Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu’s tax plan up against the clock

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Wu’s tax plan up against the clock

MATTER OF TIMING — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s push to tweak the city’s property tax rules is running up against a tight deadline on Beacon Hill, where legislators just teed up two more bills they’ll have to try to work through with only two weeks left until the end of formal sessions.

The proposal, which would allow City Hall to temporarily raise the property tax rate on commercial real estate to avoid what the city officials say would be a bigger burden on residential property owners, would only kick in if commercial property values continue to decline (as fiscal watchdogs expect them to).

Wu says she’s trying to move proactively — before property valuations come in low and the city is left scrambling to try to ram a home-rule petition through the often sluggish state legislative process while Boston taxpayers are left to wonder how much exactly they’ll have to pay in property taxes.

“The entire goal was to avoid that last-minute pressure and shock and unpredictability of needing to jam something through without much discussion because it was an absolute emergency,” Wu told reporters at the State House, after testifying on the bill now before the Joint Committee on Revenue. “That’s what we’re hoping to avoid.”

Legislators still aren’t sold. Lawmakers spent about an hour grilling Wu and city officials over the plan. Several sounded skeptical, and one — state Rep. Francisco Paulino (D-ESSEX) — seemed to voice outright opposition.

The timing itself could be a fatal obstacle, with the clock running out on Beacon Hill. “It took them about four months, or three months, to get it out of their own City Council. So, we need the due time to do our work and dig into this and the impacts,” state Rep. Mark Cusack, the House chair of the Revenue Committee, told reporters after the hearing wrapped.

But time is something state lawmakers don’t have. The House is taking up a climate bill today, and the Senate is set to vote on legislation to reform the state’s health care system Thursday. Plus, both chambers will have to vote on a compromise budget that has yet to emerge from closed-door negotiations more than two weeks after the start of the new fiscal year.

If the Legislature punts on the proposal this time around, and property values dip, Wu could be back battling business leaders and Beacon Hill over the tax change next year, in the midst of her all-but-announced reelection campaign.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . More on the hearing from the CommonWealth Beacon and The Boston Globe .

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey swears in Pamela Everhart to the Massport board of directors at 11:45 a.m. at the State House and joins Rep. Jim McGovern and state and local officials for a celebration of the Summer Child Nutrition Program at 1:30 p.m. in Westborough. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon at the State House. Wu speaks at a ribbon cutting for a new 311 call center at 10:15 a.m. and speaks at a celebration for the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act at 1:30 p.m. at City Hall.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .

CHECK OUT WHAT YOU MISSED IN MILWAUKEE!

Watch the full event from the CNN-POLITICO Grill at the RNC HERE.

The program featured Bayer’s Jessica Christiansen, senior vice president and head of crop science and sustainability communications, as well as a conversation with Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) and POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill for discussions about agriculture, food policy and how these issues will impact the November election.

CONVENTION ZONE

DAY 2 — “The presidential also-rans and the down-ballot new guard,” by POLITICO Staff.

— “A new kind of Republican Party is forming at the RNC,” by Adam Wren, Olivia Beavers and Megan Meserly, POLITICO: “All the markers of a MAGA jamboree are on display, from hulking Donald Trump iconography inside the convention hall to rhinestone Trump cowboy hats and red Trump-Vance placards. But look closer and the party is changing — increasingly embracing economic populism at home and isolationism abroad, shifting its decades-long position on abortion and not only leery of, but hostile to, certain business interests.”

MUST READ ARTICLES!

— “Ron DeSantis called out Martha's Vineyard in RNC speech. Here's the history behind the jab,” by Rin Velasco, Wicked Local.

VEEP DIVE — “J.D. Vance on Elizabeth Warren, Steve Bannon and What’s Wrong With the GOP,” by Ian Ward, POLITICO Magazine.

MEANWHILE — “Elizabeth Warren Calls J.D. Vance ‘Donald Trump Doubled’ on ‘Colbert’,” by Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone.

In Milwaukee today? Stop by the CNN/POLITICO Grill! RSVP here .

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

CARPETBAGGER JOHN DEATON VOTED 3 TIMES IN 20 YEARS, HAS NO TIES TO MASSACHUSETTS, NOW BLABBING ABOUT THE BORDER IGNORING THAT THE ORANGE TURD INSTRUCTED THE MAGA GOP TO DEFEAT A BIPARTISAN BORDER BILL...AND THEY GENUFLECTED!

JOHN DEATON IS AN UNINFORMED CLOWN!

NOTICE THAT COMMENTS ON HIS AD ARE TURNED OFF! JOHN DEATON DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR!

NEW: ON THE AIRWAVES — Republican Senate hopeful John Deaton is launching a new radio ad today. Like his digital ad from May, the 60-second hit highlights his trip to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year and hits Sen. Elizabeth Warren for “failed policies and partisanship” on immigration that he says have led Massachusetts to become a “border state.” Deaton’s campaign declined to disclose the cost of the spot. Listen here.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Beacon Hill looks to advance energy, health care bills as legislative session nears end,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “House lawmakers teed up Tuesday a bill focused on energy, siting, and permitting while Senators released their rewrite of a massive health care bill Monday that top Democrats have argued put in place key policies to help the troubled industry. If both bills clear their respective branches, they will likely head to closed-door negotiations because the House and Senate have each passed a separate version of what the other chamber put forward this week.”

— “Veterans Group Asked Secretary Santiago To Step Down,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): “The largest veterans services organization in Massachusetts took a vote of no confidence in Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jon Santiago last month, calling for him to step down from the job. The Massachusetts chapter of the American Legion, which represents more than 35,000 veterans in the Bay State, said Santiago has broken tradition with previous veterans affairs secretaries in not attending certain meetings, conventions and banquets when invited. … In a statement, EOVS said Santiago has been engaged with the Legion and other veterans service organizations. ‘From day one, Secretary Santiago and the Executive Office of Veterans Services team have been committed to extensive engagement with the veteran community, including the American Legion,’ the statement says. ‘We look forward to continuing our work to expand partnerships with all veteran service organizations in Massachusetts.’”

— “State provides $7M for cybersecurity systems,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune.

— “Two years in, Massachusetts 988 mental health hotline has received more than 130,000 calls,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News.

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston City Council takes on public ‘disconnect’ with development,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.

— “Boston Police seize 9 more mopeds in city crackdown,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald.

— “Boston Public Schools plans to hire another consultant to help craft a school closure plan,” by James Vaznis, The Boston Globe: “Boston Public Schools, which earlier this year appeared poised to announce a sizable plan to close and consolidate schools, is now looking to hire an outside consultant to figure out some basic aspects of the process and all the data it should be using to make decisions. The consultant would work with BPS for 10 months, from September until next June, according to a Request for Proposal that BPS issued on Monday, and would help BPS ‘update, refine, and use data to guide transparent, data-driven, and equity-centered decision-making in its long-term facilities planning and implementation.’”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Mass. officials say it could 8 to 10 years to replace each Cape Cod bridge, project could stretch through 2030s,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “With billions of dollars already committed, Massachusetts officials said it could take up to a decade to replace each of the aging Cape Cod bridges, meaning the project could stretch through most of the 2030s before its complete. Governor Maura Healey and federal officials on Tuesday celebrated the latest, and most crucial, piece of financing for the estimated $4.5 billion project: a nearly $1 billion grant from the federal government that officials say will allow them to forge ahead with long-gestating plans to replace the 89-year-old spans that provide the only roads on and off the Cape.”

CAMPAIGN TRAIL

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Chelsea state Rep. Judith Garcia is endorsing Allison Cartwright for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court clerk, joining a bevy of Beacon Hill lawmakers in backing the long-time lawyer.

— The Massachusetts Teachers Association is endorsing Clinton Graham in his bid for the 7th Norfolk District seat that state Rep. Bill Driscoll is vacating to run for state Senate, per his campaign.

— A slate of unions — Ironworkers Local 7, IBEW Local 103, the State Police Association of Massachusetts, Pipefitters Local 537, the Massachusetts Labor Council, Carmen's Union Local 589, IUPAT DC 35 and the Massachusetts AFL-CIO — are endorsing Milton businessman Tony King in his bid for the 7th Norfolk District seat, according to his campaign.

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Talks reveal disconnect in helping Greenfield’s immigrants,” by Anthony Cammalleri, Greenfield Recorder: “Community Relations Committee members met with the mayor, the mayoral-appointed liaison to the city’s Haitian immigrants and a Haitian immigrant living in Greenfield on Monday to discuss ways to best serve the needs of those living at the Days Inn shelter… Much of the one-hour discussion Monday night centered around ServiceNet, with some community members expressing concern with the agency’s quality of services and its relationship with city-affiliated community volunteers. Although a ServiceNet representative was invited to appear at the meeting, none of the agency’s members or affiliates attended, as Precinct 6 City Councilor Sheila Gilmour said the committee did not directly receive a response.”

Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.

DAY IN COURT

— “Boston police use of ‘undercover’ Snapchat accounts at issue in SJC case,” by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: “In the arsenal of police work, the latest investigative tool by Boston is the use of fake accounts on Snapchat to capture posts of users committing crimes or bragging about doing so while flashing illegal guns. But the Boston Police Department’s refusal in one criminal case to turn over information about the names of its Snapchat accounts and the cartoon profile images associated with them, known as 'bitmojis,' prompted a judge to dismiss the gun charges. Moreover, critics are questioning whether the BPD is using the Snapchat accounts to inappropriately target Black people.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

THE GUN LOBBY HAS TARGETED 'GUN NUTS' WITH DISINFORMATION TO CONTINUE TO INFLAME SUPPORT FOR MILITARY STYLE WEAPONS....IGNORING FACTS!

IT WAS REVEALED THAT CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA HAS USED REPUBLICAN VOTING LISTS TO MAINTAIN STRONG OPPOSITION TO SENSIBLE GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION...

WARREN REPORT — Sen. Elizabeth Warren i s turning the conversation to gun control, days after a gunman fired an AR-15-style rifle into the crowd at former President Donald Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, killing one man and grazing Trump and.

“This should be the moment for it,” Warren said during an interview with late-night comedy host Stephen Colbert. “[Republicans are] talking about how they want to have unity, and everyone is deeply concerned — and rightly so — about the attack on the president. This is the moment, when let’s show what unity really means. And that is Republicans and Democrats, I’ll issue the open invitation: come together and let’s ban assault weapons in this country.”

Warren also talked Democratic hand-wringing over President Joe Biden’s candidacy. “It’s not disharmony, it’s that we are trying to find the very best possible way to pull our party together and more importantly to pull our nation together,” she said. Watch here.

— “Prime Day 2024: Mass. Sens. Markey, Warren press for protections for warehouse workers,” by John L. Micek, MassLive.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Worcester Community Food Assessment sparks discussion on food insecurity in the city,” by Tatum Goetting, Telegram & Gazette: “Just four years ago in 2020, an estimated 17.7% of Worcester residents were considered to be food insecure. Now, that number has more than doubled, according to a recent report of the Worcester County Food Bank's Center on Food Equity, conducted by the Community Food Assessment in Worcester in 2023.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark , her district director for policy Wade Blackman and to Clark alum Lauren Pardi ; Massachusetts Republican Party Executive Director John Milligan , Alicia Amato (Furnary) , WaPo’s Katie Zezima , Kevin Ryan , COS for Rep. Stephen Lynch; Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan , Chanel Prunier , former Republican National Committeewoman; Brendan Beroff , Jacob Watts , Matthew E. Berger and John Dacey . Happy belated to state Rep. Rob Consalvo , who celebrated Tuesday.

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