News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: POLLACK’s new LANE — BAKER lifts VIRUS CURFEW

Friday, January 22, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: POLLACK’s new LANE — BAKER lifts VIRUS CURFEW — MAYORS recover from COVID

Jan 22, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!

POLLACK'S NEW LANE — President Joe Biden is filling his new administration with Massachusetts officials and experts, and leaving some big job openings here in the process.

As Gov. Charlie Baker put it yesterday, he's said goodbye to quite a few colleagues in the last several weeks — the mayor of Boston, the governor of Rhode Island, two members of his medical advisory board, and now, one of his best-known cabinet secretaries.

Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack is joining the Biden administration as deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Pollack will begin her new job next week, leaving the position she's held since 2015. Baker called Pollack's news "incredibly bittersweet" yesterday.

Pollack has been one of the most visible members of the Baker administration. She led the agency through some major events, including the derailment of a Red Line train that caused months of disrupted service, a scandal at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The secretary's departure comes at a pivotal time for transportation in Massachusetts. Ridership on the MBTA was squashed by the virus, leading to service cuts . And when normal life resumes post-pandemic, Boston will again have to grapple with its worst-in-the-nation traffic.

And it's one example of how Biden is remaking the state political scene through his administration, right in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. The president's nomination of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh for Labor secretary opens up a blockbuster race. And this MassDOT opening will elevate someone new into a pretty high-profile role.

To fill the opening in the short-term, Baker has appointed Jamey Tesler as acting secretary. Tesler had been appointed acting registrar of motor vehicles in 2019, after the fallout from a deadly crash revealed officials hadn't been keeping tabs on warnings from other states about dangerous drivers. Tesler was promoted to permanent registrar last June. Colleen Ogilvie, the deputy registrar and chief operating officer, will fill Tesler's place as acting registrar.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

TODAY — Rep. Ayanna Pressley is a guest on WBUR. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh gives a Covid-19 update at City Hall.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts saw 27% drop in new COVID cases last week; 4,821 new cases, 75 more deaths reported Thursday," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "State health officials confirmed another 4,821 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the number of active cases statewide to 88,929. Thursday's case load is based on 111,726 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health."

– "222 Massachusetts cities and towns at high risk for coronavirus transmission, down from last week," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "The number of Massachusetts cities and towns at high risk for COVID-19 transmission declined this week for the first time since early November as state and local officials expressed hope that cases and hospitalizations were heading in the right direction "for the first time in a long time."

– "934 COVID cases reported in Massachusetts schools in past week," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "At least 934 coronavirus cases, among 544 students and 390 staff members, have been reported in Massachusetts schools from Jan. 14 to 20, according to a report from education officials."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Baker announces stay at home advisory, early closure order will end on Monday," by Christina Prignano and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker announced on Thursday that he would begin lifting some coronavirus restrictions in Massachusetts as the state sees improvement in test positivity rates and hospitalizations."

– "Baker lifted his 9:30 p.m. curfew, but will it help restaurants?" by Kara Baskin, Boston Globe: Governor Charlie Baker announced Thursday that beginning on Monday, Jan. 25, a 9:30 p.m. curfew on businesses will be lifted as COVID-19 numbers trend in a positive direction. Boston restaurateurs reacted with cautious optimism about the loosening."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Governor Baker hopes Biden administration will provide more vaccine doses; wants to expand sites," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker on Thursday expressed hope that more doses of the coronavirus vaccine could soon be made available by the Biden administration, and that additional vaccination sites could be coming to Massachusetts ."

– "Vaccine Delivery Speeds Up In Mass." by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "Massachusetts is opening coronavirus vaccine clinics to everyone eligible in phase one as of Thursday, a bit sooner than expected. That means home care nurses, therapists and personal care attendants as well as dentists, medical and nursing students and members of the clergy who see patients can now sign up for their first doses."

– "Pressley calls for better coordination in getting vaccine shots to city neighborhoods," by Bill Forry, Dorchester Reporter: "US Rep. Ayanna Pressley said today that she is frustrated with the vaccination rollout so far in her congressional district, characterizing it as "delayed and disorganized" and calling for a better-coordinated effort to get the medication to people in city neighborhoods hit hardest by Covid-19."

– "Walsh gets COVID-19 vaccine as cabinet nominee," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has yet to be confirmed as President Biden's labor secretary, but he has already been accorded one privilege of his cabinet nomination: vaccination against COVID-19. Walsh's office confirmed late Thursday that the mayor was vaccinated this week."

– "UMass launches student volunteer 'vaccine corps,'" by Jordan Frias, Boston Business Journal: "The University of Massachusetts is launching a program at several of its campuses to get students to volunteer to help the Covid-19 vaccination efforts, where they could do everything from administering the vaccine to registering folks for a second dose, or directing traffic at mass vaccination sites."

FROM THE HUB

– "Boston hospitals 'challenged' by coronavirus as city data shows beds almost full," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "'Challenged' Boston hospitals remain on the brink of running out of beds amid the coronavirus surge, according to city data. The numbers show that 99% of all adult hospital beds in Boston are full, a number the city's hovered at for six days. The hospitals' intensive care units are faring better, with 12% of beds free — though both metrics, which are seven-day moving averages, remain worse than the marks Boston officials laid out in October for 'thresholds for concern.'"

– "'Time To Cut Losses': Inside The Final Days Of A Boston Restaurant," by Adrian Ma, WBUR: "After four years in business, The Kitchen Cafe would join roughly 3,400 other Massachusetts restaurants that have gone into hibernation or out of business during the pandemic, according to estimates from the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. In recent months, we've heard a lot about how hard it is for restaurants to stay open. But what we often don't hear, is that closing can be just as difficult."

– "Study Finds No Increase In Suicides In Mass. During First Months Of Pandemic," by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR: "A new study from a Brigham and Women's Hospital emergency physician finds suicide deaths in Massachusetts did not go up when the state was in virtual lockdown because of the pandemic last spring. Dr. Jeremy Faust analyzed state data on deaths and found the number of suicides in March, April and May fell in line with the expected range based on recent years' trends ."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "Rep. Pressley backs move to override Boston's special election rule," by Bill Forry, Dorchester Reporter: "Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley supports the idea of skipping a special election to replace Mayor Martin Walsh and sticking with regularly scheduled elections later this year. 'I think Lawrence has given us a great model to replicate,' said Rep. Pressley referring to that city's petition to the state Legislature to override a special election to replace Mayor Dan Rivera, who resigned this month to take a new role as President and CEO of Mass Development."

– "Mayoral race will take place in a changed city," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "If past is prologue, this year's mayoral race may have many of the hallmarks of the 2013 race — the last race in which candidates ran for an open seat, after longtime mayor Thomas M. Menino announced he would not seek a sixth term."

– "Andrea Campbell grew up a few blocks away from 'Mass. and Cass.' Here's her plan to address the troubled area." by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Andrea Campbell finds it 'extremely painful' to retrace the streets of the South End neighborhood where she grew up. For most of her childhood, the Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate lived within a few blocks of the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, an area now known as a center of the regional opioid and homelessness crises."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Getting Gateway Cities back on the bus," by Richard Parr, CommonWealth Magazine: "Much of the focus on public transportation in Massachusetts during COVID has been on service cuts at the MBTA, but the Regional Transit Authorities serving the state's Gateway Cities and surrounding communities have also been struggling with declines in ridership since the start of the pandemic."

DAY IN COURT

– "Man allegedly shouted racial slur at victim of fatal road rage incident in Belmont, DA says," by John R. Ellement and Matthew J. Lee, Boston Globe: "As he lay bleeding from a head wound alongside his car on a Belmont street Tuesday afternoon, Henry Tapia told the Belmont police officers providing first aid he feared his life was ending, according to a police report."

– "'Straight Pride' organizer jailed for alleged role in US Capitol attack freed but banned from protests, travel," by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: "Jailed since Tuesday on federal charges related to the attack on the US Capitol, a Malden man — the force behind a controversial group whose motto is 'It's great to be straight' — will be freed but restricted from out-of-state travel and protests, a US magistrate judge ruled Thursday."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Frates bill becomes law," by John Castelluccio, The Salem News: "A bill championed by the late Pete Frates — to ensure that people diagnosed with degenerative nerve disease get immediate access to Social Security Insurance benefits — is now law. The ALS Disability Insurance Access Act was approved by Congress and signed into law late last month. It waives a standard five-month waiting period before benefits can begin for individuals, even after they become disabled."

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

– "SJC takes up local control of marijuana licensing," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Officially, the state licenses marijuana businesses. Practically, local municipalities are the gatekeepers. The requirement that cities and towns negotiate host community agreements with marijuana establishments has led to alleged outright corruption in Fall River, and statewide frustration among marijuana entrepreneurs who say local officials are violating the spirit – and potentially letter – of the law by extorting too much money."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "LATE PLATE," — Globe: "Biden may restore marine protection," "In major shift, Biden orders national response to fight virus."

FROM THE 413

– "'It was a total collapse': State health secretary Marylou Sudders testifies in hearing on Holyoke Soldiers' Home outbreak," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders led off testimony Thursday for the fifth legislative hearing on the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home."

– "'We're watching people walk out the door': Six Northampton police officers have resigned since funding cuts," by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: "The resignation of an officer from the Northampton Police Department last week reflects a broader morale problem in a department that has seen nearly 10 officers either laid off or resigned after massive budget cuts were made to the agency over the summer, according to city officials."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Bond bill includes $350M for roadwork near Cape Cod Canal bridges," by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: "Funding to revamp the roads around the Cape Cod Canal bridges made it through to the final version of the $16 billion transportation bond bill signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last week. The bill includes $350 million in bond authorizations for the approaches to the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, which have been eyed by the state to be redone as the bridges are slated to be replaced."

– "Mayor Thomas Koch back to work after bout with coronavirus," by Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger: "Mayor Thomas Koch says a lingering cough is the only lasting effect of a recent bout with COVID-19 that had him quarantining for 12 days at home through this past weekend."

– "COVID hasn't slowed down New Bedford mayor; still, he encourages residents to be cautious," by Kerri Tallman, Standard-Times: "About a week after announcing he tested positive for COVID-19, Mayor Jon Mitchell continues to push forward through the virus. Mitchell, currently isolated at home, said he feels about the same and never became worse from when he first contracted the virus. He said his symptoms include a mild cough and a little fatigue, but nothing stopping him from working."

– "Civic Center Commission OKs charging UMass rent for use of DCU Center as field hospital," by Steven H. Foskett Jr., Telegram & Gazette: "The Civic Center Commission voted Thursday to start charging UMass Memorial Health Care rent for the use of the DCU Center as a COVID-19 field hospital. Commissioners Thursday said they have been incredibly supportive of the arrangement that allowed UMass for the second time to erect a field hospital at the DCU Center, but noted that the facility has suffered staggering losses due to the pandemic, and thought it was fair to start charging rent."

– "Council: City could be vulnerable to lawsuits due to School Committee vote on superintendent," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "The Fall River School Committee's majority decision to keep Superintendent Matthew Malone despite a reportedly damning investigation that found he harassed staff members has left the city vulnerable to expensive lawsuits, say some members of the City Council."

MEDIA MATTERS

– "Boston Globe launches 'Fresh Start' initiative: People can apply to have archive stories about them reviewed," by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: "The Boston Globe announced a new program that will allow people to ask the newspaper to update or anonymize past coverage of them online. The 'Fresh Start' initiative is part of a broader effort to rethink the Globe's criminal justice coverage and how it affects communities of color, amid a national reckoning over racial inequity."

– "Former Boston Globe exec takes role at Philadelphia Inquirer," by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "A longtime executive who held sales, marketing and revenue roles at the Boston Globe for more than a decade has been hired as the new chief revenue officer at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pete Doucette, 50, whose LinkedIn page says he ended his tenure at the Globe in 2018 as chief consumer revenue officer, will join the Inquirer on Feb. 1 from FTI Consulting."

TRANSITIONS – Lindsay Owens is now interim executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative. She previously was a senior economic policy adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and is a Keith Ellison and Pramila Jayapal alum.

– Will Rasky joins the U.S. Department of Transportation in the office of governmental affairs. Tweet.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY – to Molly Trowbridge, communications director for state Sen. Eric Lesser, who celebrated Thursday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to state Rep. Josh Cutler, state Rep. Bradford Hill, Business Wire account executive Sarah Mattero, Carson McGrath, Stephen Glick and Gail Shalan.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Saturday birthday-ers Kristen Lepore, chief of staff to Gov. Charlie Baker; and the Harvard Institute of Politics' Amy Howell. And to DJ Napolitano, principal at Dewey Square Group, and Andrew Friendly, who celebrate Sunday.

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