News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: HEALEY hits BAKER for McKINSEY CONTRACT — Gov plans to sign CLIMATE BILL

Friday, March 26, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: HEALEY hits BAKER for McKINSEY CONTRACT — Gov plans to sign CLIMATE BILL — ‘THIRD WAVE’ on Cape Cod

Mar 26, 2021

Presented by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM)

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!

HEALEY KEEPS UP PRESSURE ON BAKER — Attorney General Maura Healey hammered Gov. Charlie Baker for hiring the firm McKinsey for state projects yesterday, fueling the perpetual speculation that she might run for governor next year.

McKinsey recently agreed to a settlement with Healey and other attorneys general over its role in the opioid crisis, $13 million of which will go to Massachusetts. Separately, the consulting giant came up at a legislative oversight hearing this week, and Baker administration officials defended McKinsey's role in the state's Covid-19 response.

"My office found that McKinsey advised Purdue & other opioid companies how to 'turbocharge' opioid sales to increase profits. After what they did to families here, why would we reward them w/ more state contracts? The Administration has paid them $17M since July. It's outrageous," Healey wrote in a tweet. "The Administration should not be enriching a company that has profited from the devastation of our communities."

At the same time, Baker's sliding public approval rating has made some wonder if he'll seek a third term. And a recent UMass Amherst poll showed Healey was only a few percentage points behind Baker in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, though over a third of residents surveyed were undecided.

This isn't the first time Healey has led the press to speculate on her future plans. Take this Boston Globe headline from last month: "Healey wades into COVID vaccine debate and stokes questions about her political future." Or this one from the Boston Herald: "With Trump gone, AG Maura Healey has a new political target: Charlie Baker."

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Healey's trip to Worcester this week — which included touring a vaccination site, a swing through local businesses, and a stop to boost nurses on strike — raised eyebrows about her political future. Healey has also made stops in Chelsea and Brockton recently, but told the Boston Herald it's not in preparation for a bid for governor. She's also ramped up her criticism of the governor's handling of the vaccine rollout.

If Healey is waiting on Baker to make a move, that's probably not coming any time soon. The governor announced he was running for a second term in November 2017, a year ahead of the 2018 general election. If he follows a similar timeline this cycle, that's months away.

Some Democrats have already waded into the governor's race. Ben Downing, a former state lawmaker, launched a campaign in February. And Harvard professor Danielle Allen, also a Democrat, plans to decide whether to launch her own bid by June.

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

TODAY — Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a Facebook Live discussion on "the dangerous increase in racism and hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders." Rep. Richard Neal holds a press conference to highlight the American Rescue Plan in Pittsfield. Acting Mayor Kim Janey gives a Covid-19 briefing, then attends an interfaith prayer service.

A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM):

Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee will discuss the FY22 Budget, the House's legislative priorities for the new session; and his take on the state's overall fiscal health and stability. The presentation will focus on efforts to restore and regrow the Massachusetts economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Register here for AIM's Commonwealth Conversation event on key political issues with key policy makers.

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are shifting in Washington and across the country, and more people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a new twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. Get fresh insights, scoops, and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country, and hear from new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out on this new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Despite vaccine progress, active COVID cases in Mass. keep rising; now at 28,078 after a week of increases," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Active infections in Massachusetts rose to 28,078 on Thursday, up from 27,374 the day before, representing more than a week the number has been rising. State health officials confirmed another 2,274 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, according to the Department of Public Health."

– "These 32 Massachusetts communities are at high risk for COVID-19," by Amanda Kaufman and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe: "The state releases a map on a weekly basis that uses coronavirus case counts to show which Massachusetts communities are at high, moderate, and low risk for COVID-19 infection. The state's latest report lists a total of 32 Massachusetts communities now considered high risk for the spread of COVID-19."

– "COVID cases in Massachusetts schools increase again, with 682 students and 228 staff members testing positive," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "A total of 910 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported to the state by Massachusetts schools. Those cases, among 682 students and 228 staff members, were detected between March 18 and 24, according to data from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Gov. Baker Plans To Sign Landmark Climate Bill Into Law," by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: "After months of back and forth between the legislature and governor's office, Gov. Charlie Baker said he's planning to sign a landmark climate bill into law. This wide-ranging climate legislation represents the most significant update to Massachusetts' environmental law since the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act."

– "Mariano pledges to turn South Coast into 'hub of wind energy,'" by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano on Thursday pledged to make major investments to turn the South Coast into 'a hub of wind energy for the region.' Mariano, in a virtual speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, envisioned using the nascent offshore wind energy industry as a way to create jobs in Massachusetts while positioning the state to be a leader in a growing field."

– "Charlie Baker says $100M more in coronavirus relief headed to 'shortchanged' Chelsea, Everett, Methuen, Randolph," by Erin Tiernan and Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Four Massachusetts communities hard hit by the coronavirus – Chelsea, Everett, Methuen and Randolph – will get an additional $100 million in relief funding after initially getting 'shortchanged' compared to other affected cities, Gov. Charlie Baker announced."

– "Commission raises flags on film, alcohol, Fidelity tax breaks," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "A commission established to review the effectiveness of special tax breaks issued by the state of Massachusetts raised serious concerns in its initial report about measures benefitting the film, alcohol, and mutual fund industries."

– "Duxbury football's anti-Semitic play calls: Massachusetts State House push for Holocaust, genocide education," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The Duxbury football players using anti-Semitic terms for their play calls is yet more proof that Massachusetts schools need to require Holocaust and genocide education, lawmakers told the Herald. Two proposed pieces of legislation would address genocide education in Massachusetts schools, and one of them would mandate all students receive these lessons before they can graduate high school."

– "Here are the Massachusetts schools that were denied exemptions from the Baker administration's reopening plan," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker's administration approved the vast majority of waiver requests from local school officials seeking exemptions from the state's plan requiring districts to resume full in-person learning for grades K-8 next month. But not all of them."

– "Maura Healey says hundreds of Massachusetts residents will get refunds from Boston Sports Clubs," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Hundreds of Massachusetts residents who were billed against their will by Boston Sports Clubs are now slated to get full refunds, according Attorney General Maura Healey's office."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Baker Announces Vaccinations For Homebound Residents Beginning Next Week," by Mike Deehan, GBH News: "Gov. Charlie Baker says the state will begin a concentrated effort to vaccinate homebound individuals with supplies of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine next week."

– "As Mass. vaccinates older residents, positive cases increase among younger people, Baker says," by Amanda Kaufman, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts is now seeing an increase in positive COVID-19 cases among people younger than 30 years old, Governor Charlie Baker said on Thursday, as the state continues its vaccination campaign that prioritizes older residents."

– "As many workers resist COVID-19 vaccines, calls grow for state to make shots mandatory," by Matt Stout and Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: "Large pockets of first responders, front-line health workers, and other public-facing employees are so far refusing COVID-19 vaccination by the thousands in Massachusetts, prompting calls for state government and private employers to make getting shots a condition of hiring."

HEALTH CHECK

– "Mass. COVID Numbers Have Stopped Declining. Experts Say They Have An Idea Why," by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: "After a post-holiday spike, Massachusetts COVID-19 numbers plummeted at the start of the year, to the relief of public health experts and basically everyone else in the state. But over the last month, that progress has stalled. Even as the state has ramped up its vaccination effort, the pandemic seems to be showing off its tenacity."

– "Harvard Medical School, Boston Children's study charts path for fighting COVID-19 variants with vaccines," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital are proposing a possible way to make COVID-19 vaccines more effective against variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. The findings come from a study published March 16 in the journal Science, according to an article posted on the medical school's website."

– "Mass. Psychiatrists Concerned About Increase In Suicidal Thoughts, Attempts Among Adolescents," by Lisa Mullins and Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR: "The effects of the pandemic on mental health in the U.S. are profound. But clinicians who work with children say they're particularly concerned about one trend over the last several months: a spike in adolescents who have suicidal thoughts or have tried to take their lives."

A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM):

FROM THE HUB

– "Kim Janey attends Medal of Honor ceremony, pledges continued help to Boston small businesses as first week continues," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Acting Mayor Kim Janey made her first public appearances outside of City Hall on Thursday when she made a swing through South Boston, speaking at the Medal of Honor ceremony before hitting up several local businesses along East Broadway as she promised to do all she can to support them as the city begins to recover from the pandemic."

– "Survey Finds Most Remote Workers Are Looking Forward To Returning To Office," by Dan Guzman, WBUR: "After more than a year of many people working from home instead of the office, a new Harvard Business School Online survey finds a majority of those employees are looking forward to going back to the office, at least part time."

– "Executive exodus at Mass General Brigham as system undergoes integration efforts," by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Business Journal: "In the last five months, at least nine executives or senior leaders at the state's largest health system, Mass General Brigham, have said that they would leave their roles as the organization undergoes restructuring to more closely integrate its hospitals."

WARREN REPORT

– Amazon claps back at Elizabeth Warren after she criticizes megaretailer," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Amazon fired back at Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren Thursday night after she criticized the company on Twitter for not paying its 'fair share' of taxes. Warren, a liberal Democrat who has railed against large corporations that use tax credits, deductions, and other measures to minimize their tax bills, slammed the company in a tweet shortly before 5 p.m."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "U.S. Rep. James McGovern touts UMass vaccine clinic and sees 'light at the end of the tunnel,'" by Ron Chimelis, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern said he saw something Thursday he'd never seen before. 'I've never seen a place where people are getting a shot and happy to be there. This is an incredible job of responding to the needs of the community, an incredible public service,' McGovern said after a tour of the University of Massachusetts Amherst vaccine clinic at the Campus Center."

DATELINE D.C.

– "Walsh touts American Rescue Plan in first appearance as Labor secretary," by Alex Gangitano, The Hill: "Labor Secretary Marty Walsh made his first public appearance on Thursday to promote President Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package during a visit to a preschool and childcare center in Washington, D.C. Walsh, who was sworn in on Tuesday, toured Bright Start Early Care & Preschool in northwest D.C., a Black-owned, woman-owned business."

THE OPINION PAGES

– "Moderna, Massachusetts, and durable US foreign policy," by state Sen. Adam Hinds, CommonWealth Magazine: "President Trump pulled America from the global stage in pursuit of isolationist foreign policy. The fight against the pandemic provides an opening for President Biden to not only restore alliances but to establish durable US engagement in international organizations. What's more, Moderna and Massachusetts are at the center of the fight against the pandemic, and they might provide an example for how he can achieve it.

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "JANEY ALL BUSINESS," "TOP 10 TAKEDOWN," — Globe: "Biden vows to protect voting rights," "As key workers decline shots, a call for mandate."

FROM THE 413

– "Westfield Mayor Donald Humason in quarantine with COVID," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Mayor Donald F. Humason Jr. is in quarantine at his home this week following a positive COVID-19 test. 'Luckily, I don't have a lot of symptoms,' Humason said in a telephone interview."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Recent surge in Yarmouth COVID-19 cases believed to be the start of a third wave," by Jeannette Hinkle, Cape Cod Times: "The rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in Yarmouth is not just a spike, but the beginning of a new wave of infections, the town's health director said Tuesday. 'What I'm saying is right now, I don't believe it's an uptick,' Bruce Murphy told the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen. 'I'm saying it's the start of the third wave that we're seeing.'"

– "Lowell City Council seeks report on hate crimes, other race-based incidents in city," by Alana Melanson, The Lowell Sun: "The City Council is seeking a report on hate crimes and other race-based incidents against minorities in the city and exploring a reporting system to better capture data and respond to such incidents."

– "New right whale protection regs leave Cape Cod fishermen feeling trapped," by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times: "New state regulations, the result of a lawsuit seeking to protect highly endangered North Atlantic right whales, require that he fit the buoy lines on all 1,200 of his lobster, conch and black sea bass traps with special sleeves that release under the pressure of an adult whale. Along with collisions with ships, entanglement in vertical fishing line attaching lobster and other pots to buoys is one of the top causes of right whale mortality."

TRANSITIONS – Courtney Brunson joins the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts as policy adviser. Tweet.

– Brian Monteiro joins the Massachusetts Dental Society as director of government affairs and public relations.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY – to state Rep. Maria Robinson, who celebrated Thursday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Cambridge City Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Nick Bayer, Caroline Darmody and Kelli Ritter.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Saturday birthday-ers former House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Charlotte Peyser, a Baker alum and senior policy and research analyst at the New England Board of Higher Education; and Matt Siegel.

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.

A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM):

As a leading health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) has a long-standing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Join Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) for a conversation with Andrew Dreyfus, President & CEO of BCBSMA, as he shares the triumphs and the challenges on the journey to achieving diversity at every level of the organization – board of directors, leadership and employee base. Hear about the company's approach to the business case and initiatives to ensure an inclusive environment, while leading through unprecedented change – COVID-19, Remote Working and other factors impacting the workforce.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : The Biden administration is more than halfway through its first 100 days and is now facing a growing crisis at the border and escalating violence against Asian Americans, while navigating the pandemic and ongoing economic challenges. Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads to find out what actions are being considered, as well the internal state of play inside the West Wing and across the administration. Track the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out. Subscribe today.