Monday, May 13, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey tries to (re)set the agenda

MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT was approved by former Governor Charlie Baker

A surprising history of how a bill became the MBTA Communities law

excerpt:

When then-Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill in January 2021, much of the focus landed on a different zoning measure: a lower, simple-majority threshold for towns to adopt some zoning changes. That's in no small part because Baker had been trying to get that particular measure passed for years. In February 2021, Baker’s housing and economic development secretary Mike Kennealy called that change “the most significant zoning reform in decades.”

The zoning requirements — and the grant eligibility rules — had emerged in a late-night, last-minute compromise between House and Senate lawmakers before the curtain officially closed on their 2019-2020 legislative session. Before Baker signed it, the Massachusetts Municipal Association urged the governor to veto the MBTA Communities language, arguing it would "override local-decision making” and penalize communities that fail to meet the mandate.

But Baker wasn’t swayed. He told lawmakers that while he didn’t propose the section, he would still sign it into law because it gave his administration “considerable discretion to determine compliance.”

And now, three years later, Gov. Maura Healey and her administration are the ones tasked with determining the cost of non-compliance.

WGBH

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY

HEALEY IN THE HOT SEAT — First they asked Maura Healey about Steward Health Care. Then the state’s fiscal straits. Then the pushback to the MBTA Communities Act. Then campus protests.

Finally, with two minutes left in their interview, WCVB “On the Record” hosts Ed Harding and Ben Simmoneau asked the governor about her upcoming trip to the Vatican to tout her climate strategies.

The segment exemplifies the struggle Healey has been facing of late in trying to sell some of her biggest priorities in the face of the financial collapse of one of the state’s major health care providers, a migrant and shelter crisis that’s pushed state resources beyond their limits (Her administration confirmed on Saturday that it’s opening another overflow shelter site, this one at a former corrections center in Norfolk .), a foreign war that’s causing disruptions at home and a presidential election in which Healey has a political, if not personal, stake in the outcome.

Some of Healey’s policy proposals are easier to puncture the news cycle with than others. Everyone wants to know what the governor is going to do about housing — or the lack thereof — in a state where the rent really is too damn high — and so are single-family home prices.

But Healey’s climate initiatives , which are just as central to her administration’s aims, haven’t been getting as much attention — even as the governor prepares to fly halfway across the world to showcase on an international stage the steps she’s taking to combat climate change.

Healey appears undaunted by the challenge of promoting the agenda she swept into office on while navigating a confluence of crises that are mostly not of her own making. Asked in an interview with The Horse Race podcast at the MA Tech 16 conference how she’s working to keep climate policy at the forefront, Healey skipped over the question and went straight into her sales pitch, touting her business-and-environmental-group-backed plan to invest $1.3 billion in climate tech over the next decade as a “huge engine for economic development.”

And she’ll have plenty of opportunities to make headlines this week. Healey teased an “exciting climate jobs program” in her OTR interview, something she’ll likely announce at the Vatican climate conference.

But first, the governor had to address some other topics on OTR. While top House Democrats long ago ruled out a taxpayer bailout of Steward, Healey isn’t explicitly doing the same. “We’ll work with the Legislature on all of this,” she said, “because this implicates the stability of the healthcare market.”

Healey also said college leaders’ responses to the pro-Palestinian encampments on their campuses have been “appropriate.” While people have a right to protest, she said, “there’s also a difference between that and threats of violence or acts of violence.”

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The highly consequential trial over whether Uber and Lyft misclassified their drivers as independent contractors instead of employees, a legal battle Healey set in motion as attorney general, begins today.

TODAY — Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Auditor Diana DiZoglio attend the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council Legislative Breakfast at 8 a.m. in Andover. Driscoll attends the MACDC lobby day at the State House at 11:15 a.m.

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

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Massachusetts health agency inked multiple no-bid contracts for shelter system,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “The state’s health and human services agency greenlighted at least four no-bid contracts and an agreement to rent shelter space at a Quincy college for more than $237,000 a month as the Healey administration attempted to respond to an influx of migrants over the past year, according to documents obtained by the Herald. … The contract is set to expire in July and officials on both sides are locked in conversations about extending the agreement to June 30, 2025, though the price is not up for renegotiation, Derr said.”

— “Healey urged to take over Steward's hospitals,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “[A] nonprofit group that is prodding the state to shift to a single-payer health care system argues that Healey has the authority to take over the hospitals by eminent domain, if she declares a public health emergency, as was done during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

The decommissioned Bay State Correctional Center will open next month as the newest overflow shelter site for migrant and homeless families. | Courtesy photo/Gov. Maura Healey's office

— “Gov. Maura Healey turns to former prison to house migrants sleeping at Logan Airport,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey’s administration plans to turn a decommissioned prison in Norfolk into an overflow shelter for up to 140 families waiting for placement into the larger state-funded system, a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement Saturday. State officials plan to move migrant families, including those staying at Logan Airport, to the former Bay State Correctional Facility next month, the state’s emergency assistance director, Scott Rice, said in a statement. The prison shuttered in 2015 and ‘remains in good condition,’ Rice said.”

— “Head of Massachusetts Municipal Association concerned about long-term solutions in migrant crisis,” by Jon Keller, WBZ.

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FROM THE HUB

— “Abolishing BPDA costing many employees their strong job protections,” by Colin M. Herman, CommonWealth Beacon: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu last month followed through on her 2019 campaign pledge and signed into law an ordinance transferring the Boston Planning and Development Agency over to city control. But the agency’s very strong civil service-like protections for many of its employees will not go with them. Instead, they are being pared back significantly.”

— “Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn says he won’t run for mayor in 2025,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said he does not plan to run for mayor in 2025, dismissing speculation that his higher political visibility of late is indicative of his plans to seek higher office. Flynn’s remarks came after a Friday luncheon he attended in the North End, where he broke bread with three restaurant owners suing the city and Mayor Michelle Wu over what they perceive as a discriminatory and unfair outdoor dining ban. When asked by a reporter whether his visit was indicative of his plan to run for mayor, Flynn said ‘no.’”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

COMING UP SHORT — Last week, we noted how the three budget proposals in play on Beacon Hill won’t fully fund one of its biggest headaches : the MBTA. Now, The Boston Globe’s Taylor Dolven is breaking down the funding gaps . The Healey administration’s line: The T is “suffering from decades of underinvestment” and “[r]ebuilding from that will take time, but we have already started making important progress.”

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

— “Suspended MIT and Harvard protesters barred from graduation, evicted from campus housing,” by Shelley Murphy, Alexa Coultoff and Maddie Khaw, The Boston Globe: “Dan Zeno’s suspension from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last week for participating in an unauthorized encampment protesting the war in Gaza had a swift impact on his family’s life. The graduate student has not only been barred from classes, he was also evicted from campus housing, along with his wife and 5-year-old daughter, with just one week to find another place to live. … Some suspended students won’t be graduating as planned, others have lost income with their fellowships canceled, and some have had their research projects halted. Yet, they vowed to continue protesting.”

— “College Apologizes for Sending Involuntary Leave Notice to Harvard Crimson Reporter,” by Emma H. Haidar and Cam E. Kettles, The Harvard Crimson .

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

HOW VALID IS AN ONLINE POLL?

SURVEY SAYS — Another day, another poll showing mixed messages for some of the state’s top politicians.

The good news: A majority of Massachusetts voters, 61 percent, are at least “somewhat” confident in the state of the state’s economy, according to a new poll of 600 registered voters conducted online late last month by Polity Research Consulting for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

And 54 percent said they’re “very likely” to stay in Massachusetts long term (28 percent said they were only “somewhat likely” and 14 percent said they wouldn’t or were unlikely to stick around).

The bad news: Favorability ratings for Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu are down from the same survey last year. Fifty-four percent of respondents view Healey favorably versus 32 percent who view her unfavorably — a shift from last year's 60 percent favorable vs. 21 percent unfavorable. Wu’s split was 47 percent favorable and 31 percent unfavorable, compared to 53 percent favorable and 22 percent unfavorable last year.

Other notable nuggets: Cost of living, housing availability, the economy, taxes, energy and crime are “very important” to majorities of voters. So is the “impact of undocumented migrants on housing, healthcare and public education.”

JOHN DEATON VOTED 3 TIMES IN 20 YEARS, CARPETBAGGER!

POLITICAL OPTIMIST — John Deaton , one of the newly minted Republicans vying to take on Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren , wants to emulate GOP former Gov. Charlie Baker ’s brand of bipartisanship if he’s elected to the Senate.

“I’m not going to be loyal to a party or a person. I’m going to be loyal to one thing and one test: Is it good for Massachusetts and America? If it is, call it a Democrat proposal — I’m all in. Call it a Republican proposal, I’m all in,” Deaton said in an interview on NBC10’s “At Issue.” That sentiment may play well to voters fed up with business as usual in the Beltway, but it’ll be tough to put into practice in a place where party-line politics rule.

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FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and activist Denella Clark join forces to help women giving care to terminally ill loved ones,” by Adrian Walker, The Boston Globe: “The congresswoman and the educator-activist are both women who ... have shared the experience of being principal caregivers to mothers who are terminally ill. Pressley’s mom, Sandy, died of leukemia in 2011; Clark’s loss was more recent — her mother, Pastor Pearline James, died last year, from multiple myeloma. … So this Mother’s Day Weekend they [launched] the Pressley-James Lovin’ Gestures Fund, which will provide financial help to people providing care to terminally ill close relatives.”

— “Representative Katherine Clark unveils child care push at business event in Cambridge,” by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe.

FROM THE 413

— “Northampton school budget: Tensions high awaiting mayor’s move,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “As the deadline for Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra to a submit a budget proposal for the city draws near, an entrenched battle over the city’s public school budget is coming to a head. The Northampton School Committee defied the mayor’s recommendation of a 4% increase in the budget in April, which would have resulted in numerous staffing cuts, and instead approved a so-called ‘level services’ budget, increasing spending by 14% or about $8 million over the previous year. That put the ball in the mayor’s court to figure out whether to incorporate such an increase into a balanced city budget to submit to the City Council.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Drag performance at Sutton school event brings uproar, call for audit,” by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: “The School Committee on Thursday called for an independent financial audit into the Connections Conference, an annual event at Sutton High School that focuses on social justice, following concerns over a session in which a drag performer danced and sang on top of a table.”

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “Consultants recommended the mayor of Quincy be paid as much as $370,000. Residents would like a word,” by Shannon Larson, The Boston Globe.

— “¿Necesitas ayuda con las facturas? Bringing energy savings to all Mass. communities,” by Rosanna Marinelli, WBUR.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SPOTTED — at Harvard's Belfer Center’s 50th anniversary reunion dinner last week at the State Room in Boston: Colin Kahl, Aditi Kumar, Fareed Zakaria, Barham Salih, Nand Mulchandani, Youssef Chahed, Carme Artigas, Ivo Daalder, Ed Djerejian, Karen Donfried, Dan Poneman and Meghan O'Sullivan .

MEDIA MOVE — Sam Brodey will be national political reporter at The Boston Globe. He was deputy political editor at The Daily Beast.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Michael Goldman , president of Goldman Associates.

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