Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The limited power of incumbency

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The limited power of incumbency

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YOU WIN SOME, YOU LOSE SOME — It was a good night to be an incumbent in Massachusetts. Just not in its capital city.

Voters sent a pair of embattled Boston city councilors packing in resounding fashion , putting a pin in the political careers of Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo after the former crashed a car into a Jamaica Plain home in late June and the latter got caught up in a series of controversies.

“What a two years it’s been,” Lara told a small group of emotional supporters at a JP pub before conceding to Ben Weber and William King . “When you fight the system, sometimes the system fights back. And today, we lost this battle.”

A few minutes later, she downed a tequila shot.

Meanwhile in Roslindale, Arroyo, a scion of one of Boston’s most prominent political families, delivered an emotional speech to a handful of supporters, family members and reporters as he conceded to Enrique Pepén and José Ruiz .

“I still maintain that my record of work in policy is very strong ,” Arroyo said. “But I do think that there's been sort of a relentless narrative around me for the last year that's been difficult to move past.”

Ricardo Arroyo (left) and Kendra Lara (right) | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

Even as they rejected Lara and Arroyo, voters sent Tania Fernandes Anderson — who, like Arroyo, recently paid a several-thousand-dollar fine for violating the state conflict of interest law — through to the general election in District 7. She faces former councilor and perennial candidate Althea Garrison in November, per unofficial tallies from the city.

Another winner last night: Mayor Michelle Wu. The mayor’s endorsement of — and door-knocking for — Pepén helped propel her former head of neighborhood services to the top of the ticket in District 5. Wu world also had a hand in District 6: Weber’s campaign manager worked on Wu's mayoral bid.

Wu has been flexing her political muscle in this year’s council races. And so far it’s worked, first with Sharon Durkan in the District 8 special election and now with Pepén. The mayor faces an even bigger test in November, as she looks to shepherd a larger slate of candidates onto the council. They include Durkan (for a full term), Pepén and Henry Santana in the at-large race.

Incumbents fared much better elsewhere in the state. Springfield’s longest-serving mayor, Domenic Sarno , sailed through to the November general election with 48 percent of the vote . He’ll face City Councilor Justin Hurst , who finished second in the five-way field with 29 percent of the vote. State Rep. Orlando Ramos and City Council President Jesse Lederman finished third and fourth, respectively.

Peabody’s Ted Bettencourt also punched his ticket to November with a whopping 81 percent of the vote . He faces first-time candidate Rochelle Agneta as he seeks a seventh term. In Waltham, longtime Mayor Jeannette McCarthy will battle City Councilor Jonathan Paz in the general election.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. One more thought bubble on Boston:

In their rebuke of Lara and Arroyo, voters have guaranteed that at least four of the city council’s 13 seats will be held by newcomers come January. The pending departures of Frank Baker and Michael Flaherty opened up the other two.

It’s a clear signal that voters are frustrated with the chaos and infighting that’s dominated the council this term — and a warning sign that they could potentially make more changes at the ballot box in November.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey meets with Austrian Ambassador Petra Schneebauer and President of the National Council of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka at 10 a.m. at the State House. Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attend a Latino Empowerment Advisory Council meeting at 10:30 a.m., a Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month Celebration at 11:30 a.m and swear in the state’s new fire marshal and MEMA director at 1:30 p.m. at the State House.

Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon. Wu addresses the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at 9:45 a.m. and speaks at the Asian Development Bank’s 2023 Roadshow at 1 p.m. at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Tips? Scoops? Takeaways from yesterday's preliminaries? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

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THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— ON TO NOVEMBER : Yesterday's preliminaries were just the first step for candidates looking to score a seat on the Boston City Council. District 5 hopeful José Ruiz told the Globe that he plans to be back on the trail by 8 a.m. — that's right, 12 hours after the polls closed. And Enrique Pepén acknowledged there is still “so much work ahead."

In District 6, William King told the Globe he was “incredibly overwhelmed and humbled." Ben Weber is “looking forward to working hard the next six weeks,” he told the Herald.

— FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS: Kendra Lara and Ricardo Arroyo made history in their losses. No incumbent Boston councilor has lost in a preliminary election since the city adopted its current council structure in 1984, according to the Globe .

— THE NAIL-BITERS: John FitzGerald is on to the November general election after finishing first in the seven-way race to replace Frank Baker in District 3. Fewer than 100 votes separated Joel Richards , who claimed victory last night , and Ann Walsh, who conceded this morning , for the second spot.

Haverhill City Councilor Melinda Barrett topped the Merrimack Valley city’s open mayoral preliminary. But just eight votes separated School Committee member Scott Wood and Guy Everett Cooper for second place late last night, according to unofficial tallies from the city. Cooper told the Eagle-Tribune he would call for a recount if the official tally remains close.

— AND THEN THERE WERE FIVE: "The final answer: Here's who is running for mayor of Worcester," by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: "Councilor-at-Large Donna Colorio, the vice chair of the City Council and a two-time mayoral candidate, is the final candidate to officially enter the mayoral race after she decided to not opt out of the race by Tuesday afternoon. The competition for mayor is now a five-way race: Mayor Joseph M. Petty faces Colorio, Councilor-at-Large Khrystian King, Guillermo Creamer Jr. and William S. Coleman."

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— STATE OF EMERGENCY: Gov. Maura Healey declared an emergency for parts of the state deluged by flooding after she toured hard-hit Leominster and North Attleboro yesterday. Healey skipped a National Governors Association meeting in New Hampshire to assess the damage. Her fellow governors pledged their help if needed.

— “Boston group calls on state to fix dams after ‘catastrophic’ Leominster flooding,” by David Cifarelli, MassLive.

— “Child welfare housed more than 100 foster children in apartments over the past year,” by Jason Laughlin, Boston Globe.

— “Former MassLive editor to serve as communications head for Healey’s new housing secretariat,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

— "Worcester pastor, YWCA of Central Mass. CEO join state police oversight board," by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.

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MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Amid backdrop of migrant crisis, Mass. Legislature considers cash, food aid for legal immigrants,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “[Beacon Hill] is considering legislation that would revive a program that makes some legal immigrants, such as refugees and asylum seekers, eligible for popular safety net programs including food assistance and cash benefits. … If the Legislature were to eventually pass the bill into law, Massachusetts would join six other states — including nearby Maine and Connecticut — in providing benefits to legal immigrants.”

— “Massachusetts National Guard set to deploy Wednesday to help unstaffed shelters,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts National Guard service members are scheduled to deploy [today] to emergency shelters across the state that are housing displaced and migrant families as part of an up to six-month call-up.”

— "Residents clash over migrant shelter at Quincy community meeting," by Ivy Scott, Boston Globe.

— "Poll finds rising concern about immigration in Mass.," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine.

FROM THE HUB

— LISTEN: To Boston Mayor Michelle Wu weigh in on police contract negotiations and the potential ballot question to strike MCAS as a high school graduation requirement on GBH's "Boston Public Radio."

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "How dissatisfied are riders with the T?" by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "The [MassINC Polling Group] poll of 1,000 Massachusetts residents in the MBTA service area found that nearly two-thirds were unimpressed with the subway and trolley system – 27 percent said its service was poor, 35 percent rated it fair, 23 percent said it was good, and only 5 percent called it excellent."

— “MassDOT, MBTA quietly get new boss,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The state has a new Secretary of Transportation, though if you weren’t paying attention you may not have noticed the change. … In an event advertised by the governor’s office as open to press photography only, held in the Healey’s ceremonial office at the State House on Monday, [Gina] Fiandaca left and [Monica] Tibbits-Nutt was sworn in as Acting Secretary of Transportation. The governor’s office issued no release on the occasion."

— “After blowback, state will provide shuttle buses for Fluff Fest during Union Square stop closure on Green Line,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Dems blast McCarthy's impeachment inquiry,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Members of the state’s all-Democrat congressional delegation are blasting Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s plans to conduct impeachment proceedings against Democratic President Joe Biden.”

FROM THE 413

— “Clerk rules city councilor, Smith Vocational trustee can be on ballot,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Two incumbents in the upcoming municipal elections in November will have their names on the ballot after all, after the city clerk’s office reversed its position on their eligibility.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "NH GOP Leaders to Sec. State Scanlan: Put Trump on the Ballot," by Michael Graham, NH Journal: "New Hampshire’s top legislative leaders, including state Senate President Jeb Bradley and Speaker of the House Sherm Packard, have written to [Secretary of State David Scanlan] demanding President Trump’s name appear on the presidential primary ballot next year [amid efforts to disqualify him based on the 14th Amendment]." Scanlan is due to respond later this morning.

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Thomas P. Glynn joins Commonwealth Care Alliance’s board of directors.

— Robert McLaughlin has joined Massachusetts Association of Health Plans as senior director of government affairs.

— Alex Fries is now chief of staff, public relations at The Castle Group. He previously was chief of staff at the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs.

— Julie Blanchard is now advancement director at the Hildreth Institute. She previously was campaign director at Thayer Academy.

— Kate LeBlanc joins Benchmark Strategies as a media relations and content specialist.

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