POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: School budget battles spill into ballot box

 

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School budget battles spill into ballot box

By KELLY GARRITY 

 

08/12/2025 07:25 AM EDT

CASH COURSE — After bruising school budget fights, some local officials may soon face another challenge: an uptick in outside spending on municipal elections.

In Northampton, an advocacy group that formed over backlash to school budget cuts last year is looking to make its mark on mayoral, city council and school committee races this year.

Members of the group “Support Our Schools” (or SOS) also formed a political action committee that has raised just over $27,000 since its creation last year. Northampton residents who opposed the school budget that was approved last year began organizing in late 2024, Tyler Barnett, a Northampton resident who serves as the PAC’s treasurer, told Playbook. “It was starting to affect enough people that it just sort of coalesced into the start of the movement here,” he said.

The group endorsed a slate of candidates late last month, and more endorsements could come after the city’s Sept. 16 preliminaries. Those behind the PAC are still deciding how exactly to spend the cash they’ve raised, but they have already hired a field organizer, Barnett said.

But for SOS supporters, forming the PAC was about more than the money. The amount they’ve raised is “not a huge amount of money, all things considered, but in this town it's pretty significant,” Barnett said. And importantly, “it shows that a lot of people feel very strongly about this.”

The Northampton SOS PAC may be the beginning of a trend. An SOS group has also popped up in Amherst (though it hasn’t officially set up a spending arm yet), and the Massachusetts Teachers Association recently announced that it plans to pour $1 million into its super PAC to assist local teachers unions that decide to get involved in municipal elections.

“The MTA itself does not endorse in local races at the moment, but if our locals have a process and end up supporting candidates, then we will help them out in advocating for candidates who are truly fighters on behalf of unions and public education,” MTA President Max Page told Playbook in a recent interview.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips, scoops, local elections to watch? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com. 

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey gives an update on the MBTA’s fall service schedule at 12:30 p.m. in Boston. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the groundbreaking for the New Pilot Travel Center at 9:30 a.m. in Chicopee and tours the proposed site of the Quantum Supply Chain Accelerator at Springfield Technology Park at 11 a.m. in Springfield, the Mass Green High Performance Computing Center at 1 p.m. in Holyoke and the Berkshire Innovation Center at 3 p.m. in Pittsfield. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a small business walk at 10:45 a.m. in Falmouth. Attorney General Andrea Campbell tours a new workforce housing site at Martha's Vineyard Hospital at 1 p.m. in Edgartown. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of a new commuter ferry stop at 11:30 a.m. in South Boston.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— Dems seek limits on National Guard deployments by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Democratic lawmakers are pitching a plan on Beacon Hill that would limit the federal government’s ability to mobilize the state’s National Guard as President Donald Trump increasingly seeks to commandeer the domestic military for crackdowns on immigration and crime. Filed by state Reps. Carmine Gentile, D-Sudbury, and James Hawkins, D-Attleboro, the legislation would prohibit the governor from authorizing the federalization of National Guard troops if the move would ‘result in the National Guard being effectively incapable of responding to a statewide emergency, such as a natural disaster or terrorism event.’”

— State pension fund reaches new heights amid market turbulence by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe: “In the investment world, few if any sages are more respected than the Oracle of Omaha himself, Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett. So when facing market turbulence, Michael Trotsky, the executive director of the state Pension Reserves Investment Management board, hews closely to the advice Buffett offered in his 1987 letter to shareholders: ‘insulate ... thoughts and behavior from the super-contagious emotions that swirl about the marketplace.’ Keeping calm, per Buffett’s advice, apparently has paid off for Trotsky and his nearly 70-person team at the PRIM board. The Pension Reserves Investment Trust fund hit a new record balance of $115.4 billion at the end of June, reflecting a 9.6 percent net return for the fund, above the 7 percent goal established by state actuaries.”

— Healey demands Republic Services resume talks with Teamsters by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: “In a letter to Republic President and CEO Jon Vander Ark that [Gov. Maura] Healey released publicly Monday, Massachusetts’ governor demanded the company return to the negotiation table and settle a new contract with the union in good faith.”

WAIT AND SEE — Days after Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins' arrest for allegedly extorting a cannabis company, Gov. Maura Healey is holding off on calling for his resignation.

“The allegations are certainly serious, and no one in elected positions should ever use or abuse their power in an unlawful way,” Healey told reporters Monday, but she still wants “more information,” she said.

MORE — Indicted sheriff’s state spending account used for Bahamas hotels, expensive meals by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “A trip to the Bahamas and another to a resort in Florida, stops at high end restaurants and time at Top Golf – these are among the purchases made using the procurement card assigned to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office in fiscal 2025. According to the State Comptrollers Office, it is the responsibility of department heads to oversee the use of their state issued procurement credit lines, or P-cards. A review of spending records obtained by the Herald show the card or cards assigned to Sheriff Steven Tompkins’ office were used to spend at least $133,282.09 in fiscal 2025.”

BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG DIDN'T RESEARCH THE EXPENDITURES UNTIL THE ISSUE BECAME PUBLIC! ALWAYS BEHIND 

THE TIMES! INSISTS ON EMAIL TO READ & HARASS YOU! BEEN THERE! 

DONE THAT! THEY WOULDN'T GO AWAY! 

PLUS — How Steven Tompkins Nickel And Dimed His Way To Indictment by Chris Farone, Talking Joints Memo. 

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— Waltham company sues MassDOT over public records amid highway rest stop contract controversy by Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez, WBUR: “A Massachusetts-based company is suing the state’s transportation department in order to gain access to public records related to a deal to operate the state’s highway service plazas. In June, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation board voted in favor of allowing Applegreen, an Ireland-based and private-equity backed company, to rebuild and operate 18 of the state’s highway service plazas. Waltham-based Global Partners was among the bidders vying for the contract and raised concerns over the process and alleged conflicts of interest that led to the selection of Applegreen.”

FROM THE HUB

— Boston is under its third heat emergency of the summer, with air quality alert in effect by Katie Cole, WBUR: “The city of Boston declared a heat emergency lasting from Monday through Wednesday, marking the third time this summer the city has issued such a warning. The heat index, or the ‘feels like’ temperature, is predicted to be in the mid- to high-90s for the first half of the week. Boston declares heat emergencies when two or more days are forecast to have a heat index of 95 degrees or above.”

— White Stadium opponents call for meeting with Mayor Wu, draw comparison to Everett stadium project by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald.

BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG PAY WALL

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Former Boston City Councilors Mike Ross, Sal LaMattina and John Tobin and former state Rep. Carlo Basile have endorsed Will Onuoha in Boston’s at-large City Council race.

FROM HARVARD YARD

HARVARD VS. HARVARD — The New York Times is out with a profile of May Mailman, a Harvard Law School grad the Times’s Michael C. Bender called “the most important, least-known person behind the administration’s relentless pursuit of the nation’s premier universities.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

CASH DASH — After a fundraiser in Oak Bluffs last weekend, Rep. Ayanna Pressley is tapping the Vineyard donor base again Saturday, with an event in West Tisbury, according to the invites. Tickets range from $50 for an “advocate” to $7,000 for a “sponsor.”

— Meet the Democrat Taking on RFK Jr. by Rachel Cohrs Zhang, Bloomberg: “Representative Jake Auchincloss’ interest in science and health runs in the family. His father was a top official at the National Institutes of Health and served as acting director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases after Anthony Fauci left government. Auchincloss’ mother used to lead one of the nation’s premier cancer centers. That pedigree helped position him as one of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s fiercest Democratic critics in Congress.”

— Moulton advocates for veteran's services during visit at Ironstone Farm by Teddy Tauscher, The Eagle-Tribune. 

PAY WALL

****MUST READ! THIS IS A SCAM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED!****

— As Trump’s Qatari jet deal goes nuclear, Warren and Senate Democrats push for a probe by Ja'han Jones, MSNBC. 

As Trump’s Qatari jet deal goes nuclear, Warren and Senate Democrats push for a probe

Lawmakers and activists want answers on the administration’s plans to retrofit a ritzy jet gifted to Trump with funds from the U.S. nuclear program.

A group of Democratic lawmakers is pressing Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink for details on the Trump administration’s plan to pull funds from an Air Force nuclear modernization program to retrofit a luxury jet the president was given by the Qatari government.

Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Adam Schiff of California, and Reps. Jamie Raskin (Maryland) and John Garamendi (California) want answers on the plan to pay for this presidential vanity project with up to $934 million from the wildly over-budgeted “Sentinel” program, which is meant to upgrade the military’s nuclear arsenal.

A prime example of the U.S.’ excessive military spending, the program has faced bipartisan criticism for its overspending and its failure to meet deadlines. But rather than slash the program (like, say, funding for cutting-edge mRNA research and other things the administration has deemed wasteful), the administration plans to pull $400 million from it to retrofit Trump’s palatial new airplane, Meink said last month at a Senate subcommittee hearing. Meink also testified that using that earmarked money will not affect or delay the updates to the Sentinel program.

As one might imagine, the aforementioned Democrats are raising issues in a letter addressed to Meink last Wednesday:

We write with concerns about how the Air Force is managing nuclear modernization funds, including whether those funds are being raided to retrofit a personal gift to President Trump that likely violates the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

After noting that even staunch conservatives like Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Deb Fischer of Nebraska have previously raised concerns about the program being used as a slush fund for the executive branch’s pet projects, the lawmakers make the seemingly obvious point that souping up a jet for the use of the sitting president, who intends to pass it along to his official library at the end of his term, meets that description:

Now, our concerns, and those of other members, appear to be prescient as part of the Sentinel program’s bloated budget is being redirected to an unintended purpose: retrofitting the Qatari luxury jet to serve as Air Force One — and subsequently, after he has left office, as the Trump library’s private plane.

They go on:

It appears that funds for programs that the Air Force has continually claimed are among its top national security priorities are now being used as accounts for presidential whims, while the egregious lack of transparency hides the true costs of these programs from taxpayers.

The Democrats want more specifics on the cost estimates for retrofitting the plane, including whether the Department of Defense would be on the hook to pay for future modifications.

On Friday, liberal activists from the watchdog group Democracy Defenders Fund joined the pressure campaign, urging the Defense Department’s inspector general to open a probe into whether the administration has broken any laws by accepting the jet (technically given to the Department of Defense). The Defense Department inspector general declined to comment to CBS News.

And who can fault them? This jet fiasco is outrageous and appears to be the most blatant abuse of office by a president in recent memory. That the administration would pull funds from a purportedly essential nuclear program to pay for it reeks of self-enrichment and underscores ongoing concerns that the U.S. under Trump is continuing its descent into tin-pot dictator territory.

— What do members of Congress do all day? Three Days with Rep. Jake Auchincloss by Isaac Saul, Tangle. 

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— State confirms open investigation of Saint Vincent Hospital by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: “A national accrediting agency found 'requirements for improvement' during a June visit to Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, in another development in the ongoing dispute involving the Massachusetts Nurses Association, the hospital and its parent company, Tenet Healthcare. Additionally, the state Department of Health confirmed Monday, Aug. 11, that there is an open investigation of the hospital.”

excerpts: 

The hospital is owned by Tenet Healthcare, a for-profit company based in Dallas. Unionized nurses at the hospital went on strike for nearly 10 months in 2021 over pay and staffing ratios.

The Joint Commission did not officially indicate that it would continue to probe the conditions at Saint Vincent Hospital, and at Tenet's MetroWest Medical Center, which includes Framingham Union Hospital and Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick.

A spokesperson for the state Department of Public Health said an investigation into the hospital was closed in February; however, a second, ongoing investigation was launched in June. The spokesperson said they could not provide additional information until the investigation is complete.

The Joint Commission letter, and a February report by the Department of Public Health and U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services examining nurses' claims that patient deaths and other poor outcomes could be linked understaffing and failed nursing protocols, was released by the nurses’ organization on Monday, Aug. 11. The report was compiled following a probe into allegations compiled by nurses over an 18-month period and presented to state officials.

The 160-page report, substantiating the claims of poor patient outcomes that included three deaths, was obtained by the union through a freedom of information request.

It details necessary staffing levels, training procedures and other factors to improve patient monitoring and ensure positive patient outcomes.

According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association: "The deficiencies identified in the report were so severe and widespread that the agencies threatened Tenet with termination of CMS funding for all services for patients covered under Medicare and Medicaid, which represent more than 70 percent of the patients served by the facility. The termination of participation in the CMS program is among the most severe penalties the regulator can administer to a provider."

***TENET FIRED EMPLOYEE FOR SPEAKING OUT INSTEAD OF CORRECTING ISSUES!****

The union recently filed a lawsuit against Saint Vincent Hospital and Tenet Healthcare Corporation seeking the reinstatement of Carla LeBlanc, a former nurse who claims she was fired for her saying on a podcast that hospital management was responsible for three patient deaths. LeBlanc was terminated May 1, according to the lawsuit, three months after she made statements on the podcast.

The lawsuit quotes the termination letter: "During an interview on a podcast, you made disloyal, reckless, and maliciously untrue statements attacking the Hospital and its services. As a result, the Hospital has determined that there exists just cause to terminate your employment effective immediately." 

— New Bedford’s growing Hispanic population lags in voter turnout by Grace Ferguson, Tavishi Chattopadhyay and Jakob Moskowitz, The New Bedford Light: “The influence of New Bedford’s fastest-growing population is easy to spot. You can find restaurants serving any tortilla-based dish you desire on Acushnet Avenue. More teachers and police officers in the city are speaking Spanish than ever before. The recent renovation of Dias Field into a soccer complex reflects how children’s interests have shifted from baseball to fútbol. One place the changes haven’t reached: the City Council chamber. One in every four New Bedford residents is Hispanic, but none of the city’s 11 councilors are.”

— Eversource presents revised natural gas pipeline plan as protesters raise climate concerns by Emilee Klein, Greenfield Recorder.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— Candidate for Congress proposes new legislation targeting hate crimes by Adam Sexton, WMUR: “A candidate for Congress is proposing increased penalties for perpetrators of hate crimes who wear masks, following a recent march in Concord by masked individuals carrying swastika flags that sparked public outrage. Christian Urrutia, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New Hampshire's 1st District, said the incident quickly became a topic on the campaign trail.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SOCIAL SCENE — The state's Republican party is now on TikTok.

***MASS GOP WAS SILENT WHEN THIS TRANSPIRED:

Mass. GOP couple agree to state's largest settlement after campaign finance investigation

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Andrew Parker, Lauren Collins Cline and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll.

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