Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Cruel Sumner

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Cruel Sumner

#DITCHTHEDRIVE — Let the great transit experiment begin.

The Sumner Tunnel is officially closed through the end of August, cutting off tens of thousands of motorists, airport travelers and emergency responders from one of the main arteries into downtown Boston and likely clogging roads throughout the region for the rest of the summer.

But transit advocates see a silver lining in this nightmare traffic scenario: the opportunity to get people out of their cars and onto public transit — and potentially keep them there.

The MBTA is making the Blue Line, several bus routes and the East Boston ferry free throughout the closure , and is discounting the Newburyport/Rockport Commuter Rail line and the Winthrop and Lynn ferries.

“If you typically drive through the Sumner, but you have a good experience on the Blue Line, or the Commuter Rail, or on one of the ferry routes … you may switch to that more permanently,” Kate Dineen of A Better City, which worked with the state on mitigation efforts for the closure, told Playbook. “And that is a really exciting opportunity for the entire region.”

People ride a Blue Line subway train, Friday, March 17, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) | AP

Public transit advocates plan to mine the next few months of ridership data to see not only which alternatives prove popular during the shutdown, but whether any ridership bumps continue after the closure is over. The latter would tell advocates where to push the state for more public transportation funding in the longer-term, TransitMatters’ Jarred Johnson said.

It could also fuel the push for fare-free transit by adding new ridership data to what's already being collected from free bus initiatives across the state.

But former state transportation secretary Jim Aloisi cautioned against reading too much into any data from the “unique” set of circumstances surrounding the Sumner closure. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s ongoing free bus pilot program, he said, provides more reliable information about the realities of eliminating fare collection.

He also raised doubts that the state is doing enough to lessen the traffic impacts of the tunnel shutdown.

“The congestion that’s going to potentially cripple the region is the traffic that’s coming from places that will not have good access to buses or the Blue Line or the ferry,” Aloisi said. “Maybe people will ditch the drive. I personally doubt it.”

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . We’re already halfway through the week.

Confetti falls on the audience during the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Shell, Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) | AP

TODAY — Secretary of State Bill Galvin wraps up a holiday weekend as acting governor. Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton are on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m., attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. at Jeep Jones Park in Roxbury and a Cape Verdean flag-raising ceremony at noon at City Hall Plaza.

Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— DSA DRAMA: One of the most left-leaning representatives in the state House is apparently no longer left enough for the local Democratic Socialists of America chapter.

More than a dozen Boston DSA members are moving to expel Cambridge state Rep. Mike Connolly from the political group for being in "substantial disagreement" with its principles — including by supporting Maura Healey for governor, Lydia Edwards for state Senate and Kevin Honan for state representative, voting for Ron Mariano for House speaker and backing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’s “milquetoast” rent stabilization plan, according to a motion obtained by Playbook. Members will vote on whether to kick Connolly out of the Boston chapter at a July 23 meeting.

Connolly is already on the defensive. "I hope members of Boston DSA will consider that we socialists make up a tiny fraction of the state legislature, and therefore we must work with people outside this group if we want to deliver our values," he said in a statement to Playbook. "To demand of legislators they do not work with leadership suggests our role is only to espouse ideas, not to deliver results. As an organizer, legislator and proud DSA member for the past seven years, I reject that proposition."

By ousting Connolly, DSA members would lose one of their loudest advocates in a Legislature run by moderate Democrats. Boston DSA candidates have won seats on city councils across the region in recent years. But the group has little foothold on Beacon Hill — their only other legislative office-holder besides Connolly is state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven .

“We are very proud of our electoral successes ,” the group’s coordinating committee said in a statement. “We will continue to support candidates/electeds who abide by DSA's platform/electoral program.”

— BUDGET CHECK: Lawmakers still haven't passed a fiscal year 2024 budget. I joined GBH’s Katie Lannan and Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation head Doug Howgate on “Talking Politics” to discuss the latest on the annual spending plan and on tax relief.

— SENATE SPECIAL: Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have endorsed Democratic state Rep. Jon Zlotnik in the special election to succeed state Sen. Anne Gobi, who Healey plucked from the Legislature this spring to serve as her rural affairs director.

— WATCH: Auditor Diana DiZoglio accused Senate President Karen Spilka of shortchanging her office’s budget in response to her attempt to audit the Legislature. DiZoglio called it “clear retaliation” during an interview on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston city councilor, young son expected to recover fully after car strikes house; redacted police report says driver cited,” by John Hilliard, Sean Cotter and Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara and her 7-year-old son were expected to fully recover after being injured Friday when the car Lara was driving went off the road and crashed into a house in Jamaica Plain. According to a redacted police report of a crash that matches the details provided by Lara’s office, the car was unregistered and the driver was operating with a revoked license, no insurance, and an expired inspection sticker. … Because the child was not in a proper car seat, the state Division of Children and Families was notified, the report said.” Lara has a history of driving violations , per WBUR’s Walter Wuthmann.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— ENDORSEMENT ALERT: The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund has endorsed Juan Pablo Jaramillo for Revere City Council.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Green Line Extension shutdown for 6 weeks is ’cause for alarm,’ Somerville state reps write to MassDOT, MBTA,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state reps said they’re concerned that the alternative travel bus options will not be enough during the six-week service disruption.”

— “Springfield RMV ready to help undocumented immigrants applying for driver's licenses,” by Elizabeth Román by New England Public Media: “A new state law known as the Work and Family Mobility Act went into effect in Massachusetts on July 1. It allows immigrants without legal status in the U.S. to apply for a driver's license. At the Springfield Registry of Motor Vehicles Monday a long line of people waited to get more information on the documentation they will need to apply. Some were even ready to set up road tests. … Officials expect about 100,000 undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver’s license.”

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SCOTUS WATCH

— SCOTUS FALLOUT: The Supreme Court didn’t just deal a financial blow to hundreds of thousands of student loan borrowers in Massachusetts by blocking President Joe Biden ’s federal student debt relief plan. The justices also dealt a political blow to Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley by wiping out one of their signature policy achievements.

Both Pressley and Warren immediately called on Biden to find another way forward. “President Biden and Secretary [Miguel] Cardona have got to deliver relief to the coalition that delivered this White House,” Pressley told Playbook in an interview. “A promise is a promise.”

The president is aiming to resuscitate the program through a new legal path, the Higher Education Act. And his administration announced a 12-month “on-ramp” loan repayment program that would prevent borrowers from getting dinged on their credit reports for missing payments.

Pressley said she’s “encouraged” by the Biden administration’s rapid response. But the president's new plan brings fresh legal and regulatory challenges. And Biden could face greater political consequences for failing to deliver on student debt relief than either Warren or Pressley, who are not facing serious challengers for reelection next year.

Taken as a whole, Pressley told Playbook that the Supreme Court’s decisions to strike down constitutional abortion protections, affirmative action in college admissions and federal student debt relief are a “politically motivated” response to the growing political power of women and people of color.

“It is backlash. It is bold white supremacy. It is a march toward fascism and authoritarianism,” Pressley said. “It’s demoralizing. It is exhausting. But what options do I have? I’ve got to fight.”

— More: “Pressley, Ocasio-Cortez call for changes to Supreme Court,” by Kelly Garrity, POLITICO.

— “Activists spurred by affirmative action ruling challenge legacy admissions at Harvard,” by Collin Binkley, The Associated Press.

— “Governor Maura Healey slams court ruling on designer who objects to creating wedding website for gay couples,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe.

FROM THE 413

— “Landscape shifts on voting methods, as state backs off its financial support during pandemic,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “In Springfield, people will be able to vote early and by mail. In Agawam, though, voting by mail is a no-go. And in Chicopee, officials are studying the pros and cons of different ways to cast ballots. How people vote in Massachusetts is in flux, now that the state is allowing communities to decide what types of voting options they will offer — and also calling on them to foot the bill.”

— “Springfield police commissioner resigns to run for City Council,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Norman Roldan resigned from the Springfield Board of Police Commissioners because he is running for City Council.”

— “Greenfield, Mass. temporary protective order against ‘The Flash’ star Ezra Miller lifted,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: “The order was issued after the Greenfield mother, Shannon Guin, became concerned with her daughter’s relationship with the actor.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “'A long time coming': New medication abortion program launches on Cape and Islands,” by Meghan Smith, GBH News: “[A] new medication abortion program, Health Imperatives, which operates clinics in Brockton, Plymouth, Wareham, New Bedford, Hyannis, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, is making abortion care available in areas of the state that were previously without that service.”

— "Roy Vasque out as police chief; Mayor DePena announces 'early retirement' of top law enforcement officer," by Jill Harmacinski, Eagle-Tribune: "After 24 weeks on paid administrative leave, Police Chief Roy Vasque confirmed Tuesday he retired from the Lawrence Police Department after reaching a settlement with the city effective June 30. ... Mayor Brian DePena placed Vasque on paid administrative leave in late January, with a spokesperson saying he was the focus of an ongoing investigation led by an outside firm."

— "Inside the $11 million effort to help Massachusetts residents maintain health coverage," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR.

— SAD FACE: “Christmas Tree Shops to Liquidate All Stores,” by Akiko Matsuda, Wall Street Journal.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— NO DAYS OFF: The Fourth of July was no holiday for the five Republican White House hopefuls , Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott included, who traipsed through the rain in New Hampshire's Independence Day parades.

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey, walk in the July 4th parade, Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in Merrimack, N.H. | Reba Saldanha/AP Photo

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Pat Beaudry, Christian Greve and Boston.com alum Chris Caesar . Happy belated to Maya Serkin and Connor Sallet , who celebrated Monday, and to Amy Blum , who celebrated Saturday.

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