Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Dems dispute over convention delegates

Friday, August 18, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Dems dispute over convention delegates

PARTY PROBLEMS — Massachusetts Republicans aren’t the only ones fighting with each other these days.

After a tense subcommittee meeting last night, the state Democratic Party voted to advance a convention delegate proposal from Rep. Seth Moulton that he says is aimed at bringing more veterans into the party’s fold — but that progressives argue would actually decrease diversity.

Moulton, a Marine veteran who served four tours in Iraq, petitioned the Democratic State Committee in May to update the party’s charter to include veterans on the list of marginalized communities eligible to be named “add-on” delegates for the state’s Democratic conventions.

Under the current rules, add-on delegates — who are selected to ensure the delegation reflects diversity — can include people with disabilities, youth, LGBTQ people and underrepresented ethnic and racial groups.

According to Moulton, the amendment also serves a welcome mat to veterans who may be eyeing the GOP.

“The more we can do as the Massachusetts Democratic Party to welcome veterans into our midst, the stronger our party will be at beating back Republican extremists here and across the country,” Moulton said during the meeting last night. “We need to offer an alternative to the GOP for veterans looking to be politically engaged.”

The amendment has support from the co-chairs of the party's Veterans and Military Families subcommittee, MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan and the state’s top Democrat, Gov. Maura Healey .

But progressives pushed back on the proposal, citing Pew statistics that show the percentage of veterans in the U.S. House of Representatives is higher than that of the general population.

A letter circulated ahead of the vote and shared with Playbook urged members of the Charter Amendments Subcommittee to vote against the change.

“[T]he proposal confuses those who face historic, lasting, and structural barriers to participation with those who need stronger services and support from the government,” the letter, signed by 20 state committee members, including some from military families, reads. “[T]he veteran population in the US is whiter, maler, and older than the population as a whole, so although the proponent claims the proposed amendment would increase the diversity of the party, it would only serve to do the opposite.”

“It was disappointing and disconcerting to hear the Congressman and his staff distort and question the legitimacy of hard data while conflating a need for support and services, on one hand, with historic subjugation and systemic barriers to government on the other,” state Sen. Becca Rausch, who spoke against the amendment during the meeting, told Playbook in a statement.

It’s uncommon for Democratic state party drama to spill out into the open like this. But it’s also unlikely to escalate to the level of the state GOP, whose members are now suing each other again.

Progressives will now have until their Sept. 23 convention to determine how to proceed.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS .

TODAY — Attorney General Andrea Campbell will be on GBH News' Boston Public Radio for "Ask the AG" at 12:30 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Get a chance to catch the Savannah Bananas at their stop in Brockton? Let us know: Email us at mmccarthy@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com and give us a follow at @Reporter_Mia and @KellyGarrity3 .

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Abortion drug will remain available in Massachusetts, governor says,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “ Even if a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sharply curtailing access to the most commonly used abortion drug were allowed to go forward, it would not impact Massachusetts residents, according to the governor.”

— “Commission studying new Mass. seal, motto releases online survey for input on design,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald : “ A commission working to come up with a new seal and motto for Massachusetts is turning to the public for help, releasing a survey officials hope will inform a final recommendation due by mid-November. The Seal and Motto Commission voted in May 2022 to call for a full redesign of the state’s seal and motto and has sought multiple extensions to finish up its work since it was first created in 2021. The group faces a Nov. 15 deadline to turn in to the state Legislature final design recommendations.”

— "DiZoglio Investigators Find $1 Mil In Benefits Fraud," by Alison Kuznitz, Statehouse News Service (paywall): “Investigators in Auditor Diana DiZoglio's office uncovered more than $1 million worth of public benefits fraud from April through June, with the majority linked to cases involving the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).”

FROM THE HUB

— “Leak of City Council letter alleging harassment, bullying linked to street where Council President Ed Flynn lives,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “The petty infighting that has become the hallmark of this iteration of the Boston City Council continued this week, all surrounding a leaked internal complaint that accused three councilors — Ricardo Arroyo, Julia Mejia, and Kendra Lara — of bullying and harassing the council’s attorney. Speculation over the source of the letter’s leak is adding fuel to the council rancor. A review by the Globe of the geotagged location of photos of the letter, which were forwarded by a Boston Herald reporter to a city councilor, suggest they were sent from a home on the South Boston street where Council President Ed Flynn lives.”

"Move Mass. and Cass crisis to Widett Circle? South End coalition says yes,” by Sean Cotter, Boston Globe: “It’s roughly a half-mile from Mass. and Cass to Widett Circle on the other side of the Southeast Expressway. But the secluded industrial area is a world away for the neighboring businesses and residents who want Boston to relocate the notorious open-air drug market and homeless encampment that has persisted on their doorsteps for years. On Friday, the food suppliers and other companies in the Newmarket Business Improvement District and the neighborhood group the South End Forum will call for the city to open a multimillion-dollar, multi-stage recovery campus in Widett Circle.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale has endorsed incumbent Ricardo Arroyo for District 5 Boston City Councilor, and first-time candidate Henry Santana, incumbent Julia Mejia and incumbent Ruthzee Louijeune for City Council At-Large.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Mass. adds new penalties for towns not following MBTA Communities zoning law,” by Tréa Lavery, MassLive: “ The state has put new penalties in place for cities and towns that do not follow zoning laws aimed at creating more housing near public transit. Municipalities that do not follow the MBTA Communities law, which requires communities with an MBTA station or which abut a community with a station to have at least one zoning area where multifamily housing is allowed by right, will no longer be eligible for a new list of state funding opportunities until they are in compliance, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities announced Thursday.”

DAY IN COURT

— “New abortion data for Massachusetts show the impact of recent court rulings,” by Kay Lazar, Christina Prignano and John Hancock, Boston Globe: “ The vise-like tightening of abortion access across the country is bringing more people to Massachusetts to end their pregnancies. New data from the state Health Department show a 16 percent increase in the number of out-of-state people receiving abortions here in 2022, as well as a rise in the use of medication, instead of surgical procedures, to terminate pregnancies.”

FROM THE 413

— “State panel backs easier path for all-gender bathrooms,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The Board of State Examiners of Plumbers and Gas Fitters at its Aug. 2 meeting voted unanimously to support a change to the state plumbing code in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations that would remove the requirement of seeking a variance. The proposed new code section is titled 'Multi-User/Gender Neutral Toilet Rooms.' The decision is also being praised by [state Sen. Jo] Comerford and [state Rep. Mindy] Domb as being the change they sought in their bills.”

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THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Two years later, Afghan evacuees in Massachusetts face uncertainty,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “When the U.S. started its military withdrawal from Afghanistan two years ago, Zarlasht was on her way to work at the Afghan Human Rights Commission in Kabul when she got a call with the news. ‘It was really one of the darkest days of our lives,’ said Zarlasht, who asked GBH News to only use her first name to protect family members, including her sister, who remain in Afghanistan… Zarlasht got out and eventually settled in Malden with the help of Catholic Charities Boston. She is one of well over 2,000 Afghan evacuees who have resettled in Massachusetts over the past two years.”

— “Disabled artist exposes challenges in redesign of Mattapan Square,” by Seth Daniel, Dorchester Reporter: “ Staring down the zig-zagging crosswalks of Mattapan Square on two legs is enough to make a pedestrian want to give up, but Ellice Patterson did it on two knees, crawling slowly as a form of art and protest to highlight how difficult it can be for the disabled — and the elderly — to cross more than a few of the streets of Boston.”

— “How a pair of Facebook posts prompted an outcry and roiled a Worcester City Council race,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “In a post in the conservative-leaning Worcester Facebook group The Seven Hills Political Exchange, [former District 5 City Councilor Wayne] Griffin claimed District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj's political committee had received a campaign donation from a person Griffin claimed was a close relative of Jorge Zambrano, who shot and killed Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino Jr. in 2016 before being fatally shot by state troopers.”

— “A shelter for migrants opened in Concord. The town found a way to bring immigrant families into its community,” by Samantha Gross, Boston Globe: “Concord has invited these children and more than a dozen of their peers, all of whom live in a Best Western hotel -turned-shelter, to the day camp to help them acclimate ahead of the school year. Meanwhile their parents, all immigrants from countries including Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cape Verde, have uninterrupted time for legal and medical appointments.”

— “Narcan kits coming to MBTA Red Line stops,” by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: “ In Massachusetts, a push to expand access to naloxone, often purchased as the nasal spray Narcan, will include distribution boxes at 20 MBTA stations. A state budget signed earlier this month includes $95,000 for the initiative, which will cover every station on the Red Line. The boxes will be available in three spots at each station: the public bathroom, the in-bound platform and the out-bound platform.”

— “Deerfield Academy Is Raising $89 Million to Build a Dining Hall,” by Joseph Mysak Jr., Bloomberg: “An elite Massachusetts prep school is tapping the municipal bond market next week in order to renovate its dining hall. The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency is selling the $88.5 million revenue bond issue for Deerfield Academy, a deal that will double the school’s debt load. The new dining facility 'supports the Academy’s traditional sit-down meal experience, which is unique in this day and age,' according to the bond offering documents.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Nicole Murphy joins Greenough as executive vice president. Kevin Knobloch will join Greentown Labs as the company’s next CEO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Jason Furman, GBH’s Sarah Betancourt, and Oskar Hallig.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Trey McNinch, Winslow Eliot and John Sasso, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers, MassLive’s Erin Tiernan, WBUR’s Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Daily Hampshire Gazette photog Carol Lollis, Targeted Victory CEO Zac Moffatt, Tamara Stein and Rachel Lea Fish .

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: RANKED CHOICE RELOADED — State Sen. Becca Rausch joins hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith to discuss Gov. Maura Healey ’s veto of state funding for a youth mental health text line. Koczela and Smith also unpack the latest efforts to expand ranked-choice voting in Massachusetts. 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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