POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Baker's big dance with the NCAA

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ve reached the last Playbook of the year, and what a ride it’s been! Massachusetts Playbook won't publish from Dec. 19 to Jan. 2. I’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Jan. 3. In the meantime, follow me on Twitter @lisakashinsky for Healey transition updates (scroll down for more on that) and email me at lkashinsky@politico.com . Have a happy and healthy holiday season! Now, to the news. GOTTA GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME — And you thought Maura Healey was going to be the one making all the basketball references next year. Gov. Charlie Baker sent shockwaves through Massachusetts political circles on Thursday when news broke that he’ll start as the NCAA’s next president in March. Longtime members of the governor’s orbit were surprised by the move. Even Baker himself seemed amazed. When he was first approached about the gig “a couple of months ago,” Baker told reporters, his “initial reaction was that I was not exactly what you would call a traditional candidate.” Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker shoots on the floor of the new Boston Celtics basketball team practice facility, Tuesday, June 19, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola) | AP Yet, it somehow makes sense. Massachusetts governors have a history with major sports enterprises (Mitt Romney and the 2002 Olympics). Baker, who played on Harvard’s 1977-1978 squad, has no professional experience in sports or higher education. But he brings an outsider’s perspective, a track record of turning around major organizations and an enduring bipartisan appeal to the table. And that proved enticing to an association that needs to rebuild its credibility with players, fans and lawmakers from statehouses to Capitol Hill. That includes Rep. Lori Trahan — a former Division 1 volleyball player, leading advocate for college athletes in Congress and critic of Title IX violations at major colleges — who commended Baker for taking on the challenge of leading an association at an "inflection point." It’ll likely be a lucrative gig. Baker earns $185,000 per year as Massachusetts’ chief executive. Mark Emmert, his predecessor at the NCAA, took home nearly $3 million in 2020. And Baker will be able to save on moving costs — an aide said he won’t be uprooting to Indianapolis, where the NCAA is headquartered. Some political operatives see Baker’s high-profile landing spot as a possible launchpad for a presidential campaign given the networking opportunities and notoriety. Romney, after all, leveraged his stewardship of the Olympics into a successful gubernatorial bid and a presidential nomination. But Baker, who’s repeatedly and now understandably said he won’t be a candidate in 2024, still lacks a natural constituency within the party outside of New England. And any missteps at such a major organization could damage his image. Baker had a Teflon coating as governor. But now, as Romney told the Boston Globe , he’s about to go “from the frying pan into the fire.” Hours after Baker’s new gig went public, the National Labor Relations Board determined the association is breaking federal law by not classifying college athletes as employees. Concerned Women for America, a conservative organization, issued a statement expressing hope that Baker might stop transgender athletes like Lia Thomas from competing in women’s sports. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. What a way to end the year. TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Auburn at 10:30 a.m. and highlights the RMV’s new cannabis-impaired driving curriculum at the Worcester RMV at 1 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a firefighter recruit graduation ceremony at 9 a.m. at Florian Hall and joins former Acting Mayor Kim Janey for an Amp UP press conference at noon at Roxbury Crossing. THIS WEEKEND — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Healey is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. PROPAGANDA:  A message from NextEra Energy: A Beacon Research poll of Massachusetts’ voters conducted in July 2022 showed that a majority support the use of clean, low-cost, carbon-emissions free nuclear energy to fight climate change . Over 70% of informed voters support including nuclear energy to fight rising energy costs and climate change.   TRANSITION TIME — THE WOMAN BEHIND THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE TEAM: Gov.-elect Maura Healey’s incoming chief of staff, Kate Cook, thinks working in the governor’s office “is like breathing pure oxygen. It’s such a special place.” That’s the mindset with which Cook, former chief legal counsel and director of policy and Cabinet affairs for former Gov. Deval Patrick, is returning to Beacon Hill after being Healey’s first assistant attorney general. Cook will serve as chief of staff to both Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll, keeping with the Baker-Polito administration’s practice of sharing one staff between the two executives. She’s one of three hires Healey announced this week, along with Secretary of Administration and Finance Matt Gorzkowicz and senior adviser Gabrielle Viator. Come January, it’ll be Cook’s job to serve as the primary liaison between the governor and her Cabinet secretaries and staff. Who all that will be is still coming into focus. Healey’s transition team is sifting through more than 1,000 resumes and referrals. Healey and Driscoll have also been meeting with Baker administration Cabinet secretaries “to discuss their offices’ work and the challenges they face and the opportunities they see ahead,” Cook told Playbook in an interview Thursday. She described them as “routine meetings for any transition” but didn’t address the Boston Globe’s report that the incoming administration is gauging current secretaries’ interest in staying beyond Jan. 5. Cook also pushed back on the notion that Healey hasn’t been transparent enough in her transition or about her plans as governor. Healey “has shown us exactly how she’ll govern” from her eight years as attorney general to her campaign’s policy proposals, Cook said. “We are right now laser-focused on attracting a really diverse and talented Cabinet secretariat. … I know there’s been some criticism that it’s taking too long. But honestly, to make intentional hires takes some time.” Asked about the incoming administration’s priorities for its first 100 days, Cook pointed to creating a budget that is “really going to be focused on bringing economic relief” to Bay Staters and making investments in housing, job training and transportation. Tax reform and Healey’s plan to expand the child tax credit are also “on the table.” THE LATEST NUMBERS — “Boston-area COVID wastewater levels keep spiking, Massachusetts virus cases up 12% as health officials push boosters and flu shots,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The seven-day average in the south-of-Boston region is now 1,347 viral copies per milliliter, which is up 87% since Thanksgiving. The north-of-Boston region’s seven-day average is now 1,179 viral copies per milliliter, which is a 144% surge. … Meanwhile, the Bay State’s daily average of 1,199 COVID cases from the last week is up 12% from the daily rate of 1,071 virus infections during the previous week.”   POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “GOP governor takes over NCAA at ‘pivotal’ time for players rights,” by Lisa Kashinsky and Juan Perez Jr., POLITICO: “Installing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker as the organization’s next president puts a former businessman, college basketball player and longtime bureaucrat at the helm of an association hoping Congress will help it navigate a smoldering players’ rights movement largely centered on pay and collective bargaining.” — More from State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski and Matt Murphy (paywall): “Massachusetts still does not have a law on its books governing college athletes seeking compensation for the use of their name, image or likeness, often referred to as NIL. Sen. Barry Finegold of Andover, who has filed legislation at the state level seeking to roll out clear rules and regulations for NIL in Massachusetts, said Baker joins the NCAA with ‘a huge challenge in front of him.’” — “How Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy helped Charlie Baker become the next NCAA president,” by Michael Silverman, Boston Globe. — AND THE AWARD FOR BEST LEDE GOES TO: “Gov. Charlie Baker may have been a backup basketball player at Harvard, but at age 66 he’s finally landed a starring role in college sports: Baker will be the next president of the NCAA,” by CommonWealth Magazine’s Michael Jonas . — AS ONE SESSION CLOSES: Several key bills remain stalled on Beacon Hill with this legislative session coming to an end, from Gov. Charlie Baker’s $139 million spending bill to help respond to the surge of migrants in the state, to legislation that would crack down on catalytic converter thefts . Early education reform, a priority of Senate President Karen Spilka, is now top of her list for next year. And House Speaker Ron Mariano is likely to revive his push to protect community hospitals by more strictly regulating larger players' expansions. The new session begins Jan. 4. — “Baker said he sought pardons in Fells Acres case because convicted siblings ‘should have gotten a new trial’,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “A day after withdrawing pardons requests for Gerald Amirault and his sister, Cheryl Amirault LeFave, Governor Charlie Baker said he pushed the clemency recommendations because he believed the siblings should have gotten a new trial after being convicted of sexually abusing children at the Fells Acres Day School nearly 40 years ago.” — “Baker nominates Jubinville for clerk magistrate,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “In one of his last nominations as governor, Gov. Charlie Baker has nominated Governor’s Councilor Robert Jubinville to a lifetime appointment as clerk magistrate of Framingham District Court. Jubinville’s nomination must still be approved by his colleagues on the Governor’s Council.” — “State lawmakers hold fewer recorded votes,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “In the current legislative session, which got underway in January 2021, the state House of Representatives has held 281 roll calls that recorded how individual lawmakers voted on specific bills, according to records from the House Clerk's office. That's less than half of the 600 roll call votes the House held during the preceding two-year session in 2019 and 2020, according to the data. In the 2017-18 session, the House held 518 roll call votes.” — “MGM reports $22 million in gambling revenue; state Rep. Bud Williams calls for Western Mass. seat on state Gaming Commission,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican. — “Mass. is about to open 25 behavioral health centers with 24-hour crisis intervention,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive.   PROPAGANDA:   A message from NextEra Energy:     FROM THE HUB — “Michelle Wu proposes major affordable-housing rule changes in Boston,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Mayor Michelle Wu is looking to beef up the city’s affordable-housing requirements for developers with proposals to raise the percent of units that have to be income-restricted, increase the amount they have to pay the city and make the rules apply to some smaller projects.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “DPU orders MBTA to address speeding on Green Line,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Trains are traveling too fast on the Green Line, says the Department of Public Utilities, which highlighted ‘overspeeding’ as a major issue in its annual oversight report on MBTA safety.” FROM THE 413 — “Advocates push for tenant bill of rights in Holyoke,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Such a bill of rights would ensure a series of protections for renters, including promoting affordability of rental housing stock, requiring prelease inspections, done by a city inspector, proving the housing stock meets various codes, and prohibiting landlords from asking about past criminal history.”   A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We’re kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY .     THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Claudine Gay selected as Harvard's next president,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “Claudine Gay will become Harvard's 30th president in July, and the first Black person to enter the role. She'll take over the job from Lawrence Bacow, who announced in June plans to step down after a five-year tenure.” — GETTING SCHOOLED: Gov.-elect Maura Healey is participating in Harvard Kennedy School’s annual “Transition Term” where students embed in the offices of newly elected governors, mayors and county executives. — “Fall River mayor condemns neo-Nazis who protested at drag story time,” by Audrey Cooney, Herald News: “NSC-131 posted footage of the event on social media and claimed responsibility for the protest. A blurred-out portion of a video they posted shows members of the group rushing toward the steps of the library and appearing to kick at people who were there in support of the drag event. … The [police] department’s hate crime division is investigating and has also reached out to U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollin’s office.” MEDIA MATTERS — “Linda Murphy named editor of The Herald News and Standard-Times,” by Katie Landeck, Herald News. MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — OP-ED OFFENSIVE: New Hampshire’s all-Democratic federal delegation penned an op-ed in the Boston Globe urging their party to keep the first-in-the-nation presidential primary in the Granite State ahead of the full DNC vote on the 2024 nominating calendar. President Joe Biden’s plan would make South Carolina the first primary and have New Hampshire and Nevada share a date a few days later. But Republicans are keeping New Hampshire in the first slot in 2024, leading Democrats to argue that moving their presidential primary could push independents toward the GOP. PROPAGANDA:   A message from NextEra Energy: Affordable, carbon-emissions free, reliable electricity from nuclear energy. Seabrook Station lowers consumer energy costs in Massachusetts and New England by providing a year-round, low-cost, baseload energy supply. And American-made nuclear energy supports hundreds of jobs across New England.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge on Wednesday. TRANSITIONS — Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi has been elected president of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association. Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott has been elected vice president. Dukes County Sheriff Robert Ogden will serve as the organization’s first associate vice president. — Dave Foley is now president of SEIU 509. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Boston Globe alum and WaPo’s Liz Goodwin, Ryan McCollum, Susan Estrich, Beth Fairservis and Charlotte DuHamel. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Joe Kaplan, Catherine Sanderson and Zachary Gavel, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday-birthday-ers Dion Irish and Emily Williams. AND HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY — to a lot of Playbookers: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, Abby Charpentier, state Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler, Maureen McInerney, Megan Johnson, Meaghan Callahan, Kalen O'Hare, Richard Purcell, Jakhari Watson, Judith Souweine, Scott Spencer, Bernie Lynch Jr., Koray Rosati, Joe Beebee, Scott Campanella and John Guilfoil. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BREAKING THE MASS CEILING — Hosts Lisa Kashinsky, Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela look at women’s ranks in the Legislature. Boston Herald reporter Sean Cotter talks about how hiring woes could alter the city’s longstanding employee residency requirement. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and SoundCloud . 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by THE WARREN REPORT — The first bill Elizabeth Warren introduced in Congress, when she was a “brand new baby senator” in 2013, was to reduce the interest rate on student loans. A decade of pressure campaigns later, Warren helped convince President Joe Biden to cancel up to $10,000 of federal student debt and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients. It was one of her biggest policy wins. Then the Supreme Court blocked it. “I have no doubt about the president’s legal authority to cancel that debt, so long as the Supreme Court follows the law instead of playing politics,” Warren told Playbook during a sitdown interview at her Capitol Hill office Wednesday. Warren is ending 2022 at an intriguing juncture. Several issues she’s spent years working on — a corporate minimum tax and over-the-counter hearing aids among them — have come to fruition under Democratic control in Washington. She could leverage those wins to run for president again. Or she could — with Democrats holding the Senate, White House and the governor’s office in Massachusetts come January — make another play for a Cabinet spot. She’s already signaled that she expects to have sway in how progressives and her party as a whole approach the next election. But Warren is adamant — and "very excited" — that she’s running for reelection in 2024. When Democrats take control of the Senate, she’ll have more power to pursue the types of investigations into corporations that helped make her a household name. And she just unveiled bipartisan legislation to crack down on crypto money laundering , though she’s not telling lawmakers to return the campaign contributions they’ve taken from criminally charged FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Here are more excerpts from our interview, edited for length and clarity: Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. | Francis Chung/E&E News What would your new crypto bill do? On money laundering, almost everybody follows the same rules — banks, brokerage houses, credit cards, Venmo and Western Union — but not crypto. The consequence is drug dealers, terrorists, ransomware gangs and rogue states like Iran and North Korea can use crypto as a way to move billions of dollars and finance their operations without getting caught. My bill, with [Republican Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.)] is the only bill out there that attacks that problem head-on. Should lawmakers (like Rep. Jake Auchincloss) who took money from FTX officials give it back? Crypto is an example of the effort that giant corporations, billionaires have been putting in for years to try to influence legislation here in Washington. … To me, the heart of this is what people are willing to do going forward. Are they willing to step forward and put meaningful regulations in place? You've long had a working relationship with Gov.-elect Maura Healey. Do you expect to have any input in, say, finding a new general manager for the MBTA ? My phone is always open and I’m always glad to be helpful. We talk — I want to put this the right way — it’s more casual than that. She will pick up the phone, she’s done this for years, she picks up the phone and calls me about something that’s going on, I pick up the phone and call her about something that’s going on. Prospects for further abortion protections in Congress are dim with Republicans taking the House majority. What’s the bigger game plan here? We need to keep this issue lifted up. That means talk about it. That means shine a light on every terrible thing they try to do, on every effort that states make to further restrict the rights of women to make their own health care decisions. Part of it is [also] pushing the [Biden] administration to do everything that they can, to use every tool. Should Biden run for reelection? Yes. He is and he should. Do you expect that he’ll have a primary challenger? I don’t think he will. Would you run for president again, if the circumstances were right? The circumstances are that Joe Biden is running. I’m very happy about that. I am not running for president, I’m running for Senate. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Tomorrow is the last Playbook of 2022. After the hiatus, your scribe will be back on Jan. 3. Have some newsy nugget tucked away? Now’s the time to send it: lkashinsky@politico.com . TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker attends the Community Behavioral Health Center opening in East Boston and discusses his administration’s work to expand access to behavioral health services at 10 a.m. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a Governor’s Council meeting to address sexual assault and domestic violence at 1:30 p.m. at the State House. PROPAGANDA:   A message from NextEra Energy: Seabrook Station has provided Massachusetts with low-cost, clean, reliable energy for over 30 years, reducing carbon emissions regionally by approximately 4 million tons per year. Nuclear energy is Massachusetts’ most cost-effective and essential tool to combat climate change.   DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Baker withdraws Amirault pardon recommendations,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “In a stunning reversal of a controversial policy recommendation, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday withdrew his recommendation to pardon Gerald Amirault and Cheryl Amirault LeFave, who were convicted in a high-profile child sexual abuse case in the 1980s. ‘Following [Tuesday’s] hearing, it is apparent that there are not sufficient votes from the Governor’s Council to support a pardon for the Amiraults. Therefore, the governor is withdrawing his pardon petition,' Baker’s press secretary Terry MacCormack said in a statement.” — “Governor’s Council votes to commute life sentence of Ramadan Shabazz, convicted murderer who’s served 51 years,” by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: “In an unanimous vote, the Governor’s Council on Wednesday agreed to commute a convicted murderer’s life sentence making him eligible for release after 51 years behind bars for killing two security guards during a robbery at a Dorchester store. The favorable 8-0 decision puts Ramadan Shabazz, 73, one final step away from parole.” — "Advocates question conditions at shelter for migrants and families experiencing homelessness," by Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR: "Showers in a tent outdoors. Dozens of cots lined up in tight rows. A chilly draft blowing all night. These are some of the conditions alarming advocates at a new facility set up to help families with children who are experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. State officials opened the temporary shelter and intake center in Devens earlier this week to help manage a spike in new immigrants and families seeking assistance. ... But homeless advocates said they were taken aback when they got their first glimpse Wednesday of conditions inside the temporary shelter. They also raised concerns about who is being sent to the intake center and whether the accommodations are legal." — “After a record high, overdose deaths may be declining slightly in Massachusetts,” by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: “The record-breaking pace of the opioid overdose crisis may be slowing, according to preliminary numbers from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The agency estimated a 1.5% decrease in overdose deaths through September of this year, compared to the first nine months of 2021. Last year, 2,301 Massachusetts residents died after drug overdoses, a 9.4% increase from 2020. State officials welcomed a decline, even if it is a small one.” — “Higher ed board approves plan doubling financial aid, updating college revenue retention,” by Grant Welker, Boston Business Journal: “The state Board of Higher Education unanimously approved on Tuesday a plan to dramatically increase the amount of state funding for financial aid. Board members hope the initiative will be financed through the state’s newly passed so-called millionaire’s tax." — “Governor Baker signs executive order establishing cybersecurity threat response team,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “[Gov. Charlie] Baker’s order establishes the Massachusetts Cyber Incident Response Team, or MA-CIRT, helmed by Curt Wood, the state’s secretary of technology services and security, the governor’s office said in a statement. The group’s mission is to bolster the state’s ability to ‘prepare for, respond to, mitigate against, and recover from’ significant cybersecurity threats, officials said.” — “Taxpayer watchdog group to dissolve,” by Christian M. Wade, Daily News of Newburyport: “Citizens for Limited Taxation, a group founded by fiery Marblehead activist Barbara Anderson that pushed through citizen initiatives on proposition 2 1/2 and a 1986 tax rebate law, plans to dissolve amid fundraising issues, dwindling membership and a lack of new leaders to take over the organization. … [Executive Director Chip] Ford said he is passing on the group’s mantle to the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a tax-exempt watchdog group founded by Republican businessman Rick Green of Pepperell, which CLT has worked with on tax-related issues for several years.”   POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP .     FROM THE HUB — “Boston City Council unanimously approves reparations study task force,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “The Boston City Council Wednesday voted unanimously to establish a five-member task force to explore the issue of reparations for Black Bostonians. The measure, which now goes before Mayor Michelle Wu for review, sets the stage for the city of Boston to participate in the growing national conversation about reparations: on how and who to compensate for the generational impacts of slavery and other racial traumas suffered by Black Americans.” — “Study says Boston schools may face ‘fiscal cliff’,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “Boston’s Public School system has weathered a steep decline in student enrollment in recent years without any major fiscal fallout, but that’s due largely to a big infusion of money from the city and COVID relief aid from the federal government. As that aid runs out and enrollment continues to fall, while costs continue to rise, a new report warns, the district faces a ‘potential fiscal cliff.’” — “Redistricting lawsuit is heading to federal court,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “The legal battle over the recent redrawing of City Council district lines has moved to federal court. South Boston civic groups, joined by some Dorchester and Mattapan residents, are suing over the new map, which carves up Dorchester’s Neponset neighborhood and shifts large parts of District 3 into District 4, saying it violates the city charter, the US Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act.”   PROPAGANDA:  A message from NextEra Energy:     TRANSITION TIME — “Western, Central Mass. leaders advising Healey argue for regional equity,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “A contingent of Western and Central Massachusetts leaders, educators and activists believe regional equity should forge the focal point of the incoming administration helmed by Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll — neither of whom hail from those areas of the commonwealth, where residents feel routinely forgotten or overlooked by Beacon Hill policymakers.” — “Letter from City Councilor Sean Curran asks Gov.-elect Healey to move a state agency to Springfield,” by Jonah Snowden, MassLive: “In a letter sent last week to a member of Healey’s transition team, [Springfield City Councilor Sean] Curran said it would ‘be a game changer’ for the city if the Department of Transportation, the Division of Insurance or the Executive Office of Health and Human Services relocated here from Boston.” — “Healey, Driscoll tease Mass. community events ahead of inauguration,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Five ‘community service-oriented’ events will take place across Massachusetts in the remaining three weeks leading up to the Jan. 5 inauguration, including on the Cape and in the Merrimack Valley, as well in the central, southeastern and western regions of the commonwealth.” — “Attleboro's mayoral special election set for Feb. 28,” by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle. — HAYDEN'S ADVISERS: State Sen. Lydia Edwards and former Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George are among the members of the Transition and Community Advisory Committee that will help guide Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden through the first 100 days of his first full term. Edwards is leading the committee along with Robert Gittens and the Rev. Ray Hammond. Members include Essaibi George, Andrea Cabral, Aisha Miller, Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, Linda Dorcena Forry, state Sens. Nick Collins and William Brownsberger, Communities of Color's Darryl Smith and La Colaborativa's Gladys Vega. KENNEDY COMPOUND — EYEING NORTHERN IRELAND: Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III is reportedly in the running to be President Joe Biden’s U.S. envoy to Northern Ireland, according to IrishCentral . Kennedy’s father, former Rep. Joe Kennedy II, had advocated for the job back in 1993 amid ongoing unrest. A spokesperson for the younger Kennedy didn’t respond to Playbook’s request for comment. The White House didn’t respond to WPRI’s Ted Nesi, either. The Kennedys have a storied history of serving as American diplomats — Caroline Kennedy and Vicki Kennedy are currently serving as the U.S. ambassadors to Australia and Austria, respectively.   A NEW POLITICO PODCAST: POLITICO Tech is an authoritative insider briefing on the politics and policy of technology. From crypto and the metaverse to cybersecurity and AI, we explore the who, what and how of policy shaping future industries. We’re kicking off with a series exploring darknet marketplaces, the virtual platforms that enable actors from all corners of the online world to traffic illicit goods. As malware and cybercrime attacks become increasingly frequent, regulators and law enforcement agencies work different angles to shut these platforms down, but new, often more unassailable marketplaces pop up. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY .     EX-PATS — “Tom Brady pushed crypto to his fans. This lawyer wants him to pay up,” by Steven Zeitchik and Julian Mark, Washington Post: “When Michael Livieratos saw quarterback Tom Brady in a commercial for the cryptocurrency trading platform FTX, he knew exactly where he wanted to put his $30,000 crypto investment. … [T]he odds of restitution for FTX customers like [Michael] Livieratos are slim. ... So Livieratos and his fellow plaintiffs are trying a different approach. Working with Coral Gables, Fla., lawyer Adam Moskowitz, their lawsuit seeks to shift the focus from FTX executives to what Moskowitz sees as a larger circle of complicity that includes some of the world’s most celebrated actors and athletes.” — RELATED: “Tom Brady hires Latham & Watkins to battle lawsuits tied to FTX crypto fallout,” by Benjamin Kail, Boston Business Journal. — ALSO RELATED: “Court filing reveals that crypto exec Ryan Salame blew the whistle on FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried,” by Clarence Fanto and Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: “A court filing Wednesday says cryptocurrency executive Ryan Salame, the Sandisfield native who owns a half-dozen Lenox properties, blew the whistle on disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. … Salame, who was co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, an affiliated company, informed Bahamian securities regulators in the days before FTX collapsed that Bankman-Fried may have funneled customers’ investments to his hedge fund, Alameda Research, setting the stage for the 30-year-old’s downfall.” FROM THE DELEGATION — "Dems' star-power strategy," by Andrew Solender and Sophia Cai, Axios: "Democrats are on the cusp of picking one of their highest-profile members, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), to lead their defense against Republican investigations on the House Oversight Committee. ... Raskin received 30 votes at a meeting of Democrats' Steering Committee on Wednesday, beating Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly (19 votes) and Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch (7 votes), according to multiple sources in the room." FROM THE 413 — “MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle pledges to visit Springfield to address casino’s failure to deliver on hiring, property development,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “MGM Springfield’s building at State and Main streets — 1200 Main St. — still has concrete jersey barriers, a temporary-looking awning over its sidewalk and no signs of life behind its windows. It doesn’t have a boutique hotel as was once the plan. The unfinished development of what was Springfield’s first skyscraper is emblematic, says state Rep. Bud L. Williams, of where MGM Resorts International has failed to meet the promises it made in the years-long quest for its operating license leading up to a lavish, August 2018 grand opening.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “People leaving Mass., workforce shortages harming state economy, report says,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “An overwhelming outmigration of Bay Staters, an aging state population and a shrinking number of international college students are among the demographic trends imperiling the economic growth potential and labor market in Massachusetts, a new [Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation] report sent to lawmakers finds.” PROPAGANDA:  A message from NextEra Energy: A Beacon Research poll of Massachusetts’ voters conducted in July 2022 showed that a majority support the use of clean, low-cost, carbon-emissions free nuclear energy to fight climate change. Over 70% of informed voters support including nuclear energy to fight rising energy costs and climate change.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — Boston City Council President Ed Flynn and Joe Caiazzo at the Boston Pops’ holiday concert last night. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former Lynn Mayor Tom McGee, Hannah Sinrich, Keith Moon, Jule Pattison-Gordon and Christopher D. Matthews. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BREAKING THE MASS CEILING — Hosts Lisa Kashinsky, Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela look at women’s ranks in the Legislature. Boston Herald reporter Sean Cotter talks about how hiring woes could alter the city’s longstanding employee residency requirement. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and SoundCloud . 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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