Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Dump Trump gets Mass. bump

Saturday, January 6, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Dump Trump gets Mass. bump

TO BE OR NOT TO BE ON THE BALLOT — The push to bump Donald Trump from the ballot is back on in Massachusetts. Even in this Democratic stronghold, it might not work.

Former attorney general hopeful Shannon Liss-Riordan and the liberal advocacy group Free Speech For People are challenging Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s presidential primary and general-election ballots under the so-called insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.

Their 90-page objection , filed with the Massachusetts Ballot Law Commission on behalf of five voters who span the political spectrum — including, in a bit of intrigue, former Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey, a Democrat — echoes dozens of challenges that have been filed in other states to mixed success. Judges in some states have rejected similar objections from Free Speech for People.

Colorado’s Supreme Court and Maine’s secretary of state , meanwhile, struck Trump from the ballot. But both rulings are on hold while the former president pursues his appeals.

The Massachusetts ballot commission must now decide whether it has jurisdiction over the matter and, if so, hold a hearing. Liss-Riordan and her compatriots are trying to speed up the proceedings by asking the commission — of which former state Sen. Joe Boncore is a member — to consider the arguments made in the Colorado case rather than drag everyone in to do it all again.

“We think that the commission can decide these legal issues without having to hold a new, full blown trial,” Liss-Riordan told Playbook — though, she added, her group is prepared to “do what is required.”

Time is of the essence. And the laws that apply in this situation seem to contradict. Primary ballots — with Trump’s name on them — are already in production and need to be sent to overseas voters by Jan. 20 to comply with federal law. But according to Liss-Riordan, state law says the ballot commission can’t hear complaints until Jan. 22, and must rule by Jan. 29.

The U.S. Supreme Court is also a wildcard here. There’s a good chance the high court will step in, now that Trump has asked it to in the Colorado case , and take discretion away from states . Both sides of this fight want the court to act quickly. But in the meantime, Liss-Riordan said, “we're following the timeline as required by Massachusetts law.”

This is the second attempt to knock Trump off the ballot in the Bay State, after longshot GOP presidential hopeful John Anthony Castro, who sued election officials in several states, dropped his case here.

MASS GOP is a floundering failure due to fiscal mismanagement - so desperate it charged candidates to appear on the primary ballot.

MASS GOP supports extremists and other incompetents, declining enrollment as a consequence. even Carnevale hasn't figured it out.

"R" voters are conspicuously uninformed.

The new challenge drew swift blowback from the MassGOP , which warned that removing Trump from the ballot “sets a dangerous precedent for democracy” and that voters should be “the ultimate arbiter on suitability for office.”

The statement echoes the arguments Trump’s rivals for the GOP nomination have made against attempts to strike his name. Trump’s campaign has described the efforts as a “bad-faith, politically motivated attempts to steal the 2024 election,” according to the New York Times .

And yet, the challenges keep coming — Free Speech For People was also behind one filed yesterday in Illinois.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. What a busy start to the new year!

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu holds a storm preparedness briefing at 11:30 a.m. at the Boston Public Works Yard.

THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Jim McGovern is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. And Rep. Stephen Lynch is on NBC10’s “At Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.

Tips? Scoops? Drop us a line: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

HEALEY WATCH

Gov. Maura Healey took her oath of office one year ago today. | Steven Senne/AP Photo

PROMISES MADE, PROMISES MOSTLY KEPT — Gov. Maura Healey was sworn in one year ago today. To mark the anniversary, Playbook went back through Healey's inaugural address to see if she accomplished everything she laid out for Year One. The answer is: mostly. Here's what Healey pledged to do — and how it ended up:

— Tax breaks: Healey pledged to follow through on — and ultimately expanded — the slate of tax cuts and credits that her predecessor, GOP Gov. Charlie Baker , failed to get through the Legislature. The tax package she filed called, in part, to raise the estate-tax threshold to $3 million and cut the short-term capital gains tax to 5 percent. The one she signed raised the estate-tax threshold to $2 million and slashed the capital-gains tax rate to 8.5 percent. The final package also included expanded aid for renters, seniors and more.

— Expanding the child tax credit: Healey made a $600 tax credit for children and dependents one of the centerpieces of her gubernatorial campaign. In the end, lawmakers met her partway, raising the credit to $440.

— Free community college: Healey got the funding in her first budget to make community college free for those over age 25 without college degrees. Lawmakers expanded that to include nursing programs.

— A new MBTA GM: Healey pledged to hire a new T general manager with “deep experience” and a “laser focus” on safety. Her pick, Phil Eng , is an engineer who's worked in transportation for nearly four decades. The T is making progress under Eng, but is still facing safety issues and financial problems.

— A transportation safety chief in 60 days: It took her 109 days, but Healey did bring Patrick Lavin aboard as the first MassDOT chief safety officer.

— Hiring 1,000 MBTA workers: The MBTA has hired more than 1,000 workers. But, because of retirements and other departures, it’s only amounted to a net gain of about 750 employees, according to a T spokesperson.

— Forming an interagency task force to compete for federal dollars: Healey hired Quentin Palfrey , an alum of the Obama and Biden administrations who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2018 and attorney general in 2022, to head up her Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office. The administration submitted $3 billion in applications for federal funding for infrastructure projects, and has secured more than $2.2 billion — including $372 million for the aging Cape Cod bridges .

— Creating a housing secretary in 100 days: Healey separated housing into its own secretariat and appointed former Worcester city manager Ed Augustus to lead it.

— Identifying state-owned land to use for housing: A working group established after Augustus took office in June recently submitted an “initial inventory,” Healey’s office said.

— Performing equity audits of each state agency: The audits are “currently underway” and due July 1, per the governor's office.

— Hiring a climate chief: Say hi to Melissa Hoffer .

— Dedicating 1 percent of the budget for energy/the environment: Check.

— Tripling the budget of the Clean Energy Center: Healey proposed doing so in her budget; the Legislature roughly doubled it.

— Creating a climate bank: Healey launched what she claims is the nation’s first green bank dedicated to affordable housing in June, and seeded it with $50 million. MassHousing expects to starting awarding money in the spring.

— Increasing transparency: This wasn’t in her inaugural address, but Healey pledged from the outset that her administration would be more transparent than her predecessors’. Whether she’s accomplished that depends on who you ask.

Healey releases (redacted) monthly calendars and told Playbook that her administration has tried to be accessible to the media and to constituents. But she still claims exemptions from public records law when it comes to her correspondences with legislative leaders, emails and call logs. And her office stopped alerting her out-of-state travel in advance, in a break with her predecessor, due to unspecified “safety concerns.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “State tax revenues coming in much lower than forecast,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “Halfway though the current fiscal year, state tax revenues are barely holding steady compared to last year but falling well short of the projections on which the budget is based, creating a situation where spending will probably have to be pared back. … Tax revenues in December were down 2.1 percent compared to December 2022 and 3.5 percent below what was forecast.”

— “State's ex-transportation chief was paid for months after stepping down, records show,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “After stepping down as Massachusetts transportation secretary in September, Gina Fiandaca continued to receive her full salary and benefits for the last quarter of the year as a ‘senior adviser,' records show, even after her successor was named. Fiandaca was paid the remainder of her $181,722 salary through Dec. 31, to offer ‘assistance, advice and counsel,’ according to a copy of her severance agreement obtained by WBUR.”

BOSTON HERALD CONTINUES ITS MEDIOCRE REPORTING - KEEP WATCHING!

— “Democrat Dylan Fernandes draws donations from Beacon Hill colleagues in Senate bid,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Falmouth Democrat Rep. Dylan Fernandes drew financial support last month from at least 12 lawmakers on Beacon Hill and two former representatives in his bid for a South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat."

— “Auditor uncovers $12.3M in welfare fraud in FY23,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune.
PAYWALL! FOR A STATEHOUSE NEWS ARTICLE!

TRY THIS:
https://www.newburyportnews.com/news/north_of_boston/auditor-uncovers-12-3m-in-welfare-fraud-in-fy23/article_257c8435-15f6-54f9-bba1-c47074eaef59.html

— “‘We’ve been fighting so hard’: Senate passes bill to address wheelchair repairs that can drag on for months,” by Jason Laughlin, The Boston Globe.

FROM THE HUB

— “Ruthzee Louijeune, Boston City Council's first Haitian-American president, outlines priorities,” by Tiziana Dearing and Rob Lane, WBUR: “In an appearance on WBUR's Radio Boston, she said she will make civility on the council a priority for her presidency. … As for policy priorities for this term, Louijeune said one key area for her is improving access to housing.”

— “Boston city councilor told to retake the oath of office after viral video,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson was told to retake the oath of office after a video showing her not saying the words or raising her right hand during Monday’s inaugural ceremony went viral on social media.”

— “Boston Public Schools tells principals it won’t close half its buildings,” by Christopher Huffaker, The Boston Globe.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

HEALEY LENDS A HAND, PART II — The governor is heading to New Hampshire on Saturday to encourage Democratic activists at the party’s delegate-selection caucuses to join the effort to write in President Joe Biden ’s name on the state’s presidential primary ballot. She also led an organizing call for the grassroots group last night.

DAY IN COURT

— “SJC takes another swing at Uber ‘clickwrap’ contracts,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon: “Three years after the Supreme Judicial Court knocked Uber for the way it presents riders with its terms of service, the ride-share company is back before the state’s highest court for allegedly failing to make it clear that a trial was off the table for a rider who ended up permanently paralyzed after his driver crashed.”

WARREN REPORT

— “Warren: No ‘blank check’ for Israel,” by Anthony Adragna, POLITICO: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Thursday became one of the highest-profile Democrats to demand no further aid to Israel without conditions, citing ‘a right-wing government that's demonstrated an appalling disregard for Palestinian lives’ in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “New Lawrence council president pledges transparency, dialogue,” by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune.

— “Black entrepreneurs reflect on business since NAACP convention,” by Nicole Garcia, GBH News.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Caitlin Glynn and Nicholas Stabile are now partners in Nutters’ private client department, Portia Keady is now partner in the corporate department and Sara Lonks Wong is partner in the litigation department.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Holly Morse. Happy belated to Wendy Spivak of The Castle Group, who celebrated Thursday.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Sarah Blodgett, communications director for state Senate President Karen Spilka; Natalie Boyse, Âri de Fauconberg, Sean Costello and Mark Hyman , who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Yohannes Abraham and Jeff Gulko .

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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