News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DOWNING running for governor — NEAL spearheads new COVID BENEFIT bill

Monday, February 8, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DOWNING running for governor — NEAL spearheads new COVID BENEFIT bill — WARREN’s growing influence

Feb 08, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! Tom Brady is still the GOAT.

NEW: FORMER STATE SENATOR DOWNING TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR — Ben Downing, a former state lawmaker, is launching a campaign for governor today.

Downing, a Democrat, is jumping into the 2022 race early — there are 91 weeks until November of next year. And with GOP Gov. Charlie Baker's plans for a possible third term still a mystery, it's not yet clear what the race could look like.

Downing's campaign will focus on "a fairer, stronger Massachusetts," he told his hometown paper, the Berkshire Eagle.

Downing is the first candidate to officially enter the race, though Harvard University professor Danielle Allen and Scott Khourie of Quincy are considering bids. Downing is a former state senator who represented Western Mass for 10 years before stepping down and taking a job at Nexamp, a renewable energy company. Downing lives in East Boston with his wife and kids.

Some first-in-Playbook details: Downing's campaign chair is Zaid Ashai, chair and CEO of Nexamp. Downing is being advised by Wilnelia Rivera and her firm Rivera Consulting, who was an adviser to Rep. Ayanna Pressley on her 2018 campaign. Handling Downing's digital operation is Authentic Campaigns, which worked on the presidential primary campaigns of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: BATES EYES COUNCIL SEAT — Hyde Park's Kelly Bates is considering a bid for Boston City Council. Bates, the president of the nonprofit Interaction Institute for Social Change, is filing with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to run for an at-large seat on the council, though she has not made a final decision.

With several seats on the council open due to members running for mayor of Boston, the contest is likely to become very crowded.

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

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts reports 3,004 new COVID cases, 76 more deaths on Sunday," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday announced another 3,004 cases of COVID-19 and 76 more deaths linked to the virus. There are currently 59,162 active cases of the coronavirus, continuing recent trends downward."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Baker takes more conciliatory tone on climate change bill," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Gov. Charlie Baker sent the Legislature's twice-passed climate change bill back on Sunday with new, compromise language that strikes a more conciliatory tone and dials back some of his earlier objections. When the Legislature first passed the bill in early January at the end of the last legislative session, the governor could only approve or reject it. He rejected it, raising concerns about its costly emissions target for 2030."

– "Goldberg Quarantining After Positive COVID Test," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantining at her home, her office announced early Sunday afternoon. The treasurer's office said that Goldberg 'recently learned of potential exposure and was tested' for the coronavirus."

– "Baker seeks to limit sick pay for state workers," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Gov. Charlie Baker is making another attempt to cap expanding sick time banks for state employees that have taxpayers on the hook for tens of millions of dollars. Baker's plan, tucked into his preliminary $45.6 billion budget, would limit a vast number of state employees to accruing 1,000 hours of sick leave, or about six months' worth."

– "A Brief History of the $100,000 MassDOT Toilet," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Was this a case of runaway spending and a dearth of public accountability, an overreaction to a taxpayer-bait tabloid sleaze? Yes! And yes! It's also your classic cautionary tale for anyone with access to a state or federal government's purse strings: If you're gonna spend a lot of the public's money, never do it in a way as funny as this."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Massachusetts launches COVID vaccine call center amid complaints about online access," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "After complaints about the state's vaccine website, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced the launch of a call center to help residents book appointments to get the COVID-19 vaccine."

– "Asthma left off Massachusetts vaccine eligibility list, causing concern," by LIsa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "All three of Neris Amaya's adult children have asthma. Her youngest, who at just 18 has already experienced asthma attacks severe enough to land her in an emergency room, has been so afraid of contracting COVID-19 she's barely left her room. Amaya lost her brother to the coronavirus last summer. He had asthma, too."

– "Activists seek to get vaccines into the communities that most need it," by Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: "What began as worry quickly turned into alarm, then anger over the state's botched rollout of the COVID vaccines. Or, to be more exact, the failure to get the vaccine to the Black and brown communities in Boston that have been affected most dramatically by the coronavirus."

– "Software Engineer Builds A Simpler Mass. Vaccine Website While On Maternity Leave, WBUR: Paul Connearney and Sharon Brody, WBUR: "When trouble arises, some people stay on the sidelines and gripe. That's not the Olivia Adams approach. The 28-year-old Arlington resident noticed complaints about the user-unfriendly system for booking a COVID-19 vaccination appointment in Massachusetts, and she leapt into the fray."

– "Thousands leaving Massachusetts vaccine sites without second dose appointments," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Kollegal Murthy and his family spent hours booking his first coronavirus vaccine shot at the Eastfield Mall. Now the 81-year-old doesn't know when he'll get his second. Murthy, of Longmeadow, was one of the roughly 3,600 people who received doses between Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 at one of the two mass vaccination sites the state runs with California-based Curative who left without a return appointment — another bump in a rocky vaccine rollout in the Bay State."

FROM THE HUB

– "Kim Janey 'will make the decisions that I need to make' as Boston acting mayor," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "City Council President Kim Janey is preparing to be the first chief executive of Boston who's not a white man — and she says she's not worried about the legal limitations on an acting mayor's power."

– "Black-Owned Businesses Have Been Largely Shut Out Of Boston Contracts, City Study Shows," by Chris Burrell, GBH News: "Less than one half of one percent of prime contracts the City of Boston awarded to private enterprises over a 5-year period went to Black-owned businesses, according to a study the city commissioned, portions of which were obtained by the GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting."

– "In some Boston schools, in-person education will resemble remote learning," by Jenna Russell and Bianca Vázquez Toness, Boston Globe: "Thousands of students in Boston have been stuck at home for nearly a year, dreaming of the day they can go back into school and leave their laptop screens behind. But when they finally return to classrooms over the next two months, many will find no escape from online learning."

– "Activists question handling of allegations against White," by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: "The sudden rise and equally swift public shaming of Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White this week is raising concerns among some of his supporters who worry that they are witnessing an attempt to sabotage the city's second black police chief."

– "Businesses band together to boost childcare, early-childhood education," by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: "A group of Massachusetts companies is banding together to help a sector that has proven indispensable to virtually every corner of the state's economy during the pandemic: early childhood education."

– "Boston City Council mulls residential kitchen permitting," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The proposal, which is up for a hearing Feb. 16, would create a licensing process for people to start up a 'cottage food operation' in which they cook up food in their own kitchen to sell."

– "Michael Bobbitt Starts As Executive Director At Mass Cultural Council," by Magdiela Matta, WBUR: "Michael Bobbitt stepped into his new role as executive director of the Mass Cultural Council after just 1.5 years as artistic director for Watertown's New Repertory Theatre. A strong anti-racist advocate, Bobbitt is committed to creating a more inclusive environment at the state arts agency."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "Is it a foregone conclusion that Boston's next mayor won't be a white male?" by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: "Does a white male candidate stand a chance in the Boston mayoral race? Not that long ago, we would have been asking something else: Where are the women, and where are the candidates of color?"

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Driving decreased in Mass. last year, but not traffic deaths," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "The coronavirus made Massachusetts roads noticeably more empty during 2020, but did little to stem another public health issue: the number of people killed by car crashes. There were 334 deaths on Massachusetts roads in 2020, according to a state database."

– "If a new Red Line train rolls into town, is anyone there to ride it?" by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "It's one of Greater Boston's most highly anticipated transit improvements in years, sent to unspool years of wound-up frustration that only intensified with every breakdown or delay. Yet when it finally hit the rails, the MBTA's first new Red Line train in a generation found few riders around to welcome it."

THE OPINION PAGES

– "In defense of politics in the Massachusetts General Court," by Raymond La Raja, CommonWealth Magazine: "There has been a push by reformers at Act on Mass and the Mass Fiscal Alliance to make the Massachusetts General Court – our state Legislature – more transparent. At the top of their list is a reform to make votes in committees publicly available. This sounds good on its face."

DAY IN COURT

– "How a summer job and viral tweet led to an FBI arrest of Massachusetts man in US Capitol insurrection investigations," by Heather Morrison, MassLive.com: "Last summer, Aine McDonald took a summer job delivering pizzas at Dominos before leaving for college. About 8 months later, they found themselves in the middle of an FBI investigation. The 19-year-old's co-worker, Brian McCreary, 33, was arrested and charged in connection with the violent uprising Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol in Washington."

– "Randolph man's discrimination claim against Whole Foods dismissed," by Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Patriot Ledger: "Almost all of the claims in a federal lawsuit against Whole Foods for punishing employees who wore Black Lives Matter face masks have been dismissed, including claims made by a Randolph resident ."

WARREN REPORT

– "Elizabeth Warren's influence in Washington rises as allies take Biden administration posts," by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Senator Elizabeth Warren once bragged about being a 'thorn' in the Obama administration's side, a populist outsider who sparred with its key economic officials and sometimes broke publicly with the president. When it comes to the Biden administration, she may be more of a voice in an ear."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Trahan, working with COVID-19 from home, outlines priorities," by Roert Mills, The Lowell Sun: "U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan is quarantining even from her family within the Westford home they share while experiencing minor COVID-19 symptoms, but she continues to vote by proxy and work despite her recent positive test, she told Sun editors Thursday."

DATELINE D.C.

– "Senior Democrats to unveil $3,000-per-child benefit as Biden stimulus gains steam," by Jeff Stein, The Washington Post: "The bill, spearheaded by Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, emerges as congressional Democrats accelerate their plans to enact Biden's stimulus plan within weeks. It also comes days after Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) surprised policymakers with a proposal to send even more in direct cash per child to American families, lending bipartisan support to the major push for child benefits."

AS SEEN ON TV

– Rep. Ayanna Pressley recounting the attack on the U.S. Capitol, during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday: "Living with threats and living with bigots who are as vile in their rhetoric as they are in the policies that they seek and enact and the harm that they seek to cause the most marginalized communities, Black Americans in particular, is not new. Again, this is familiar in an ancestral sort of way. So, it is not going to deter or obstruct me from doing my job on behalf of the American people."

– State Rep. Jon Santiago on considering a bid for mayor of Boston, during an interview on WCVB's "On the Record," which aired Sunday: "We have a virus that has upended our society, our schools, our economy, our health care system. And I think what I'm most worried about is: What's the Boston that will come back from this? And I would argue that the next two, three, four years will need to be rooted in equity and opportunity, and I think my skills and track record, be it in my ER position role, state representative role, or that in serving in the U.S. military really lends itself to addressing those issues."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– "Baker irked by undersecretary's climate remarks," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "David Ismay, the Baker administration's undersecretary for climate change, got into hot water with the governor on Friday after a video surfaced in which he appeared to say Massachusetts residents are going to be squeezed financially as the state tries to reduce emissions ."

– "When power most needed, 'peaker' polluters fire up in Berkshires. Should that continue?" by Danny Jin, The Berkshire Eagle: "When electricity demand peaks, dirtier fuels enter the power grid. Though they run just a small fraction of the time, 'peaker' power plants often fire up on the hottest days of summer or the coldest days of winter. And when they are on, they typically are among the worst polluters. Local climate advocates have started a push to convert three Berkshire peakers to cleaner alternatives."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "RING BEARER," — Globe: "Democrats seek hike in child payments," "For Brady, 7th heaven."

FROM THE 413

– "COVID plays havoc on Massachusetts county sheriff budgets; overtime costs rise exponentially amid pandemic," by Patrick Johnson, Springfield Republican: "Cocchi is the first to admit that, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, overtime spending for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department went through the roof. By year's end, the department's anticipated $200,000 surplus became a $7.4 million deficit. Overtime spending went from $1.3 million in 2019 to $8.6 million in 2020."

– "Easthampton launches rental relief program," by Jacquelyn Voghel, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Renters who are at least one month late on their rental payments, or at immediate risk of falling behind, may be eligible for $3,000 in aid under the city's new emergency rental assistance program."

– "UMass COVID-19 risk level increase from 'Elevated' to 'High'" by Cassie McGrath, Daily Collegian: "The new public health measures are a transition to entirely remote classes, all students, whether on-campus or off-campus in the Amherst area, are directed to self-sequester and the University is recommending that students do not travel from or into the surrounding area. Additionally, all campus athletic competitions and practices have been cancelled."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Exclusive: Despite chief's claim, Worcester investigated racist police incidents," by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: "In public meetings last year, Police Chief Steven M. Sargent insisted his department should not be lumped in with others across the country facing allegations of systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd's death. … In police documents provided after a public records request by the Telegram & Gazette, six investigations of racial complaints in the past decade were reviewed."

MEDIA MATTERS

– "How the Brady effect led millions of New Englanders to the Tampa Bay Times," by Amaris Castillo, Poynter: "The Tampa Bay Times has experienced a huge jump in readership from other states, most notably from Massachusetts. Figures that Fox shared with Poynter showed 910,248 Massachusetts visitors to tampabay.com from March 1, 2019, to March 1, 2020. From March 1, 2020, to now, there have been 2,502,087 visitors from Massachusetts, making the Bay State the fifth-highest state with visitors to the website, after Florida, California, New York and Texas. A lot of the traffic comes from Boston and Lowell."

– "The Push To Rescue Local News In Malden," by Vekonda Luangaphay, DigBoston: "Malden residents have stepped up to fill the news void, and to document their community's response to the pandemic, with Neighborhood View staying active through the past year. Since the launch of Neighborhood View in 2014, many reporters have cycled through the program, and there is currently a core team of about 10 participants."

TRANSITIONS – Mark McDevitt returns to Rep. Lori Trahan's congressional office as chief of staff. Link.

NEW EPISODE: LUCK OF THE DRAW – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray discuss the vaccine rollout, redistricting and new polling on remote, hybrid and in-person learning. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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