as the chambers clash over which committee will steer the sweeping firearms bill state Rep. Michael Day filed late last month.

Mariano wants his chamber to pass the gun regulations before the traditional August recess — an incredibly tight timeline for a typically lethargic Legislature. Mariano’s office has now scheduled a pair of closed-door meetings for representatives next week to help “clarify misconceptions” about the bill, State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski and Alison Kuznitz report.

— GIVING IT ANOTHER GO: Advocacy efforts are picking up again around legislation that would criminalize so-called revenge porn, after former Gov. Charlie Baker ’s attempts to do so failed to make it over the finish line during his tenure, Boston 25’s Kerry Kavanaugh and Marina Villeneuve report .

— “Rally at Mass. Statehouse calls for action on child care costs,” by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette.

— "Lt. Gov. Driscoll went knocking on doors in Worcester to underscore MassHealth changes," by Tréa Lavery, MassLive.

FROM THE HUB

— “Despite her revoked license, City Councilor Kendra Lara ‘regularly’ drove to City Hall,” by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: “City Councilor Kendra Lara ‘regularly’ drove to work at Boston City Hall, a city spokesperson said Thursday, even though she has not had a valid driver’s license for a decade. City officials, who reviewed video footage in response to a public records request from the Globe, said Lara routinely drove to and parked in City Hall’s executive garage, including just days before she swerved into a Jamaica Plain home late last month, in an accident that has raised glaring questions about her driving history.”

— “Residency challenge filed against embattled Boston city councilor Kendra Lara,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The challenge could trigger a review from the Boston Election Commission. Lara is seeking a second term and faces two challengers in the Sept. 12 preliminary election. Lara denied the allegation, telling the Herald that she lives in the district she represents, at the address listed on her campaign filing.”

— “Vice President Kamala Harris to offer keynote speech at NAACP Convention in Boston,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— “Zondervan won’t run for a fourth council term, ensuring at least three new Cambridge leaders,” by Marc Levy, Cambridge Day: “[T]here will be a guaranteed three new faces on the council come January, the most since 2017. … Vice mayor Alanna Mallon and councillor Dennis Carlone have also decided not to run again; fellow councillors Patty Nolan and E. Denise Simmons haven’t made their intentions clear.”

— “Former councilor joins race for Amesbury mayor,” by Matt Petry, Newburyport Daily News: “Former City Councilor Richard Marggraf and Joshua Sorgini both pulled nomination papers for the position of mayor this week, joining incumbent Mayor Kassandra Gove, John Proctor and Ted Semesnyei.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “MBTA adds commercial driver’s permit program to bus operator training amid shortage,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “A bus driver shortage at the MBTA led the agency to incorporate a commercial driver’s license permit program into new hire onboarding, a move the authority’s top hiring official said helped boost recruitment efforts and bring in more candidates.”

— “Another bad day for riders on the MBTA, as train fire erupts and water pipe breaks,” by John R. Element, Laura Crimaldi, Taylor Dolven and Daniel Kool, Boston Globe.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— PRESSLEY PUSHES TO END EXECUTIONS: Rep. Ayanna Pressley has refiled her bill to end the use of the federal death penalty and re-sentence those on death row, POLITICO first reported . She secured a significant, though temporary, win on the matter when Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a moratorium on federal executions in 2021. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey and Rep. Jim McGovern are among the bill's co-sponsors.

— “Calls for help pour into '988' suicide hotline,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Salem Democrat and co-sponsor of the bipartisan bill that established the hotline, said the easy-to-remember three-digit number is a breakthrough in helping people in crisis who may otherwise try to harm themselves.”

DATELINE D.C.

— “US climate envoy John Kerry spars in heated exchanges with House Republicans ahead of Beijing trip,” by Ellen Knickmeyer, Associated Press: “U.S. climate envoy John Kerry defended his negotiations with China — and angrily rebuffed what he called a ‘stupid’ lie that he routinely travels by private jet — during a grilling by House Republicans on Thursday before he sets out on his next climate mission to Beijing.”

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “The Boston Weed Party? MariMed stages cannabis tax protest,” by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: “MariMed executives threw boxes labeled ‘weed’ into Boston Harbor to protest a federal tax code they say places unfair burdens on the cannabis industry.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Forced to resign: West Bridgewater selectman accused of lying about where he lives,” by Ryan Kath, NBC10 Boston: “NBC10 Investigators started looking into the chair of the West Bridgewater Select Board, and whether he actually lives in the community. When NBC10 questioned Anthony Kinahan about his residency, he submitted his resignation on Wednesday.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— ‘WE WILL NOT CEDE NEW HAMPSHIRE’: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is doubling down on his commitment to campaigning in the Granite State after early stumbles .

DeSantis faces a tougher sell for his culture-war conservatism in New Hampshire than in the other early nominating states. But the governor’s campaign said it “will not cede New Hampshire” in a memo obtained by NBC News and it “will not dedicate resources to Super Tuesday that slow our momentum in New Hampshire.” The memo also said DeSantis is “thriving” in town hall settings, after he was initially criticized for not doing the Q&A-style events in New Hampshire.

— “Primary Payback: Some New Hampshire Democrats Hope ‘Wacko’ Kennedy Embarrasses Biden,” by Stephanie Murray and Nicole Gaudiano, The Messenger.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Rick Jakious of Rep. Seth Moulton’s office, former state Attorney General Martha Coakley , former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Erin Olivieri of state Sen. Barry Finegold’s office, Zach Crowley of Sen. Jason Lewis’ office, Laurily Epstein, Nate Bermel and David Emil Reich .

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Ariel Zirulnick, David Lippman (h/t son Daniel), Jon Hurst, Stefanie Coxe and Allison Godburn who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Maddie Conway and Daily Hampshire Gazette alum Sarah Crosby .

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BALLOTS FIRED!!! — State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski joins hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky to break down some potential ballot questions for 2024, including legalizing psychedelics. Plus, Maura Healey wades into the gubernatorial troll wars. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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