 | By Kelly Garrity
AMNESIA HASN'T AFFLICTED ALL WHO REMEMBER THE MASSIVE SAFETY ISSUES OF THE MBTA OR THE SLOW ZONES OR THE DEFECTIVE CHINESE CARS OR THE NEW TRACKS THAT WERE DEFECTIVE WHEN THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR LEFT OFFICE...HOW ABOUT THE EXPENSIVE OUT-OF-STATE EXPERTS WHO NEVER VISITED MASSACHUSETTS BUT WERE IN CHARGE OF CONSTRUCTION?
BRIAN SHORTSLEEVE IS SO 'COMPETENT' HOW ABOUT THE NO BID BATHROOM? DON'T RE-WRITE THE HISTORY OF MBTA FAILURES!
One out-of-state MBTA manager fired, four others warned; Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says to expect more changes
Massachusetts transit bosses under fire for $100K bathroom
excerptS: Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan slammed Shortsleeve. “Brian Shortsleeve’s disastrous record as manager of the MBTA and chair of Trump loyalist Ron DeSantis’ campaign will be disqualifying to voters. He was a failure then, and he’d be a failure as governor,” Kerrigan said in a statement to the Herald. The $2.3 billion project has faced myriad issues, including narrow and defective tracks that MBTA officials knew about as far back as April 2021. The deal with Chinese manufacturer CRRC for new train cars has faced multiple delays and is now worth more than $1 billion. But Shortsleeve said he is “very proud of what we accomplished” at the MBTA.
| NEW CANDIDATE DROPPED — It’s official: Brian Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist and Marine veteran who former Gov. Charlie Baker once tapped to untangle the MBTA’s budget mess, is running for governor, he announced in a video posted this morning . “I’ll restore common sense to the commonwealth and put Massachusetts first. This is our home where we’re raising our boys, and I’m not letting it fall apart without a fight,” he says in the video, as a scene of him sitting with his family flashes by. “This isn’t a campaign. It’s a mission for Massachusetts, and I’m ready.” Shortsleeve is getting in the race with a promise to “make Massachusetts affordable again,” “cut spending” on Day One, pointing to the steep rise in cost for the state’s emergency shelter system in recent years. In the video, he touts his experience as a Marine and his time as chief administrator of the MBTA (“Mission impossible,” he describes the latter.). ***NO SOLUTION FOR THE NATIONWIDE HOUSING CRISIS!****
REPUBLICAN CLOWNS WHINE & COMPLAIN ABOUT THE COST OF SHELTERS, DOES ANY SINGLE REPUBLICAN PROPOSE A SOLUTION? NO!
The state’s emergency shelter system serves both permanent Massachusetts residents and migrant new arrivals.
THE BLOVIATORS IGNORE THIS: More than 75% of families now seeking shelter are “long-time Massachusetts” residents, according to the Healey administration. THESE ARE THE LIES THE MASS GOP & AMY CARNEVALE PERPETUATE: “She has the resources to spend over $1 billion a year to fund the migrant crisis — but can’t backfill $12 million to ensure our children have access to healthy, locally sourced meals?” Carnevale continued. Homelessness rates jumped by double digits in 2024 as Americans battled to afford housing
excerpt: Across the U.S., more than 771,800 people lived without housing in 2024, according to a count taken annually on a single night in January. The number for January 2024 is 18.1% higher than in 2023, when officials counted about 650,000 people living in homeless shelters or in parks and on streets. In 2022, the population of people experiencing homelessness was about 580,000.
“Cut the waste, balance the budget, modernize the system: We turned things around,” Shortsleeve says. “Until Governor Healey took it back and broke the budget all over again.” ***MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT passed under GOV. CHARLIE BAKER, promoted by MIKE KENNEALY!*** excerpt: Shortsleeve said the MBTA housing law, which requires some municipalities to zone at least one district near a transit hub for multi-family housing, is “a classic example of administrative overreach.” He also recently told the Boston Herald he would call for the repeal of the MBTA Communities Act , a controversial zoning law that some cities and towns are still fighting the state over as the deadline to come into compliance approaches. Shortsleeve is the second Republican to enter the race, joining Mike Kennealy, another Baker administration alum, who launched his campaign in April. It’s already looking like it’ll be a bruising primary. Kennealy’s campaign bashed Shortsleeve’s time atop the T in a statement shared with Playbook: “Massachusetts needs a manager to clean up Maura Healey’s mess. When Brian Shortsleeve had his chance to lead, he mismanaged the MBTA and left it in just as big a mess as he found it,” Kennealy’s campaign manager, Ben Hincher, said. “It’s hard to imagine what exactly he’s ‘proud’ of.” ***BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG IGNORES THAT PETER DURANT'S 1ST ACT WAS TO ENDORSE DESANTIS, RIGHT AFTER HE APPOINTED
POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:
DESANTISLAND — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picked up another two backers in the Bay State after this week's debate: Republicans state Sen. Ryan Fattman and state Rep. Kelly Pease .
Previously posted:
The Massachusetts Senate Republican caucus has grown to four with the addition of Peter Durant . | Kelly Garrity/POLITICO
MASS GOP are revelling in the recent election of PETER DURANT....
MASSIVE FRAUD:
Mass. GOP couple agree to state's largest settlement after campaign finance investigationBy Steve Leblanc • Published October 24, 2023
The state investigated contributions funneled from Ryan Fattman’s senate campaign committee through state and local Republican committees to Stephanie Fattman’s register of probate committee during her 2020 reelection campaign
NBC BOSTON
GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Not running for governor: Republican state Sen. Peter Durant , who had been thinking about it. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at a reception celebrating the 77th Independence Day of the State of Israel at 6:45 p.m. in Boston. Attorney General Andrea Campbell hosts a diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility guidance webinar with other Democratic attorneys general at 11 a.m. and speaks at the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys annual dinner at 6 p.m. in Framingham. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins a coffee hour in West Roxbury at 10 a.m. and attends the Metro Mayors 10 Year Anniversary Climate Summit at 11:45 a.m. in the West End. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com . A NEW ERA FOR PLAYBOOK: Big news from POLITICO’s flagship morning newsletter in Washington: Today we launch The Playbook Podcast , hosted by Author and Managing Editor Jack Blanchard and newly named Playbook Chief Correspondent Dasha Burns. Jack has already been skillfully decoding politics, policy and power in Washington, and now with Dasha, a proven force on the Trump beat, will deliver across platforms what makes Playbook essential: a clear, aggressively nonpartisan and deeply reported distillation of what matters now and why. Also joining the team: Adam Wren as Contributing Author for Playbook’s Friday and Saturday editions, adding insight and sharp political reporting to your weekend reads. Sign up now to get Playbook delivered straight to your inbox.
|  | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| ENDORSEMENT ALERT — Angela Menino , the wife of former Mayor Tom Menino , is endorsing Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection — and she says her late husband would've, too. “I’m proud to support Michelle as Mayor, and I know my husband would have endorsed her as well, as he supported her when she ran for City Council,” Menino said in a statement shared by Wu’s campaign. “As mayor, Michelle has continued Tommy’s legacy, by showing up, taking care of the small things and building the trust necessary to get big things done.” Wu praised Angela Menino as “an inspiration” and “the embodiment of service and dedication to our city alongside Mayor Menino, and a champion for women and families.” “I am so grateful for her friendship and honored to have her support in this race,” she said in a statement. It’s not the first time Wu (who worked for Tom Menino through a Harvard Law School fellowship) earned his wife’s support; Angela Menino also endorsed her during her first campaign for mayor in 2021. Watch the endorsement video.
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| COMING SOON — Gov. Maura Healey plans to file a bill that would address high energy costs “this week” she said during an interview on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” Friday. — The health insurance agency for Mass. state employees will run out of money on Monday by Jonathan Saltzman and Jessica Bartlett, The Boston Globe: “The state agency that provides health care coverage to 460,000 public employees, retirees, and their families plans to delay paying claims to providers starting Monday because it’s running out of money — even as a measure to fund it is stalled on Beacon Hill. Private insurers that administer plans for the agency, known as the Group Insurance Commission, have begun contacting health care providers to say the commission is projected to run out of money on Monday. As a result, the insurers will hold off on paying providers. Point32Health, one of four private insurers that administer GIC coverage, sent an email to providers on Friday that Governor Maura Healey has filed a supplemental budget requesting $240 million for the GIC. The agency expects it will pass.” WATCH — Senate President Karen Spilka goes 'On The Record' about Trump, immigration, state budget via WCVB.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| — With Copley Square partially reopened, some people are not crazy about the new look by Emily Spatz, The Boston Globe: “The $18.9 million renovation of Copley Square is not quite done, but the park in the heart of the Back Bay already is drawing strong opinions from the public, eager to use the space after nearly two years of construction.” ***GREAT SERIES OF PHOTOS!**** RELATED — Copley Square’s redesign has stirred controversy. But a prominent urban designer urges patience by Tiziana Dearing and Rob Lane, WBUR. — Former state senator defends position at nursing home in receivership by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Dianne Wilkerson, the former state senator who now works at a financially struggling Boston nursing home, defended her salary after a Superior Court judge raised concerns. A year ago, after the Benjamin Healthcare Center was placed into receivership to avoid closing the long-term care facility, the court-appointed receiver hired Wilkerson as his executive assistant. But her role at the facility, located in Boston’s Mission Hill neighborhood, has come under scrutiny over the last several months.” — ‘ Devastating’ closure of Daily Table leaves affordable fresh food ‘desert’ in Greater Boston neighborhoods by Sabrina Lam, The Boston Globe: “Daily Table, a nonprofit local grocery chain that offered shoppers fresh food they could more easily afford, announced Friday that it is closing its doors after a decade in business. Residents of Cambridge, Boston, Roxbury, and Salem are already beginning to feel its loss.”
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — Protesters fill Worcester Common in reaction to ICE raid and arrests by Worcester PD by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: “With placards in hand and while chanting in unison, protesters filled the Worcester Common May 11 in reaction to the recent immigration raid by federal agents and arrests by Worcester Police on Eureka Street three days before.” PAY WALL ICYMI — Feds release statement defending ICE operation in Worcester via Telegram & Gazette staff: “The statement said [the woman who was arrested, Ferreira] de Oliveira had entered the country illegally in August 2022 and denounced ‘the previous administration’s open border policies.’ It also accused District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who could be seen in videos of the Eureka Street incident standing between authorities and the woman targeted for detention, of pulling ‘a political stunt’ and said she had ‘incited chaos by trying to obstruct law enforcement. ICE officers and local police regained control of the situation and ICE arrested Ferreira de Oliveira.’” PAY WALL — Rümeysa Öztürk lands at Logan: 'I have faith in the American system of justice' by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “Rümeysa Öztürk was soft-spoken, smiling, and quietly self-assured in her first major public remarks since her release from a Louisiana immigration detention facility on Friday. The 30-year-old Tufts graduate student from Turkey took part in a news conference at Logan Airport Saturday night, soon after landing in Boston. Öztürk’s demeanor at Logan was a stark contrast from the video that circulated soon after her March 26 detention in Somerville when she was seen screaming as a group of masked people — later identified as federal immigration agents – approached her, seized her phone, and put her into a black vehicle.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| — There was a surge in speeding on the Green Line. A system to stop it is years overdue. by Shannon Larson, The Boston Globe: “Common on rail systems across the country, automatic braking technology intervenes and stops the car if a driver fails to yield when approaching another train or a stop signal, essentially eliminating the possibility of human error. But the T is still three years from completing installation on the Green Line.”
| | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| ***EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE A SMALL POPULATION, TRUMP CONTINUES WITH HIS BIGOTRY & HATE TO DISTRACT FROM HIS EGREGIOUS FAILURES!**** — 'Donald Trump is making them political pawns.' Berkshire residents call for greater support for transgender rights at a Pittsfield town hall by Matt Martinez, The Berkshire Eagle. — As Trump targets Harvard, Greater Boston’s economy is in the crosshairs by Diti Kohli, The Boston Globe. ****TRUMP & MAGA HATE TRUTH & FACTS!**** — GBH is laying off 10 employees from global news and documentary channel WORLD due to federal funding cuts by Aidan Ryan, The Boston Globe.
| | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — Cannabis commission, elected leaders out of sync on budget ask by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon: “As Massachusetts lawmakers work to craft a budget, facing an ever-shrinking pile of money coming from the federal government and rattled by economic uncertainty, the leaders of one of the state’s most troubled agencies – the Cannabis Control Commission – are saying that they cannot make crucial improvements without more money from the Legislature. But legislators, so far, aren’t buying it.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — Taunton says it won't comply with ruling to release mayor's booking video by Emma Rindlisbacher, Taunton Daily Gazette: “When Shaunna O'Connell was arrested on July 19, 2024, for allegedly assaulting her husband, the police department recorded body camera footage from the arrest as well as footage from the police department's booking room. … After the Gazette's requests for copies of video footage related to O'Connell's arrest were denied, the Gazette filed appeals with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office. The Secretary of State's Office ruled that while body camera footage from the arrest would be exempt from disclosure, video footage from the booking room should be released in a redacted form. However, a lawyer for the city, Matthew Costa, recently said that the city will not release the body camera footage from the booking room despite that ruling from the state.”
PAY WALL — Quincy has spent $78 million on real estate in the last 5 years by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: “Since 2020, the city has spent $77.8 million acquiring property through purchases or eminent domain takings, nearly double the amount spent on such transactions over the preceding 6-year period. According to city records, Quincy transacted more than 20 land purchases and takings from 2020 to the present. These include two restaurants, a large downtown commercial building, a car wash and an old factory that was converted into a special education school, to name a few.” PAY WALL — Hate crimes on the rise in Bay State by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Massachusetts saw a dramatic increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes last year, according to a new report, which faults police for not responding to complaints. The report by the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said there were 28 hate-related incidents reported to the group last year, a 65% increase over the previous year and marking the largest spike in the group’s decade-long history.” PAY WALL — Haverhill seeks to tackle housing issues by Jonah Frangiosa, The Eagle-Tribune: “Nearly a quarter of the city’s renters spend more than half their income to keep a roof over their heads. It’s a harsh statistic that local officials aim to combat with a new housing plan.”
PAY WALL | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Kathryn Alexander, communications director for House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark; Laura Melle, Tommy Gardner, Nick Tierney, Kate Kelly and Andrew Thorne. 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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