POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Keeping up with Marty Walsh

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by LABOR INTENSIVE — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is leading the Biden administration’s efforts on workforce development and labor talks at clogged West Coast ports, traveling the country touting strong jobs numbers and serving as a walking billboard for Dunkin' pretty much anywhere he goes. Yet the former Boston mayor still keeps tabs on the city he returns home to on weekends. Playbook caught up with Walsh ahead of his Saturday speech at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention to chat about the growing unionization movement, the potential state takeover of the Boston Public Schools and how he feels like he’s “cheating” on Doughboy Donuts with all that Dunks (and the occasional Starbucks). Our interview has been edited and condensed for length: There’s a growing union push in Massachusetts. Why do you think that’s happening? The impacts of the pandemic, on the workforce, as we all know, have been monumental. … President [Joe] Biden's message of supporting collective bargaining and worker organizing and worker empowerment, I think that's one thing. And then also workers are looking collectively, at this moment in time. … A lot of younger people are saying wait a second, there's something to organized labor. So I think a lot of it’s naturally happening and I think some of it is intentional. Some of the unions are intentionally organizing workers as well. You’re a state House alum. Do you support state Senate staffers’ push to unionize?  I support anyone that wants to collective bargain. I support them. The state is threatening a takeover of BPS. Is that warranted? When I was the mayor, we worked out an agreement with the Department of [Elementary and Secondary] Education to help turn our schools around. And then Covid happens. It’s very difficult to implement the changes and what you needed to do when kids are literally learning for almost a year not in school. I would hope that the state would work with the city of Boston and allow Mayor [Michelle] Wu the opportunity to bring in a new superintendent and kind of philosophy to be able to make her mark on the school district. And it's really challenging, it’s hard to do that, with a potential takeover. And I don't think the Department of Education is prepared to take over the entire Boston Public Schools system. It's 56,000 people. So what I would say is work off the guiding principles we put in place, extend that a little bit, maybe put some other [procedures] in place … but allow this mayor, this school committee and the new superintendent to do their jobs. People come to New Hampshire when they’re eyeing a run for president. Are you looking to run for higher office? I have a job and I love my job. And I have a boss and I love my boss. I'm just up here today to talk to some Democrats. Would you run for president in the future? I'm not running for anything in the future right now. We'll see what happens. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh speaks at the New Hampshire Democratic convention on Saturday, June 18, 2022. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. State Attorney General Maura Healey is putting a big chunk of her $5.2 million gubernatorial campaign war chest to use. Healey’s team has placed $4.5 million in television ad buys through the November general election. That includes about $755,500 in reservations for the weeks leading up to the September preliminary election, her campaign confirmed to Playbook. The fall airwaves were getting crowded even before Healey booked her slots. Candidates and outside groups involved in New Hampshire’s contested federal races have been buying up airtime in the Boston media market for months already, and ballot-question campaigns are likely to follow suit. TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announces grants at the Quinsigamond Community College Healthcare and Workforce Development Center in Worcester at 11:30 a.m. Senate President Karen Spilka addresses the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at 7:45 a.m. at the InterContinental in Boston. GOP governor candidate Chris Doughty tours the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at 8:45 a.m. Wu speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony at the William E. Carter School at 11 a.m. GOP candidates including Geoff Diehl, Rayla Campbell, Jay McMahon, Donnie Palmer, Hamilton Rodrigues, Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette and Dean Tran, and former state veterans Secretary Francisco Urena, participate in a rally at 6:30 p.m. at the Athenian Corner in Lowell. Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.   A message from PhRMA: Did you know more than half of every dollar spent on medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them? There’s a long line of middlemen, like PBMs and insurers, collecting a significant portion of what you pay for medicine. The share of total spending for brand medicines received by the supply chain and other stakeholders increased from 33% in 2013 to 50.5% in 2020. Learn more.   YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rep. Jake Auchincloss is endorsing former Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell for state attorney general, saying that in the face of "a cyclone of NRA zealots, anti-abortion crusaders and democracy deniers” Campbell will “continue Massachusetts’ proud tradition of national leadership in defense of equal justice under the law.” — STAFFING SHAKEUP: Quentin Palfrey is without a campaign manager roughly two weeks after he secured the state Democratic Party’s endorsement for attorney general. But Palfrey spokesperson Joe Caiazzo told Playbook “this was always the plan” as the campaign shifted from convention prep to September primary push, and that there's no plan to hire another CM. Palfrey’s former campaign manager, Jeremy Comeau, told Playbook that the “campaign is restructuring post-convention” and that he is now serving as senior adviser. Caiazzo said “Jeremy did a terrific job guiding us to win the endorsement of the Massachusetts Democratic Party at the convention and collect over 14,000 signatures" to get Palfrey on the primary ballot. — CASH DASH: GOP governor hopeful Chris Doughty and his wife, Leslie, are hosting a fundraiser at his Wrentham home at 6 p.m. Monday, with a suggested minimum donation of $50. — “Sullivan calls for new blood in Secretary of State's Office,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport News: “[Tanisha] Sullivan, a corporate attorney, said she wants [to] bring ‘fresh ideas’ to the secretary’s office with a focus on increasing voting participation in marginalized communities, improving transparency in the state’s public records laws, and ensuring that securities regulations protect investors while encouraging economic growth.” DATELINE BEACON HILL — GAS TAX TALK REVS UP AGAIN: President Joe Biden will decide by the end of the week whether he’ll support a federal gas tax holiday that could save motorists up to 18 cents per gallon at the gas pump. Connecticut’s Democratic-controlled legislature and governor temporarily suspended their state’s gas tax. Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan has made her calls to shelve the gas tax a key part of her reelection campaign messaging. Yet Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka last week again pumped the brakes on the concept. Republican state lawmakers, along with a handful of Democrats, are urging leadership to reconsider and include a gas tax holiday as part of a yet-to-be-announced tax-relief package. And state Sen. Eric Lesser, who's running for lieutenant governor, said on WCVB’s “On the Record” over the weekend that “it’s appropriate to suspend the gas tax if we can do two things at the same time: protect the state’s bond rating, which we have indication we can, and the second thing that’s very important is to preserve the funding streams for our infrastructure projects.” Lesser said he “would be prepared to enthusiastically vote for a proposal that does that.” Lesser voted against a Republican-led proposal to suspend the gas tax in March, prior to analysis showing it was “unlikely” to harm the state’s bond rating. Lesser also voted against a gas tax holiday as part of a broader tax-relief package shot down during last month’s Senate budget debate , telling Playbook he “wasn’t prepared to vote for” the full slate of tax breaks spun out of Gov. Charlie Baker’s $700 million tax-relief proposal, which is still under consideration by the legislature. “I certainly have made my point very clear on the gas tax issue,” Lesser told Playbook. “My hope and my expectation is we’ll be taking it up soon.” FWIW, average gas prices have dipped below $5 a gallon. — “Massachusetts lawmakers are fighting the clock to finish their term. But they’re facing an unusual crush of circumstances,” by Matt Stout and Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “House Speaker Ronald Mariano has privately urged lawmakers to speed the pace of their closed-door negotiations, on issues such as climate and energy legislation. Democratic leaders say they’re crafting various contingency plans for if, or when, Supreme Court decisions sweeping away abortion rights and gun safety requirements upend decades-old law. … Mariano said failing to reach a tax relief deal would be a ‘missed opportunity,’ and given the few weeks remaining, suggested the chambers must work together to shape its details.” — “The strange Mass. crime wave over catalytic converters and the bill aiming to curb theft,” by Simon Levien, Boston Globe: “Catalytic converters, a pollutant-reducing device that’s in nearly every modern car, have become catnip for car thieves across Massachusetts, as sky-high metal prices have led to a huge payday for the pilfered part. … Representative Steven Howitt, a Republican from Seekonk, has led a bipartisan push to curb these thefts. And with its momentum, his bill just might become law before the state House breaks for summer recess.” VAX-ACHUSETTS — “COVID vaccines for small children are available starting Tuesday, but local parents are divided over whether to get them,” by Felice J. Freyer and Mike Damiano, Boston Globe: “As the long-awaited and newly authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months through 5 years old start arriving in the state this week, it remains an open question whether parents will leap at the chance to vaccinate their kids.” — “Massachusetts overall performed well in its response to COVID, study finds,” by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts ranked second in a new study that measures states’ overall response to COVID-19."   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     FROM THE HUB — “The whiter the Boston neighborhood, the easier it can be to find a restaurant with a license to serve booze, report shows,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “As the Boston City Council debates efforts to get more liquor licenses in the hands of entrepreneurs of color, a new report is putting hard numbers behind what many Boston politicians and restaurateurs have known for years: Generally speaking, the whiter the Boston neighborhood, the easier it is to find a restaurant with a license to serve booze.” — “Boston ‘city-wide warrant sweep’ called for by politicians as Mass and Cass drug problems flare outward,” by Sean Philip Cotter and Flint McColgan, Boston Herald: “A group of Boston elected officials are calling for a ‘city-wide warrant sweep’ of people accused of trafficking drugs, guns and other human beings as they say the crisis at Mass and Cass continues to ripple outward. … The signees included U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, state Sen. Nick Collins, state Rep. David Biele, City Council President Ed Flynn and City Councilors Frank Baker, Michael Flaherty and Erin Murphy.” WU TRAIN — “Campaign cash keeps coming in as Michelle Wu’s ‘inauguration’ approaches,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The mayor’s million-dollar-plus inauguration is scheduled for next week as cash has continued to pile in — and her campaign account remains a money factory, swelling back into the hundreds of thousands even as she spends more than $30,000 a month. … In a different account, the mayor has been raising dough for her ‘inauguration’ — now coming after more than 14% of the mayor’s four-year term is up — which is a free ‘summer block party’ scheduled for next Thursday, June 30, and will be paid for with a fund that has amassed nearly $1.1 million.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “New subway wait times highlight longtime T trouble: staffing,” by Taylor Dolven and Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “MBTA riders endured longer commutes on Monday as the T throttled back subway service, the latest fallout from the agency’s persistent failure to maintain staffing levels federal transit officials say are needed to keep the system safe. The extended times between trains on the Red, Orange, and Blue lines were put into place after federal regulators found some dispatchers in the operations control center working 20-hour shifts with just four hours off, and demanded the T staff up. … MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the agency is offering $10,000 bonuses to hire badly needed dispatchers, and has increased its recruiting capacity. But the path is steep to fill key positions.”   A message from PhRMA:     THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ROUNDUP — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden has been endorsed for a full term by former Suffolk DA Ralph Martin and Boston’s Ward 15 Democratic Committee. — NEW this AM: State Rep. Jake Oliveira has been endorsed for state senator in the Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester district by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, his campaign said. — “North Adams School Committee member Tara Jacobs is running for the Western Mass. seat on the Governor's Council,” by Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle. FROM THE DELEGATION — “Attleboro area congressman's office denies any culpability in alleged Capitol breach,” by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle: “U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss’s office on Monday denied any culpability in an alleged breach of the Capitol by staffers of a late-night CBS comedy show. … ‘The congressman had a scheduled interview with CBS, as did other members of Congress,’ Matt Corridoni, a spokesman for Auchincloss, said Monday. ‘Our contact with them ended well before the building closed for the evening. We do not condone any inappropriate activity and cannot speak to anything that occurred after hours.’” — “Democrats call for a universal charging standard,” by Nat Rubio-Licht, Protocol: “In a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Bernie Sanders asked that the U.S. establish uniform charging accessory standards, arguing that planned obsolescence in consumer electronics causes financial stress and environmental harm.”   DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED:  Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today.     FROM THE 413 — “As transformational chancellor departs, UMass Amherst takes stock of newfound prestige,” by Alexander Thompson, Boston Globe: “The school has shot up from 52nd in 2010 to 26th this year in the coveted U.S. News and World Report rankings of public universities, while applications to the school have grown 30 percent in the past decade — even as the state’s number of high school graduates has stagnated.” — “Northampton delays rules curbing plastic use by businesses,” by Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The City Council has voted again to delay implementation of the packaging and plastic reduction ordinance that was set to go into effect on Jan. 1, citing continued economic pressures on local businesses and restaurants that would be expected to comply with new rules for takeout containers, plastic bags and more.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “‘The worst of small-town governments’: In Stoughton, latest police scandal adds to long history of trouble,” by Dugan Arnett and Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “Despite its modest size, the agency has weathered state and federal criminal prosecutions, intense infighting that has led to several civil lawsuits, and an FBI probe into public corruption. … Now, the department finds itself once again mired in scandal, this time sparked by the February 2021 death of Sandra Birchmore, a 23-year-old pregnant woman with extensive ties to Stoughton police.” — "Falmouth residents oppose AR-15 deal between police and gun store," by Asad Jung, Cape Cod Times: "The deal entails the police department buying 38 semi-automatic weapons from Powderhorn Outfitters, and trading in 21 semi-automatic weapons, 20 of which are AR-15s, to receive credit toward the purchase. Over 300 Falmouth residents signed a petition for the town to dismantle and destroy the police department’s surplus weapons rather than trade them in." — “Shipments of baby formula arrive at Logan Airport from London,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe. — “Massachusetts communities celebrate Juneteenth,” by Matt Baskin and Kana Ruhalter, GBH News. — “Sex and monkeypox: CDC puts out guidance on how you should do it if you’ve caught it,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald. — “Rachael Rollins named vice-chair of U.S. Attorney General’s civil rights advisory committee,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald. MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — GRANITE STATE OF MIND: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh was quick to tell Playbook, and others gathered at the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention on Saturday, that he's not running for higher office. But Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker? "I think he should be our next president," one delegate told POLITICO. As the state's top Democratic officials zeroed in on abortion rights, Walsh received rousing applause for a speech that largely focused on rebuilding the economy and on propping up the Granite State Democrats seeking reelection to Congress.   A message from PhRMA: Did you know that PBMs, insurers, hospitals, the government, and others received a larger share of total spending on medicines than biopharmaceutical companies? That’s right, more than half of spending on brand medicines goes to someone who doesn’t make them. Let’s fix the system the right way and ensure more of the savings go to patients, not middlemen. Learn more.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — The Rev. Willie Bodrick II, senior pastor at the Twelfth Baptist Church, has been named the new president and CEO of The American City Coalition. WEEKEND WEDDING — State auditor candidate Chris Dempsey and Anna Cilluffo were married on the water in Hull on Saturday. The couple met while singing around the piano at Jacob Wirth’s in Boston’s Theater District and got engaged last summer Tweet.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former state Rep. James Dwyer and Mason Reynolds. Happy belated to Galen Clark, who celebrated Sunday. 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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Mashpee nip ban starts Thursday despite liquor store owner objections

Jessica Hill Cape Cod Times

Published Jun 29, 2021 

MASHPEE —On Thursday, customers will no longer be able to buy small bottles of Fireball, Dr. McGillicuddy’s or any other “nips” at Mashpee liquor stores. 

The Board of Selectmen held a discussion Monday about the ban on the sale of nips — a single-serving bottle of liquor — which they had approved November 2020 in an effort to reduce litter. But the board gave liquor store owners six months to come up with an alternative solution before the ban goes  into effect. 

Liquor store owners told selectmen about what steps they had taken to combat the littering problem hoping to get the ban repealed. After the discussion, selectmen voted 3-2 to go ahead with the ban, which goes into effect on Thursday. 

“We’re not out to hurt any business,” Chair Carol Sherman said in a phone interview Tuesday. “That is not the intention of this. We have to start somewhere, and the nips have become a problem. ... There’s other litter, yes, and we’ll address that. But right now we’re starting with the nips.” 

Sherman said she had advised liquor store owners to reach out to state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and Rep. David Vieira, R-Falmouth, for help, but she said they did not do so.  

Vice-Chair David Weeden and Selectman Thomas O’Hara voted to delay the ban to Jan. 1, but Sherman, Selectman John Cotton and Clerk Andrew Gottlieb voted against it, keeping the ban in place. 

“I don’t think we’re going after the right person,” O’Hara said in the meeting. “I think we should be going after the perpetrator who throws their trash on the side of the road.” 

Weeden said people would probably buy liquor in larger bottles and throw those on the road, or they will travel to surrounding towns to purchase nips. 

Mashpee followed in the footsteps of Falmouth, which banned nip sales starting in October 2021. 

Dena Rymsha, co-owner of Liberty Liquors, told the board the different steps the liquor industry in Mashpee has taken since the board originally voted to ban the sale of nips, such as implementing town-wide clean-ups and educating customers to not litter. 

“It is disappointing that after we clearly demonstrated how serious we are in addressing the issue, that the board of selectmen did not hold back,” Robert Mellion, executive director and general counsel of the Massachusetts Package Stores Association, said in a phone interview Tuesday. 

Four bills are currently before the state Legislature that would allow for a deposit to be added to miniature alcohol bottles, Mellion said, adding hearings on those bills will be coming up soon. He wished selectmen had waited to see what the state Legislature would do before making a decision. 

“Banning the product doesn’t incentivize people to remove it off the streets,” he said. “That’s a bad policy answer. The answer is to incentivize people to clean up cans. We could have gone that direction. … Bans just hurt businesses.” 

Zohaib Shahid, owner of the Mashpee Mart on 44 Falmouth Road also wished the town waited to see what the state would do before banning nips, which account for 50% to 60% of his business.

He estimates he currently has about $20,000 worth of nips in his store, and he might have to throw some of them out when the ban goes into effect. 

“It’s a waste,” he said Tuesday. “We’re going to lose money.” 

Johnny Rymsha, manager of South Cape Wine & Spirits on 19 Commercial St., said the ban will strip a big portion of the store’s yearly income and sales. The store still has a fair amount of nips left in stock, and he is hoping to get it all sold or distributed as soon as possible, he said. 

“Our hands are tied at this point,” Rymsha said Tuesday. “We should be able to survive, but it is definitely a large part of our business.” 

Mashpee’s ban has others nervous, too. 

Andrea Pendergast, co-owner of Cape Cod Package Store Fine Wine & Spirits in Centerville, said liquor stores all over Massachusetts are concerned that the ban could come to their town. They are trying to be proactive by pushing different initiatives such as cleanups in their own towns, Pendergast said. She and other liquor store owners did a litter cleanup in Barnstable recently to try to be a solution to the problem, she said. 

“It definitely hurts business regardless,” Pendergast said Tuesday. “It basically drives businesses out of state.”

Cape Conversation - Machine Gun Range

 

First, 8 Falmouth lifeguards test positive. Then, their boss tells them to stay mum about it

By Jessice Hill
Posted Jul 27, 2020

A former Falmouth lifeguard said the positive tests followed a party last weekend with many other beach department staff members. Text messages reveal Beach Department staff attempted to delay notifying other department employees about the positive tests.

UPDATE: This article was changed to update the number of COVID-19 cases among Falmouth lifeguards and to add a comment from Maggie Clayton, acting Falmouth beach superintendent, about why lifeguards infected with the virus were instructed not to share that information with other beach department employees.

FALMOUTH — Eight town lifeguards tested positive for the new coronavirus last week after attending a party the week before, and evidence shows beach department staff tried to delay spreading of the news of the positive tests to other lifeguards.

Town officials learned about the positive COVID-19 cases among the town’s lifeguards over the weekend, according to a statement Falmouth Town Manager Julian Suso released Monday afternoon.

Town officials were still waiting for those test results to be entered into the state’s reporting system, Suso said in the statement, and Health Agent Scott McGann is working on contact tracing with the Visiting Nurses Association.

Monday night, however, during a Falmouth Select Board meeting, Maggie Clayton, acting beach superintendent, said they found out about the first case Friday after work hours and that so far there are a total of eight verbal positive coronavirus cases among 117 staff members.

A former lifeguard for the town of Falmouth, who asked that their name not be used to prevent retribution, said lifeguards tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a party last weekend with many other beach department staff members.

In messages on GroupMe, a mobile messaging app, between town of Falmouth lifeguards, which were obtained by the Times, a person said Saturday at least four staff members have tested positive for coronavirus. In separate text messages also obtained by the Times, between a beach supervisor and a lifeguard who tested positive, the supervisor requested that the lifeguard not tell anyone about their test results.

Discouraging people from sharing their positive test results with others is wrong, the former lifeguard who spoke with the Times said. “It shouldn’t be swept under the rug.

“I know how easy it is to get people sick, how intimate the job is,” they said. “As a lifeguard you have to get up close to people. ... If you’re going to pay 20 dollars to park at Old Silver, you should know what you’re getting into.”

Addressing the text messages, Clayton told the Select Board Monday that supervisors asked employees not to say anything about the positive cases because they wanted to discourage peer-to-peer discussion before the supervisors could inform the entire beach department.

In a post on Facebook earlier in the day, Falmouth resident Mike Heylin, a former Select Board candidate, applauded the lifeguards for notifying town officials about the positive tests. But he said the town should have let taxpayers know sooner.

“They’ve known about it (since) earlier this weekend,” he said. “And there were no lifeguards at the beaches, few lifeguards on Saturday and Sunday ... and the town didn’t tell anybody. That is the definition of opaque government. It’s not transparent at all.”

The Falmouth Beach Department and the Health Department referred all press inquiries to Suso, who did not respond to emails from the Times about the positive tests and the text messages.

Falmouth Select Board Chairwoman Megan English Braga said she could not comment on the text messages because she has not seen them herself and does not know the supervisor who sent them.

“I haven’t seen it with my own eyes and I can’t verify it, and I don’t know who all of these individuals are and what their relationship is with each other,” English Braga said.

Commenting on the delay to notify the public, she said town officials over the weekend spoke with the people potentially involved and began working on the problem, but the test results were not confirmed and put into MAVEN, the state’s infectious disease database, until Monday. 

“You don’t want to rely on rumors,” English Braga said. “It’s striking that balance between listening to individual stories, having that hard data. Not wanting to wait too long, but not wanting to jump the gun if in fact there is nothing going on.”

Free COVID-19 tests will be available for all Falmouth lifeguards and staff members of the Beach Department at Falmouth Hospital site as part of a town effort with Cape Cod Healthcare, Falmouth Hospital, the Falmouth Board of Health, the County Health Department and the Falmouth Fire Department, Suso said in his statement.

Testing for staff members is expected to begin Tuesday, Suso said in the statement, and the town hopes to have the results within 48 hours of testing. The town will release updates as more information and results become available, according to the statement.

English Braga said working with Cape Cod Healthcare to enact that policy for free testing for beach department staff also took some time to arrange, furthering the delay.

During that testing process, the lifeguard stands at some Falmouth beaches will be operating on a temporary, reduced staffing basis, according to the statement.

“We are guardedly optimistic that Beach parking monitor positions can continue to be regularly staffed,” Suso said in the statement.