POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: MassGOP cleanup continues

BY KELLY GARRITY PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook won’t publish Thursday and Friday for the Fourth of July but I’ll be back in your inbox Monday. In the meantime, you can reach me at kgarrrity@politico.com . Hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend! MASS GOP has supported extremists and Jim Lyons tactics were offensive, including bigoted robocalls. Supporting Donnie Palmer knowing about his anti-Asian comments was egregious.  Maybe the loyalists have learned....doubtful. Although their numbers are slim, they still fail to inform themselves before obstructing as State Senator Ryan Fattman did recently with the CLIMATE BILL hysteria.  At what point will MASS GOP work to INFORM themselves of publicly available inform prior to OBSTRUCTION?  CHIPPING AWAY — One lawsuit down, a couple to go for the MassGOP. The state Republican Party’s current leadership notched a win Tuesday when a Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit that former party Chair Jim Lyons filed last August alongside more than 20 state committee members. Lyons brought the suit against the party, party Chair Amy Carnevale and party Treasurer Patrick Crowley, after legal bickering over an earlier lawsuit that Lyons brought against Crowley in 2022 that the party voted to end when new leadership took the helm. Lyons couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday night. Meanwhile, a judge overseeing another lawsuit from Lyons against the party — this one for back pay he said he was owed after forgoing a salary for his role as head of the party during the pandemic — offered more good news for Carnevale and company. Lyons requested for that money — totaling more than $90,000 — be set aside as the case plays out. But the district court judge in that case rejected the request, per a memo Carnevale shared with state committee members — and threw cold water on hope for a quick, favorable ruling for Lyons. The plaintiff, Justice Asha White wrote, “has not established a reasonable likelihood of success on the suit,” adding that the request to hold the funds aside was “excessive, unreasonable and unnecessary.” New MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale addresses state committee members on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, in Marlborough. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO Carnevale took a modest victory lap in an email to state committee members Tuesday evening. The decision to dismiss the Superior Court case “allows the Massachusetts Republican Party to continue its efforts to move the Republican Party forward with a focus on supporting candidates and winning elections,” Carnevale wrote. “Our goal should always be on bringing back a two-party government to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and litigation only serves to divert our party from that goal.” The MassGOP might not be out of the red yet. Money’s flowing into the party’s coffers again. A more than $80,000 fundraising haul in June put the party’s state campaign finance account above $115,000 (the first time its hit three figures since 2022, according to state records . And it currently has $100,000 on hand in its federal account, per a party official. But it could have to shell out at least some of those savings. Lawyers are in the process of disputing nearly $300,000 of the roughly $400,000 in unpaid receipts for media, including some supporting former state Rep. Geoff Diehl’s failed gubernatorial bid. But it has been steadily padding its coffers. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Two dozen Democratic governors gathered on a call Monday to commiserate and share information amid the fallout from President Joe Biden ’s debate performance last week, POLITICO’s Elena Scheider confirmed Tuesday . Gov. Maura Healey was on the call, a campaign spokesperson confirmed without providing more detail. The White House quickly moved to set up a hybrid meeting today with Democratic governors, but Healey’s campaign was mum on her plans to join. It’s safe to assume given her publicly blank schedule that Healey will be attending in some form or another (She is a campaign surrogate, after all.), but she’s not broadcasting her plans the way some other, higher-profile Biden surrogates like Gavin Newsom are . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. THIS WEEKEND —  David Cash, regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency, is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” ]at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro and Sen. Michael Moore are on NBC10 Boston’s “@ Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Watching the sausage get made on Beacon Hill,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “It's often said that laws are like sausages – it’s best not to see them getting made. But a proposal to change the way the state procures clean energy is worth keeping a close eye on, partly because the stakes are so high but also because a bit of scrutiny is likely to keep all parties honest. The proposal didn’t follow the traditional legislative route – getting filed as a bill, vetted in a hearing before a committee, and then moving on to the full Legislature. Instead, the Healey administration broached the idea earlier this year but actual language didn’t emerge publicly until a climate bill was reported out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee midway through June.” — “After Karen Read trial, State Police expecting ‘additional scrutiny’,” by Sean Cotter and Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “The leader of the State Police said he expects his troopers to face increased scrutiny in their investigations as he further condemned the actions of Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator on the Karen Read case who was relieved of duty Monday night. … The State Police, which has faced multiple scandals in recent years, has been thrust back into the spotlight by Proctor’s testimony in the Read case, in which the Mansfield woman is accused of striking her boyfriend, Boston police Officer John O’Keefe, with her Lexus SUV in a drunken rage and leaving him to die in a blizzard in January 2022.” — “Healey administration awards $45M to extend broadband infrastructure,” by Namu Sampath, The Springfield Republican. — “Healey: More housing for Lowell, state,” by Melanie Gilbert, The Lowell Sun.  FROM THE HUB — “Boston ends needle collection program that gathered thousands of syringes daily,” by Jason Laughlin, The Boston Globe: “Since it launched in 2020, Boston’s Community Syringe Redemption Program has taken about five million dirty needles off the street and halved calls to the city for syringe cleanup. In exchange, the program provided small cash payments to those living with addiction, keeping some from turning to theft and prostitution, according to Addiction Response Resources, the small business that runs the program. As of last Friday, though, the needle exchange program is defunct. The city’s Public Health Commission no longer has the money for the initiative, said Pai En Yu, a spokesperson for the commission.” — “After the fire, East Boston residents feel the gaps in city’s emergency response,” by Sarah Betancourt and Elena Eberwein, GBH News. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State Rep. Sam Montaño is endorsing attorney Allison Cartwright for Suffolk Supreme Judicial Court clerk, the latest in a long list of Beacon Hill lawmakers who are playing in the race for the somewhat obscure post. CARPET BAGGER KOCH SOCK PUPPET returning?  — “Ex-Mass. Sen. Scott Brown says he’s weighing comeback ‘sooner rather than later’,” by John L. Micek, MassLive.  DATELINE D.C.  This is being promoted by REPUBLICANS & CORPORATE MEDIA as a distraction from Donald tRump's DEMENTIA.  It's time for DEMS to stop being manipulated and consider the LIES & DELUSIONS tRump spewed during the DEBATE. Racism, HATE & LIES were analyzed by CNN - did anyone review the comments?  The Orange Turd couldn't remember who was president, the said JOE BRIDEN. Can't remember words. Saluted to AMAZING GRACE. Saluted PLANES. Wave to empty spaces - like the empty parking lot at NASCAR.  Why aren't we addressing tRump's DEMENTIA?  "Everywhere Donny went his dementia was sure to follow" TRUMP'S DEMENTIA — “Democrats begin attacking Biden’s performance and campaign,” by Jared Mitovich, POLITICO: “[O]n Tuesday, Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) said he was doubtful that Biden just had a bad night during the debate, and he urged the president to consider how his place on the ticket impacts the fate of Democrats in the Congress. … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) echoed Quigley’s sentiment during a later interview on CNN, calling it unhelpful for the campaign to dismiss voter concerns and adding that he thinks Biden should more aggressively confront worries about his age.”   Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more.     MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS — “At Fall River cultivation site, cannabis workers cast off their union,” by  Katie Johnston, The Boston Globe. COMMISSION COMMOTION — Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro will join legislators for a hearing next week on his report on the Cannabis Control Commission, his office confirmed, in response to a request from Rep. Daniel Donahue , who chairs the House Cannabis Policy Committee. Donahue quested Shapiro join the July 9 hearing in a letter Tuesday, after Shapiro pleaded with lawmakers to appoint a receiver to help steer the “rudderless” agency. More from the State House News Service.  IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN — “In the Berkshires, an effort to corral climate change, one stream at a time,” by Erin Douglas, The Boston Globe. FROM THE 413 — “Sabadosa bills bring pregnancy loss out of shadows,” by Emilee Klein, Greenfield Recorder: “Two bills presented by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa that passed last week will support families who have experienced pregnancy loss by adding paid pregnancy loss leave to the Massachusetts Earned Sick Time Law and establishing a public information campaign for awareness and treatment options for pregnancy loss. The two pieces of legislation are part of a larger maternal health omnibus bill that seeks to codify many professions and processes that occur before and after labor and delivery. The bill includes a pathway for certified professional midwives, updated regulations on birthing centers, and licensing and reimbursement for lactation consultants.” THE LOCAL ANGLE — “State funding to increase paraprofessional positions in New Bedford, Fairhaven schools,” by Matthew Ferreira, The Standard-Times: “As the state and nation continues dealing with a labor shortage, the Healey-Driscoll administration hopes that giving out a total of $15.9 million will help boost various areas of the workforce across the state, according to a press release. While funds coming into some Massachusetts communities will be used to help industries like health care, CDL driving, and restaurants, the portion coming into SouthCoast will be dedicated to putting more people in paraprofessional positions at New Bedford and Fairhaven public schools, as well as helping existing paras become licensed teachers.” — “Attleboro switches to two tax bills instead of four, and gets lots of blowback,” by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS —  Jason Law has joined the state’s Executive Office of Education as press secretary and event coordinator. He previously worked as reporter and anchor, most recently at Boston 25 News HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Mark Cusack, Barbara Lee, president and founder of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Kunal Botla, Maia Raynor, Maya Serkin and Ted Steinberg. HAPPY LONG BIRTHWEEKEND — Thursday birthday-ers Chris Ingerson, Rachel Wells, Lanhee Chen, Will Ritter, Targeted Victory’s Ryan Williams, MassFiscal’s Laurie Belsito, the late Massachusetts governor and President Calvin Coolidge, who was born on July 4, 1872, and, of course, the United States of America; to Pat Beaudry , Christian Greve and Boston.com alum Chris Caesar , who celebrate Friday; to former state Sen. Richard Ross, state Sen. Jake Oliveira, Dave Eisenstadter and WBUR’s Cloe Axelson, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Bryan Bowman, Megan Wessenberg, Mike Rigas, Roselle Chartock, Melisse Morris, Vanessa Gatlin, Tim Murray and Northeastern’s Mike Ferrari , a Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill alum. 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 Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   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

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Another odd ballot alliance

BY KELLY GARRITY PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will be off Wednesday for Juneteenth, but will be back in your inbox on Thursday. MORE STRANGE BALLOT BEDFELLOWS — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s quest to audit the Legislature isn’t the only ballot initiative that’s pulling together an unlikely coalition. Organizations on both sides of the aisle are coalescing behind an effort to thwart the Massachusetts Teachers Association-backed ballot question that would replace MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. The unlikely alliance includes the right-leaning Pioneer Institute, the National Parents Union, the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education and Democrats for Education Reform. Former Democratic state Rep. Marty Walz is involved, as is former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s former campaign manager, now-pollster Brian Wynne. The collection of organizations and officials, all part of what’s officially known as the Committee to Preserve Educational Standards for K-12 Students, “represents a growing bipartisan and diverse coalition of organizations and people who oppose the repeal of the state’s high school graduation requirement,” the committee said in a statement. Voters fills out ballots, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022, in the Massachusetts primary election at a polling place, in Attleboro, Mass. | Steven Senne/AP The potential ballot question went 0-3 in attracting support from Beacon Hill’s Big Three. Gov. Maura Healey, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka all said they oppose getting rid of the test — at least without first having some other system in place to measure students’ success in school. But MTA says the test “will remain in place as a diagnostic tool” under its proposed ballot question and argues that there IS another system in place: existing state standards. The teachers union-backed question has garnered support from voters. Advocates had already collected twice the number of signatures they needed to get through the second round of signature gathering more than two weeks before today’s deadline to local clerks. “Our members have been adamant for years that the MCAS graduation requirement needs to be replaced because it has created an over-emphasis on the standardized exams across all grade levels,” MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy said in a statement released Monday. “The MCAS exams will remain in place as a diagnostic tool. But after the ballot question passes, we will replace the punitive graduation requirement with a renewed focus on our best-in-the-nation state standards and academic frameworks, which guide educators and schools.” State Rep. Alice Peisch, the assistant majority leader who co-chaired the Legislature's Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions, told reporters last month that conversations were happening around finding a legislative solution to prevent the proposed ballot question from reaching voters. The MTA didn’t slam the door shut on that possibility, but in a press release Monday said it had “embraced plans” to proceed to the November ballot. Both sides of the fight are also currently awaiting decisions from the Supreme Judicial Court on requests they made to clarify the question’s title and description. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . HOME TO YOUR 2024 NBA CHAMPIONS! The Celtics trounced the Dallas Mavericks Monday night, ending Boston's roughly five year championship drought (and a 16-year streak without a new banner for the C's to hoist to the Garden's rafters). Reactions poured in from some of the state's biggest sports names and from politicians all the way up to the White House . New Hampshire State Rep. Joe Sweeney was quick to note that the extra cash players make for advancing to the finals would likely be subject to the state's so-called millionaire's tax (something Sweeney pointed out in a post on X wouldn't apply if they played in New Hampshire). That's the same logic former Celtic's forward Grant Williams used last year when he left the team to join Dallas last year — but only one of those teams walked away with a title Monday night (Williams has since been traded to Charlotte.). GAS UP THE DUCK BOATS — The victory parade is expected to take place Friday — but first, the team heads to Miami for some fun, per The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn . SPOTTED — at the game: Deaton for Senate merch. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m., WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m., and swears in Ed Krippendorf Jr. and Sarah Kennedy as Associate Justices to the District Court at 1:30 p.m. at the State House. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll takes a walking tour of a town-owned housing development at 11 a.m. in Truro, participates in an LGBTQ+ business walk at noon and speaks at a new affordable, multifamily housing development at 1 p.m. in Provincetown. Attorney General Andrea Campbell convenes reproductive justice organizations for a gathering in Springfield. Campbell delivers opening remarks alongside her office’s Reproductive Justice Unit at 1 p.m. and is part of a fireside chat with activist Loretta Ross at 6 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour at 9:30 a.m. in Back Bay. Former Rep. Gabby Giffords joins Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano at a press conference to mark Gun Violence Awareness month and honor victims of gun violence at noon at the State House. Rep. Lori Trahan joins state and local officials for a ribbon cutting at 3:45 p.m. in Fitchburg. State Auditor Diana Di Zoglio visits High Expectations at 9:30 a.m. in Malden. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me:  kgarrity@politico.com.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY .     DATELINE BEACON HILL BUDGET WATCH — Neither Senate President Karen Spilka nor House Speaker Ron Mariano have promised to bring a budget compromise to the floor before the clock runs out on the current fiscal year. But Mariano suggested that negotiators could be close to an agreement. "They seem to be very advanced in the process,” he told reporters after huddling with Spilka and Gov. Maura Healey . “I know they were proposing different things on Saturday ... usually they're a little bit more under the gun before they start working Saturdays." If the two chambers can hash out an agreement before July 1, it will be the first time in more than a decade that the state passes an on-time budget. NO PRESSURE — Some of the governor's top legislative priorities are still tied up in the Legislature. But even with only a few weeks left before the end of formal session, Healey is keeping the public pressure on lawmakers to a minimum. "I have no concerns," she told reporters Monday when asked if she was worried about the bills backing up. "Everybody's working hard." A STATEWIDE BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS IN LONG OVERDUE! A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE USING THEY'RE RECYCLABLE BAGS TO STOP THE PLASTIC GLUT!     CLIMATE TALKS HEAT UP — Some legislation that is on the move: the two climate-related bills the Senate plans to vote on Thursday. A bill sponsored by Sen. Becca Rausch would implement a statewide ban on plastic bags across the commonwealth and would add a $0.10 fee for paper bags, $0.05 of which would go toward funding environmental protection initiatives. The other looks to modernize the state's electric grid, in part through an updated siting and permitting process for clean energy projects. — “Gov. Maura Healey: Next State Police commander could be outsider,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The next leader of the scandal-plagued State Police may come from the outside, said Gov. Maura Healey. Healey, speaking after a semi-regular leadership meeting with state House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka Monday, was responding to questions about whether or not the State Police as an institution is in need of outside intervention." — “Legislators want new Hanscom report, calling first 'cavalier' on environmental impacts,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “A group of legislators who represent the region around Hanscom Field are calling on the state’s emergency and environmental affairs office to reject a report filed in support of expanding the airfield to include 17 new private jet hangars. In their letter, Reps. Simon Cataldo, Michelle Ciccolo, Carmine Gentile, Ken Gordon and Alice Peisch said the draft environmental impact report was “strikingly cavalier in its omissions” and has “bold unsupported statements.” They specifically questioned how the project proponents’ determined unmet demand for private jet hangars at Hanscom and the expansion’s potential impact on Massachusetts’ environmental goals.” — “State uncovers $2M in welfare fraud,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “State investigators uncovered more than $2 million in welfare fraud in the most recent quarter, according to State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office. The office’s Bureau of Special Investigations looked into more than 1,250 cases during the third quarter of the fiscal year, from Jan. 1 to March 31, and identified at least 241 instances of public assistance fraud, nearly 80% of it in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.” — “Other states eye Mass. millionaires tax — for windfall or wealth exodus,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR. TESTING THE LIMITS — A group of state lawmakers is urging Gov. Maura Healey’ s administration to tweak the plan they laid out last week that would see the first migrant and homeless families exited from the state’s shelter system under the new 9-month limits as early as September. In a letter sent to Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus yesterday, 16 lawmakers from both chambers implore the administration to reconsider its plan to begin removing families from the shelter system in late September. “Families need time to prepare for transition, and we want to ensure that they receive the full range of benefits they are entitled to and for the entirety of the 9 months they are allotted under the supplemental budget,” the lawmakers wrote. Read the full letter here. ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR — “UMass launches task force in wake of spring protests, will also review police activity,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes has announced the creation of a Campus Demonstration Policy Task Force and an independent review of police activity on campus following events this spring that lead to more than 100 arrests on campus amid protests and encampments against the war in Gaza.” FROM THE HUB — “Boston Public Schools student homelessness hits all-time high. Why has it gotten so bad?,” by Christopher Huffaker, The Boston Globe. — “Current and former Boston Public Schools administrators allege ‘vindictive, racist, and sexist’ workplace culture,” by Deanna Pan, The Boston Globe: “An anonymous coalition of current and former Boston Public Schools employees has accused the district’s top administrators in a scathing new report of fostering a hostile work environment that is costing taxpayers millions of dollars every year in leadership churn and paid administrative leave. The 118-page report, which was made public at the Boston School Committee meeting Monday night, is based on conversations with more than 100 current and former BPS administrators, including school principals and central office managers, according to recently ousted principal Erica Herman, a member of the Coalition for Accountability and Justice, the group behind the allegations.” ON THE MOVE —  Hyde Park Rep. Rob Consalvo will carry Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’s home rule petition that would allow the city to temporarily shift more of the property tax burden onto commercial properties, per CommonWealth Beacon’s Gin Dumcius .   JOIN US ON 6/26 FOR A TALK ON AMERICA’S SUPPLY CHAIN : From the energy grid to defense factories, America’s critical sites and services are a national priority. Keeping them up and running means staying ahead of the threat and protecting the supply chains that feed into them. POLITICO will convene U.S. leaders from agencies, Congress and the industry on June 26 to discuss the latest challenges and solutions for protecting the supply lines into America’s critical infrastructure. REGISTER HERE .     YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — State Sen. Nick Collins , Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn and state Rep. David Biele are endorsing John Powers in his campaign for Suffolk County clerk of civil courts. SUPER SURROGATE — Healey hasn’t said much of anything about her frequent political foil, former President Donald Trump , being a convicted felon. But she’s on board with President Joe Biden ’s new campaign ad branding his rival as “a convicted criminal who’s only out for himself.” “Every part of this ad is true,” Healey, a super-surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign, said in a statement to Playbook. “Donald Trump is in this for himself, and Joe Biden is in it to deliver for the American people. The more people who understand the truth of what’s at stake, the more their choice will become clear in November.” More on the Biden campaign’s decision to dig in on Trump’s conviction from Lisa, Elena Schneider and Lauren Egan. THE LOCAL ANGLE — “These Mass. towns voted down funding their schools; they get another chance Tuesday,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: “The fate of whether the public schools in Uxbridge and Winchendon will close and lay off all their school staff members rests in the hands of voters who will decide at separate Tuesday evening meetings whether or not to pass the proposed school budgets. Both towns voted down their school budgets earlier in the season, and both are facing the prospect of their public schools shutting down on July 1 with no funding for staffing, programs or maintenance, according to Jacqueline Reis, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of elementary and Secondary Education.”   ****MUST READ**** — “Steward Health Care executives are mired in trouble at home. In Malta, it’s much worse,” by Hanna Krueger, The Boston Globe. HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — former POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook author Stephanie Murray has joined The Arizona Republic, where she’ll be covering national politics. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Steph Evans, Rick Cappellazzo, Sarah Anders, former Marlborough City Councilor Samantha Perlman and Ravi Simon. 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 Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   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

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA