Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Drinks on the House

Thursday, May 30, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Drinks on the House

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FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: LIQUOR LICENSE BILL MOVING — The House is hoping to get more liquor flowing in Boston. Well, parts of it.

Top House Democrats are releasing their version of a bill that would expand the number of liquor licenses available in certain corners of the state’s biggest city. It’s a significant step forward in the long-running effort to make access to the city’s highly controlled and highly limited liquor licenses more equitable — especially for restaurateurs in Boston’s lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color, who face barriers to entry even before being confronted with the exorbitant costs of secondary-market liquor licenses .

The proposal — which the House Ways and Means Committee plans to poll later this morning and representatives intend to take up in informal session thereafter — would add 205 licenses to the mix over three years. Of those, 180 would be non-transferable licenses for establishments that prepare food on-site across 12 ZIP codes in Mattapan, East Boston, Roslindale, West Roxbury, Hyde Park, Charlestown, Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester. Five licenses would be released per year in each of those areas.

Another three licenses would be designated specifically for Oak Square in Brighton. There would be 15 non-transferable licenses set aside for nonprofits, community theaters or other community spaces. And, in a bit of flexibility for the city, the last seven licenses would have no restrictions on their locations.

That’s a bit different than the version backed by city councilors and Mayor Michelle Wu. That legislation — which was shepherded at the city level by Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell and by his brother, state Rep. Christopher Worrell, and state Sen. Liz Miranda at the State House — called for 250 licenses to be meted out five at a time over five years in 10 ZIP codes, excluding Jamaica Plain and Charlestown. The House also added the food requirement after members of the chamber’s Boston delegation expressed a desire for licenses to go to eateries over bars in an effort to create more economic viability for restaurateurs.

The brothers Worrell are just fine with the changes. Christopher Worrell called the revamped legislation a “game-changer for all the communities” that provides “205 opportunities for generational wealth.” His brother told Playbook that “if we’re truly thinking about trying to create every neighborhood as a destination and equity throughout every neighborhood, this gives every neighborhood a tool that’s needed.”

Don’t pour the celebratory champagne just yet. The bill is poised to clear the House today. But it's unclear whether and when the Senate will take it up — and if the upper chamber would make any changes that could land the legislation in the growing end-of-session logjam of conference committees before it can get to the governor’s desk.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Look for Gov. Maura Healey in Minnesota purple soon, after PWHL Boston fell short in its quest for the cup.

TODAY — Healey and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey celebrate federal funding for MBTA Green Line accessibility at 10 a.m. at Brandon Hall Station in Brookline. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at a MetroWest Economic Research Center conference at 11 a.m. at Framingham State University, an AT&T Connected Learning Center launch at 5:30 p.m. in South Boston and a Northeast Arc gala at 7 p.m. at Encore.

Rep. Jake Auchincloss hosts a summit on PFAS regulations at 10 a.m. at Boston College. Rep. Seth Moulton helps launch expanded Salem Skipper service at noon.

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

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Victim support office seeks funds to bridge federal gaps,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, which supports more than 100 crime-victim organizations across Massachusetts, is calling for approval of a supplemental budget with $20 million in ‘bridge’ funding to prevent cuts in services for victims of homicide, rape, domestic violence, elder abuse, and children who have been sexually trafficked or abused.”

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Haitian migrant families living in Great Barrington and Pittsfield hotels must find new housing. The state's shelter contracts end in June,” by Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle: “Nearly two dozen families from Haiti who arrived at hotels last year as part of the state’s shelter program have until the end of June to find alternate housing in the area. With help from the community and nonprofits, 24 families — 10 in Pittsfield and 14 in Great Barrington — are scrambling to find a place to live as state contracts with hotels in Great Barrington and Pittsfield come to an end. … [EOHLC spokesperson Kevin] O’ Connor said the state is winding down its hotel shelter operation. He described it as ‘part of an ongoing shelter consolidation effort to reduce the number of hotel shelter sites statewide and to connect families with homelessness and rehousing service providers.’”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Massport offers CEO job to Rich Davey, longtime Boston-area transportation leader,” by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Port Authority board on Wednesday picked longtime Boston-area transportation leader Rich Davey to be its next CEO, wrapping up a monthslong search involving dozens of candidates. Davey, currently the president of New York City Transit, won out over Eulois Cleckley, the other finalist and the CEO of the Miami-Dade transportation department in Florida. Although Davey has held a highly visible role in New York for the past two years, he has a long track record in Boston including a stint as chairman of the Massport board when he served as transportation secretary under then-governor Deval Patrick.”

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State. Rep. Bill Straus is endorsing Democrat Mark Sylvia to succeed him in the race for his 10th Bristol House seat, according to Sylvia’s campaign. Sylvia, a Patrick administration alum and current chief of staff at solar energy developer BlueWave Solar, is “a person of character, positive in his approach to issues and dedicated to public service, his community and the Commonwealth,” Straus said in a statement.

— The Massachusetts AFL-CIO has endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren for reelection ahead of this weekend's MassDems convention.

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BALLOT BATTLES

PLOT TWIST — Both sides of the fight to replace MCAS as a high school graduation requirement are asking the Supreme Judicial Court to compel the state to change the title and one-sentence description of the proposed ballot question.

Playbook previously reported that the Committee To Preserve Educational Standards For K-12 Students asked the SJC to order the state to clarify that the ballot question would get rid of “any uniform statewide assessment” for graduation. The Massachusetts Teachers Association that’s pushing the ballot question is also asking the court to change the wording — to clarify that the ballot question would replace MCAS “with a more accurate measure of student competency, not to eliminate the competency requirement.” The cases are being considered together.

DAY IN COURT

— “Acting US attorney says office has rebounded in wake of Rachael Rollins ethics scandal,” by Shelley Murphy, The Boston Globe: “A year after US Attorney Rachael Rollins resigned on the heels of two government watchdog investigations that found she repeatedly committed ethical violations and misused the power of her office, her successor said Wednesday that the office has rebounded from the scandal. ‘I won’t sugar-coat the events that happened. It was a significant blow to the office when those reports came out,’ Joshua Levy, the acting US attorney for Massachusetts, said during a round-table discussion with members of the media. Still, he said, Rollins’s tenure at the helm ‘is a smaller dot in the rear view mirror every day.’”

— “Portrait of late Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants unveiled at courthouse,” by Chris Van Burkirk, The Boston Herald.

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FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Warren, Markey speak to threats facing national abortion access at Boston hearing,” by Alexa Coultoff, The Boston Globe.

— “Sen. Warren says if found guilty, Trump likely will make unfounded claims legal system is corrupt,” by Anthony Brooks, Tiziana Dearing and Amanda Beland, WBUR.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "FEMA: No federal aid for flood damage to Leominster municipal properties," by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: "The mayor of Leominster is not losing hope, even after the federal government closed the door to providing the $30 million the city says it needs to make repairs to municipal infrastructure following the September 2023 rainstorms."

— “Cambridge School Committee Asks Superintendent Victoria Greer to Resign in 5-2 Vote,” by Darcy G Lin and Emily T. Schwartz, The Crimson: “The Cambridge School Committee voted to give Cambridge Public Schools Superintendent Victoria L. Greer a 90-day notice to resign, following a closed-door executive session meeting on Wednesday. The vote, which ratified a decision that the committee made during a confidential meeting on April 30, comes nearly two months after The Crimson first reported that the School Committee sought Greer’s resignation during an April 1 executive session meeting.”

— "Saint Vincent nurses lodge more complaints, claim ongoing 'crisis' at hospital," by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: "Nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association have filed another round of complaints with state and federal agencies that claim unsafe conditions for patients at the hospital."

— “Steward promised to rebuild its hospital in Norwood. The town is still waiting,” by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, WBUR.

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Massachusetts’ utility customers have recently seen some of the highest electric rates in the country, but customers who chose retail electric providers could have saved hundreds of dollars over the last two years. The last thing we should be doing during this moment is eliminating this choice for Massachusetts consumers and forcing people to live under monopoly utility service.

Choose Who You Use is committed to protecting real electricity choice in Massachusetts. We believe the power to choose energy should be in the hands of the people. In Massachusetts, individuals should be able to choose the type of energy they want and how to pay for it. Learn more.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — David Beckstead has joined Womble Bond Dickinson’s corporate and securities group as of counsel in Boston.

— Walter M. Foster , a former state assistant attorney general, has joined Cozen O’Connor’s Boston office from Eckert Seamans.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to CNN’s Eric Levenson, Senate Ways & Means Chair Michael Rodrigues , Bill Fonda, Natasha Sarin, Ayanna Pressley alum Luisa Peña Lyons and Wes Ritchie.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER — Hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky talk chronic absenteeism and the state's lack of legislative competition. State House News Service's Chris Lisinski joins to discuss differences in the state budget proposals and end-of-session scaries. 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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