News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: CAMPBELL raises $272k — Second phase of VACCINE ROLLOUT begins

Monday, February 1, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: CAMPBELL raises $272k — Second phase of VACCINE ROLLOUT begins — GAMESTOP saga’s MASS. connection

Feb 01, 2021

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Welcome to February! Are you ready for the snow?

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MONEY FLOWING AFTER WALSH EXIT — Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, a candidate for mayor, will report raising $272,000 in January, more than triple what she raised the month before.

It's the latest indicator of how Mayor Marty Walsh's impending departure has thrown the race into a frenzy. Things are moving fast. Walsh could formally step down in a matter of weeks — the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will hold a hearing on his nomination to be President Joe Biden's Secretary of Labor on Thursday.

Campbell's January campaign haul, which came from 900 donors, easily beats the amount she raised per month last year. That was back when Walsh's political future — and his potential reelection campaign — were unclear.

Now donors and operatives who were loyal to the mayor are free agents scrambling to boost new candidates. And the open seat race is also commanding more national attention. Campbell was a guest on MSNBC on Sunday night. The mayoral campaigns for City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George did not share fundraising figures, which are due to the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance by Friday.

Campbell is also adding new members to her campaign team, first reported in Playbook. Jasmine Talley, who worked for the campaigns of Bernie Sanders, Stacey Abrams and Elizabeth Warren, will serve as field director. And Heeyoung Leem will serve as Campbell's digital director, after working for Sara Gideon's Senate campaign in Maine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's campaign.

A fourth candidate may launch a campaign soon. A source close to John Barros, Boston's chief of economic development, says he is close to jumping in the race. Barros was a bit more cautious on the phone last night: "I haven't made the final decision yet, but having great conversations. Just had a good conversation with my family today," Barros told me.

One more first-in-Playbook fundraising number : David Halbert, who is among the candidates running for an at-large seat on the council, has raised more than $50,000 since he entered the race in mid-December, his campaign says, and has $45,000 on hand. Halbert raised just under $32,000 of that total in the month of December, according to a campaign finance report.

EXCLUSIVE: KENNEDY JOINS POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN — After launching a new political action committee and inking a contract with CNN , former Rep. Joe Kennedy III is adding a third new role to his resume.

Kennedy is joining the Poor People's Campaign, the organization will announce today. The campaign is led by civil rights leader Rev. William Barber. The former congressman's new role is unpaid, according to an aide, and he will focus on the organization's agenda for the Biden-Harris administration.

Kennedy just launched Groundwork Project, a hybrid PAC and nonprofit, last week, and made his CNN commentator debut on Friday. Kennedy retired from Congress after losing his primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey last year, in which he made a sizable campaign finance violation, and he paid back with personal funds.

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

TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh swears in Superintendent Dennis White as the new commissioner of the Boston Police Department at Faneuil Hall. Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George and Rep. Richard Neal are guests on the "Bloomberg Baystate Business" radio show. Rep. Lori Trahan speaks at a virtual New England Council event. Rep. Katherine Clark is a guest on GBH's "Morning Edition."

TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts reports 2,546 new COVID cases, 46 more deaths on Sunday," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts public health officials on Sunday reported another 2,546 cases of COVID-19 and 46 new COVID-linked deaths. The latest data from the state Department of Public Health brings the estimated number of active cases to 71,948 statewide."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "School funding a flashpoint in budget talks," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "A 2-year-old law requiring the state to dramatically hike school spending to even out disparities between poor and wealthy districts has become an early flashpoint in budget talks. Gov. Charlie Baker filed his preliminary 2022 budget on Wednesday. The $45.6 billion package boosts aid to cities and towns and taps deeper into the state's 'rainy day' funds to patch pandemic-related holes."

– "DOC proposing to tighten oversight of mail," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "The state Department of Correction, citing concerns about drug deliveries, is proposing to tighten oversight of incoming prison mail, including correspondence from attorneys. At a hearing on Friday, agency officials said they currently require all incoming mail at the state's maximum security prison to be photocopied, and are considering extending the policy to the state's other penal institutions."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Massachusetts Phase 2 vaccine rollout: Local health officials frustrated by supply, communication issues," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Local health officials who jumped at the chance to partner with the state during Phase 1 vaccinations of first responders and health care workers are now frustrated by what they say is insufficient communication in the run-up to the Phase 2 rollout on Monday. Several voiced concerns about finding out changes in the state's distribution plan mere 'minutes' before Baker administration officials make them public, or hearing about them through other channels."

– "Lesser calls on state to set up a one-stop sign-up system for vaccines," by Dan Crowley, Athol Daily News: "Calling the state's system for booking vaccination appointments "inexcusable," Sen. Eric Lesser filed emergency legislation Thursday that directs the state Department of Public Health to immediately establish an accessible, one-stop online sign-up for COVID-19 vaccinations for both desktop computers and mobile devices."

– "Coronavirus vaccines already making an impact on health care workers at UMass Memorial," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "The benefits of coronavirus vaccination are already starting to make an impact on health care workers at UMass Memorial Medical Center, with less people out sick with symptoms after getting the shot."

– "COVID vaccine hesitancy exists, particularly among Black, Latinx communities; Here's how UMass Memorial is helping patients make a decision," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "For some Central Massachusetts residents, weighing whether or not to get a COVID-19 vaccine has led to extensive reading and conversations about potential side effects, efficacy and the rapid speed at which the immunizations were developed, according to physicians who are working to help patients make an informed decision."

FROM THE HUB

– HE'S FROM MASS.: "The 'Roaring Kitty' Rally: How a Reddit User and His Friends Roiled the Markets," by Nathaniel Popper and Kellen Browning, The New York Times: "In mid-2019, a Reddit user — known as 'Roaring Kitty' on some social media accounts — posted a picture on an online forum depicting a single $53,000 investment in the video game retailer GameStop. The post attracted little attention, except from a few people who mocked the bet on the struggling company."

– "Frustrated with the government's virus response, citizens are building their own testing programs. And it's working." by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "Frustrated by the lack of an overarching state or federal strategy for COVID-19 testing, an increasing number of local organizations are rolling up their sleeves and figuring out how to create their own testing programs, part of a desperate effort to return to normalcy as the pandemic drags on and solutions — amid a bumpy vaccine rollout — still seem far off."

– "With Latinos Dying At Higher Rates From COVID, Brigham And Women's Hospital Intervenes," by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "In March, just weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, the incident command center at Brigham and Women's Hospital was scrambling to understand this deadly new disease. It appeared to be killing more Black and brown patients than whites. For Latino patients, there was an additional warning sign."

– "Marty Walsh announces launch of City of Boston Voucher Program," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Boston Mayor Martin Walsh on Monday announced the formal launch of the City of Boston Voucher Program, which will help hundreds of low-income city families with rental assistance. The rental voucher program is funded by the city's operating budget and administered by the Boston Housing Authority."

– "'Never, ever forget your self-worth': Listen to Boston Police Commissioner William Gross's radio farewell," by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: "Retiring Boston Police Commissioner William Gross took to the airwaves to issue a farewell to his department Friday afternoon — his final day on the job. 'I came here in 1983 as a Boston police cadet, and because of many of you, I rose to the rank of commissioner,' he said just after 1:30 p.m."

– "State becomes hotspot for COVID-linked child illness," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Even as COVID-19 cases begin to decline following a post-holiday surge, Massachusetts remains a hot spot for a rare but severe disease in children that is linked to the coronavirus. The state is one of 10 with a high number of cases of pediatric multi-system inflammatory syndrome, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

– "MIT Faculty Rally Around Professor Charged With Concealing China Ties," by Max Larkin, WBUR: "The Jan. 14 arrest of MIT professor Gang Chen — on charges that he concealed his ties to China — has cut deep on his home campus. More than 200 faculty colleagues have signed an open letter in support of Chen, saying that the charges are out of proportion with the offense and will do harm to science and the open university."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "Boston City Council moves toward overriding special election," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The City Council appeared to come to something close to a consensus on the idea of overriding the likely special mayoral election, and appears poised to pass the legislation in the coming week."

– "'There's Still So Much Work To Do': Annissa Essaibi George On Why She's Running For Mayor," by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: "Newly minted Boston mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George told Boston Public Radio on Friday she's running on her record as a city councilor and on her varied experience as a former school teacher and local business owner."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "MBTA offers 2 employees 'sign-on bonuses,'" by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "The MBTA has begun offering so-called 'sign-on bonuses' to attract some employees to join the transit authority. According to T officials, two employees received the bonuses last year — Vikram Dogra, deputy chief of capital programs, who received a $20,000 bonus on a salary of $219,000, and Chief Financial Officer Mary Ann O'Hara, who received a $10,000 bonus on a salary of $227,000."

– "In push for clean transportation, Mass. focuses on electric cars over public transit," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "There are two major strategies in the quest to eliminate climate-changing pollution from personal vehicles: Either get people to drive less and switch to public transit or other ways of getting around, or make the cars and trucks themselves less dirty — as in replacing them with electric vehicles."

BIDEN TIME

– "Labor Nominee's Brushes With Scandal Loom Before Confirmation," by Ian Kullgren, Bloomberg Law: "As President Joe Biden's nominee for labor secretary, Walsh faces a Senate confirmation battle that will put the 53-year-old mayor's working-class appeal and deep roots with organized labor in the spotlight—both the years he spent advocating for Boston construction workers and a union-related extortion scandal that shadowed him as mayor."

DAY IN COURT

– "Federal grand jury investigating potential fraud by top Methuen officials in approving exorbitant police salaries," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "A federal grand jury is investigating whether former Methuen city officials conspired with former police chief Joseph Solomon and one of his captains to hide the true cost of a union contract that would pay exorbitant salaries to senior officers in the department, according to a person with firsthand knowledge."

WARREN REPORT

– "Warren says GameStop saga is latest sign of Wall Street problems," by Myah Ward, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Sunday said the GameStop saga is just the latest 'ringing of the bell' that there are problems on Wall Street — one the Securities and Exchange Commission needs to fix."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "US Rep. Stephen Lynch tests positive for COVID despite receiving two doses of vaccine," by Ray Kelly, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, D-Boston., has tested positive for COVID-19, despite receiving two doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Lynch, who received the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine before attending President Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, received his positive test result on Friday afternoon."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– "Offshore wind projects may get back on track," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Large-scale offshore wind projects have been mostly on hold the past year but are expected to be revived under President Joe Biden, who vows to expand the nation's renewable energy sources. Biden has unveiled a $2 trillion package of clean energy measures that call for building thousands of offshore wind turbines as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions."

– "'Better Than We Thought': Biden Wins Early Praise From Skeptical Mass. Climate Activists," by Callum Borchers, WBUR: "On his way to winning the White House, Biden rallied climate activists who viewed him as a less-than-ideal candidate — but an upgrade over Donald Trump. For his party to succeed in next year's midterm elections, Biden may have to keep those lukewarm voters happy. He's put the environment near the top of his agenda, so far."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "WINTER WALLOP," "BEHIND THE SCENES," — Globe : "Grand jury probing Methuen police pact," "Vaccine rollout takes next step."

AS SEEN ON TV

– Rep. Katherine Clark on the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, during an interview on WCVB's "On the Record" which aired Sunday: "We need to take some of the lessons that we've learned from how the unemployment insurance was rolled out, the lack of accessibility that we saw, and apply it to this. So yes, while I am heartened that we are moving forward into new phases, the state does need to make sure this is a system that is accessible, easy to use and has different ways to access. Not everybody has the ability to consistently check back with an online system." Link.

– State Sen. Bruce Tarr on the state and federal role in the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, during an interview on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" which aired Sunday: "If we're going to make good progress we need more vaccine. I think we also need to have a system on the front end that is far more user friendly. We're hearing from a lot of folks who are about to become eligible in the second phase who are above the age of 75, who do not have the same facilities and familiarity with computer technology as maybe other people do. Trying to make sure that we centralize the process, make it easier to understand and digest, is a very significant thing. One of the things that's been concerning to us are the number of vaccines that have not gone out, and there are a number of reasons for that." Link.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Restaurant Row hoping for light at the end of the dark tunnel of COVID restrictions," by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: "Before 2020, Shrewsbury Street's Restaurant Row was usually a bustling part of town that hungry residents flocked to. Now, the streets have quieted down and restaurants are doing their best to hold on in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic."

– "Pool testing at home for protection against COVID-19; some on board, others see potential problem," by Henry Schwan, MetroWest Daily News: "School districts face many questions when it comes to figuring out what makes the most sense for testing students and staff for COVID-19. What test is best? Is there enough money in the budget to pay for it?"

– "Norfolk, Plymouth County jails see dozens of COVID-19 inmate cases, one hospitalized," by Joe Difazio, The Patriot Ledger: "The two county jails that serve the South Shore have reported dozens of cases of COVID-19 over the past week, with at least one man needing hospitalization. The Norfolk County jail in Dedham has identified at least 73 positive inmate COVID-19 cases over the past week. One man was sent to the hospital."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to former Gov. Deval Patrick photog Eric Haynes, former Boston City Councilor Tim McCarthy, strategist Kerry Akashian, Alexa Kissinger and Patricia LeBoeuf.

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