Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: It's Louijeune's Boston City Council now

Monday, February 12, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: It's Louijeune's Boston City Council now

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'I WANT TO BRING EVERYONE IN' — Days after migrants began moving into the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex in Roxbury, Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune ran into the coach of a track program that used the facility before it was repurposed into an overflow shelter site.

The coach was sympathetic, even though the track club was being temporarily displaced. “‘I completely understand, this is an emergency situation,'” Louijeune recalled the coach telling her. “‘We’ll be OK.’”

All the programs that used the Cass complex have now found new homes. Some, like the track club, are taking up residence at the nearby Reggie Lewis Center. But all of these temporary moves — the overflow shelters, the program shifts — are Band-Aid fixes to a larger crisis that has no easy or evident solutions and is largely out of Boston's control.

“We do need a plan from the Commonwealth looking into what a post-May 31 world looks like,” Louijeune told Playbook, referencing the date the Cass complex shelter is set to close. “But I also understand that we're in an emergency situation, so it's tough.”

The migrant crisis is far from the only issue on Louijeune’s plate as the second-term city councilor embarks on her two-year term leading the legislative body. Her colleagues unanimously elected her to the post after she topped the at-large ticket in last year’s election, though not without some drama .

The council’s first Haitian-American president has been keeping the doors to her new office — now painted lavender and adorned with art from Haiti — open almost all the time. In the wake of a council term engulfed by controversy and infighting, it’s part of Louijeune's push to build “collegiality” among the body’s 13 members.

“I don't expect everyone's always going to be best friends , or everyone's going to agree,” Louijeune said. “But can we sit down and talk to each other? Can we work together for the betterment of the people of Boston?”

Playbook spoke to Louijeune about her priorities for this council term (“housing” and programs “to help prevent people from being displaced”) and whether she’d ever run for mayor (“I love my job … we’ll see what the future holds.”) Here are more excerpts:

Ruthzee Louijeune at the Boston City Council inauguration in January. | Mike Mejia/Boston mayor's office courtesy photo

You want to create a more open environment on the council. How have you been able to do that so far?

You work with the people who want to work with you and you try to bring people in as much as possible. My predecessor had a very difficult presidency. And I want to turn the page. I want to bring everyone in and find a space for everyone. Especially as a Black woman, I know what it feels like to be excluded and to be marginalized and sidelined. I hope that all my colleagues will join me in that work.

What do you want to do differently from your predecessor?

I want to make sure that everyone feels like I'm listening to them and that I’m hearing people out.

Some nearby cities have passed resolutions calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Is that something you would support?

This war is causing a lot of harm and pain to both Israelis and Palestinians who have been dying at record numbers. Diplomacy should be the channel through which we get the hostages back, not war. [In terms of a resolution], I do think that the voters and residents of the city do want us to focus on our bread-and-butter issues, like the potholes, the lights being out in parks, how we work to improve school.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Move over, Patrick Mahomes. The real Super Bowl MVPs are The DunKings : Ben, Matt and "Touchdown Tommy." While we run to get our pink-and-orange tracksuits, enjoy this behind-the-scenes footage of Brady, Damon and Affleck playing target practice.

Ben Affleck runs on Dunkin' — and stars in the company's 2024 Super Bowl ad. (Brigette Buckner/Dunkin' via AP) | AP

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey highlights transportation investments in her budget at 12:30 p.m. at North Station and speaks at the Legacy Pioneers Celebration at 7 p.m. along with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. Wu holds a press conference on winter weather at 9:30 a.m. at City Hall. Senate President Karen Spilka speaks at Mass211 Day at 11 a.m. at MEMA HQ in Framingham.

Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss are bringing Congress’ China select committee to town for a series of events on biotechnology. The programming starts today at 8:45 a.m. at Harvard Kennedy School. A formal hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston.

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

A message from McDonald's:

From 2021 to 2022, the McDonald’s System contributed over $700 million to Massachusetts’ economy, supporting over 14,350 jobs statewide. McDonald’s presence in local communities throughout Massachusetts generated nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue, providing funding for public schools, infrastructure, parks and more. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

DEPARTURE LOUNGE — State Rep. Ruth Balser is stepping aside after this session, becoming the latest veteran lawmaker to announce retirement as the election year ramps up. Balser has represented the 12th Middlesex District, which includes Newton and Brookline, for a quarter century. She's also the third division chair in the House, creating another hole in Speaker Ron Mariano' s leadership team after Assistant Majority Leader Sarah Peake said she's also not seeking reelection.

WORTH WATCHING!

PETER DURANT is regurgitating disinformation being promoted by RUSSIA about the BORDER CRISIS, ignoring that MAGA GOP have refused to fund additional BORDER AGENTS.

There's proof of RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA.

PETER DURANT endorsed DESANTIS failing to scrutinize his record, including appointing LADAPO.

DESANTIS is now being sued for concealing his travel records.

Ron DeSantis' New Surgeon General Appeared in 'Demon Sperm' Doctor's COVID Conspiracy Video
excerpt:
One of the video's main speakers, Dr. Stella Immanuel, is a physician who operates a medical clinic in a Texas strip mall next to her church, Firepower Ministries. In the video, she called hydroxychloroquine a "cure" and said, "You don't need a mask" to prevent the virus' spread.
Immanuel has claimed that ovarian cysts and endometriosis are caused by "demonic seed." Demons insert sperm into sleeping individuals when they have sex in their dreams, Immanuel claimed in articles on her church's website.

‘SIMPLY INAPPROPRIATE’ — GOP state Sen. Peter Durant said on WCVB's "On the Record" that Gov. Maura Healey ’s decision to nominate her former romantic partner to the state’s highest court “may not be illegal, but it’s clearly unethical” — particularly because appellate Judge Gabrielle Wolohojian could be asked to review cases involving the executive branch and potentially the governor herself.

THAT’S ACTING GOV. GALVIN TO YOU — Secretary of State Bill Galvin served as acting governor over the weekend. Healey was on a “personal trip” and the lieutenant governor was “attending to a family matter,” Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand told the State House News Service. Here’s your periodic reminder that the governor’s office no longer says in advance when Healey will be out of state (and who is serving as acting governor) because of unspecified security issues.

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S GOVERNORS SUMMIT: Join POLITICO on Feb. 22 to dive into how Governors are wielding immense power. While Washington remains gridlocked, governors are at the center of landmark decisions in AI and tech, economic development, infrastructure, housing, reproductive health and energy. How are they setting the stage for the future of American politics, policies and priorities? How are they confronting major challenges? Explore these questions and more at the 2024 Governors Summit. REGISTER HERE .

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

PETER DURANT is incapable of thinking for himself! PETER DURANT ignores documented evidence that RUSSIA is promoting migrant propaganda.

REPUBLICAN MESSAGING — Days after Republicans in Washington killed a federal border deal partly at former President Donald Trump ’s behest, Durant said "it’s a shame that election-year politics have to get brought into [immigration issues], because we have to first and foremost stop Massachusetts from being a magnet state.”

But the GOP state lawmaker went on to parrot national Republican talking points on immigration by blaming President Joe Biden for not taking more executive action to stem the tide of southern border crossings. "If Democrats don’t want Republicans running on it, fix it,” Durant said.

RIPPLE EFFECT — It's not just migrant families that are straining shelters here. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said on NBC10 Boston’s “At Issue” that migrants are now filling a quarter of the beds in the individual adult shelter system the city runs with partners like the Pine Street Inn.

“We need a bigger picture fix on the immigration system,” Wu said. “And here in this area, we need more housing for everyone.”

— “Wealthier Mass. communities avoid brunt of expanding shelter crisis, Globe analysis shows,” by Samantha J. Gross and Kirkland An, The Boston Globe: “Of the 94 communities hosting emergency shelters, more than half have a median household income below $100,000, while just nine of those communities — including Acton, Concord, and Lexington — have household incomes above $150,000.”

— “Sen. Collins says move migrants to Newton [Mount Ida] campus, not Fort Point,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.

FROM THE HUB

FOOD FIGHT — Boston’s outdoor dining program is again going on without most of the North End . The mayor said she’s open to compromise, but that there are “some limitations” and renewed litigation against the city getting in the way. “I hold out hope that at some point in the future we can reach some of those compromises,” Wu said on “At Issue.” “There is appetite across the entire neighborhood … but it would need to be a really targeted and unique program.”

2025 WATCH — Wu still won’t say whether she’s running for reelection next year.

A message from McDonald's:

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

FREE VS. REDUCED FARES — Are Healey and Wu really trying to outmaneuver each other on reducing MBTA fares , or are they more in line than it seems? The Boston mayor said she views her fare-free bus pilot program extension and the governor’s budget push to lower fares for low-income riders as “all part of the same ecosystem.”

The “fastest and most financially feasible way” to ease the financial burden on riders, at least in the short term, “is to have free bus systems and then discounted fare for low-income residents for subway and Commuter Rail,” Wu said on NBC10.

— “The T is on track to be broke soon. There’s no long-term fix,” by Taylor Dolven, The Boston Globe: “The T projects its operations budget gap may grow to nearly $700 million next year, its chief financial officer told the board of directors last month, and could hit $863 million by 2028. … Healey is proposing to use $172 million from the new higher-earners tax to narrow the T’s budget gap for the fiscal year that starts in July. Even if the Legislature approves her proposal, the T estimates it will need to identify savings of $93 million and spend all $363 million from its rainy day fund to balance its budget.”

— “West-east rail director says trains to Boston will be incremental projects,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican.

MARKEYCHUSETTS

LISTEN UP — Sen. Ed Markey is launching an eponymous podcast to tout the Green New Deal. It’ll run on Fridays through Earth Day in April. The first episode features Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.).

YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS : From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “A look behind the curtain: How the Newton School committee and teachers union finally struck a deal,” by Deanna Pan, The Boston Globe: “During the longest Massachusetts teachers strike in three decades, Anna Nolin, the new superintendent of Newton Public Schools, blasted Metallica on her commute each morning to amp herself up for another tense day of talks. Meanwhile, after days of fruitless haggling, Mike Zilles, president of the Newton Teachers Association, and Chris Brezski, the School Committee chair, secretly met up in a nearby graveyard in hopes of reaching detente.”

— “Boom in youth gambling in Mass. fueled by online sports betting apps,” by Chris Serres, The Boston Globe: “[F]rom Boston to Springfield, treatment clinics are experiencing an influx of young people — some as young as 14 — seeking help for gambling problems. And in a troubling new trend, college students are showing up at Gamblers Anonymous meetings across the state, sometimes accompanied by their parents, say leaders of the fellowship group.”

— “'Could have predicted': Steward downfall started with former AG,” by Monica Sager, The Eagle-Tribune

— “Cape Cod needs to clean up its water. The solutions could cost billions,” by Barbara Moran, WBUR.

A message from McDonald's:

McDonald’s is an economic engine for the state of Massachusetts, contributing over $700 million to our state’s economy, directly employing nearly 11,600 Massachusettsans and supporting an additional 2,750 jobs statewide. It’s also an engine of opportunity: 1 in 4 independent McDonald’s operators in Massachusetts began their careers as restaurant crew members, generating wealth for their families and local communities. We are proud to support Massachusetts through public schools, parks and more from the nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue generated by the McDonald’s System’s activities. And thanks to the generosity of McDonald’s customers and owner/operators, the $700,000 raised through Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2022 provided over 7,000 overnight stays for families with children receiving medical care in Massachusetts. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma .

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Former state Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Joanne Goldstein is joining the Massachusetts State Retirement Board. Treasurer Deb Goldberg made the appointment. Goldstein served as secretary during the Patrick administration and before that was a union-side labor attorney and chief of the Fair Labor Division in Martha Coakley’s attorney general's office.

— Alan Calderon is joining Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office as deputy press secretary. He was most recently a communications associate at Boundary Stone Partners.

— Davis Malm shareholder Samuel B. “Sandy” Moskowitz has been appointed to the Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services for a three-year term.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Emma Powers , Falmouth state Rep. David Vieira and Reggie Zimmerman.

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