News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: What the new CENSUS data means — COLLINS won’t run for MAYOR — BAKER pitches new RULES of the ROAD

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: What the new CENSUS data means — COLLINS won’t run for MAYOR — BAKER pitches new RULES of the ROAD — ‘SHAKEDOWNS’ in FALL RIVER

Apr 27, 2021

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE — The more they stay the same. Massachusetts will keep its nine congressional seats for the next decade, U.S. Census officials confirmed on Monday. But the once-in-a-decade reapportionment numbers caused some commotion in other parts of the country. Take a look at which states gained and lost seats, from my POLITICO colleagues.

Keep these numbers in mind as the data are posted. Officials released toplines from the 2020 census, but demographic information on race, gender and age don't come out until later this year, limiting what states can do with congressional maps right now.

Zoom out: For the first time in decades, New England will not lose a congressional seat. That's particularly big news in Rhode Island. Reps. David Cicilline and Jim Langevin, both Democrats, were bracing for a face-off if the state lost one of its two seats in the House. Massachusetts was the only state in the region to lose a seat in the most recent redistricting process 10 years ago, but this time it dodged a bullet. A shrinking delegation is always a worry. Protecting the census count was something Secretary of State Bill Galvin campaigned on in 2018.

Zoom in: Massachusetts' population is rising. The state has more than 7 million residents, according to the new data. That's an increase from the 6.5 million residents counted in 2010, the last time congressional districts were redrawn. After the districts are mapped this cycle, they will each contain an average of 781,102 people, according to Galvin's office.

Now really zoom in: The population isn't distributed equally across the nine Massachusetts congressional districts because of uneven growth. Rep. Stephen Lynch is estimated to have the most populated district, according to the UMass Donahue Institute. Lynch's district, which includes the South Shore, has approximately 822,000 residents, while Rep. Richard Neal's Western Mass district is estimated to be the smallest with 736,000 residents. There could be some shifting of district lines to even out the population share. It's pretty hard to imagine redistricting leading to a Republican victory anywhere, but precisely how the districts are redrawn could have an impact on where moderate or progressive Democrats can win over the next decade.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: COLLINS STAYING OUT OF MAYORAL RACE — State Sen. Nick Collins took a hard look at running for mayor of Boston, but ultimately decided he will not throw his hat in the ring, he told Playbook last night.

"After serious consideration I decided the timing isn't right for me and my family," said Collins, a South Boston Democrat. "Many people who want me to enter the race have reached out. I took my time. But I've decided the Senate is where I can be most impactful right now."

Collins' decision to stay out of the race comes at a key time in the mayoral contest — candidates have begun the process of getting on the September ballot. Collins is not endorsing anyone in the six-candidate field "at this time," but did not say whether he'll throw his support behind a candidate down the line.

The field of mayoral candidates marks a shift in Boston politics. Until Acting Mayor Kim Janey took office last month, the city had been governed solely by white men for its entire history. But this year, none of the major candidates are white guys. That could change if another hopeful jumps into the race, but at this stage it doesn't seem like anyone will.

As far as Collins' political future is concerned, he said he is focused on serving in the legislature. But the South Boston Democrat didn't rule out a run for higher office, either. Collins is often considered someone who might run to be Rep. Stephen Lynch's successor when he leaves the seat.

"I have a job I love right now and I'm going to be focused on being the best state senator that I can," Collins said.

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

TODAY — Rep. Jim McGovern and the YMCA of Central Massachusetts celebrate delivering 1 million meals to school children in Worcester. Rep. Richard Neal is a guest on the "Bloomberg Baystate Business" radio show. Rep. Jake Auchincloss talks about President Joe Biden's transportation plan on Clubhouse. Rep. Lori Trahan joins striking nurses from St. Vincent Hospital. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu joins a signature collection event for her mayoral campaign.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts reports 812 new COVID cases, 12 deaths as 7-day average of positive tests ticks down to 1.72%" by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "Active COVID cases increased slightly on Monday, from 29,563 reported Sunday to 29,601, according to the latest data from the Department of Public Health. State health officials confirmed another 812 new COVID-19 cases on Monday."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Red-light cameras, electric scooter review, harsher traffic penalties: What's in Gov. Charlie Baker's road safety bills," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker's road safety proposal includes a range of new rules bolstering existing traffic laws and requiring safeguards to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists from deadly car crashes in Massachusetts."

– "Lawmakers load up budget with earmarks," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle Tribune: "Money for food pantries, police, community centers and support for seniors and at-risk youth are among local earmarks added to a $47.6 billion House budget. Lawmakers from the North Shore and Merrimack Valley filed dozens of requests to buoy pandemic-battered communities and for pet projects and initiatives as debate on the spending package got underway Monday."

– "Battle for affordable child care wages on Beacon Hill, in Washington," by Erin Tiernan and Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Two of the Bay State's most powerful pols — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark — are urging President Biden to make a $700 billion, 10-year investment in universal child care as part of the American Families Plan he's set to unveil ahead of his Wednesday address to Congress."

– "Could Massachusetts make the film tax credit permanent? Proposal added to House budget," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "After years of public debate over the fate of the state's film tax credit, Massachusetts House lawmakers approved an amendment to make the tax credit permanent as part of the fiscal 2022 House budget. Rep. Tackey Chan's film tax credit amendment to kill the sunset, which was set for Jan. 1, 2023, was the first proposal taken up during the House's budget debate Monday afternoon."

– "'Out of control': New emails show fear, confusion at Biogen after superspreader meetings," by Rowan Walrath, Boston Business Journal: "More than a year after Biogen held multi-day management meetings that became a global superspreader event in the Covid-19 pandemic, newly released emails show the extent of the fear and confusion among the drugmakers' employees in those early days, as testing shortages, miscommunication from the state and changing guidance from health care professionals plagued the response. The emails also show that state public health officials discussed the probability of community transmission days before acknowledging it publicly."

– "Massachusetts millionaires tax could 'devastate' startups in Greater Boston: Report," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The proposed millionaires tax in Massachusetts could "devastate" innovative startups dependent on Boston's financial services industry for funding, according to a Pioneer Institute study released on Monday."

– "Are bars open yet? Are dinner parties OK? Here's where reopening and restrictions stand in Mass." by Amanda Kaufman, Boston Globe: "With the possibility of an announcement in the coming days on more relaxed measures, what's open right now in Massachusetts? What's still closed? What are the rules on masks and travel?"

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Baker says Mass. residents not hesitant to get COVID-19 vaccine, urges 'everybody' to book appointments," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker said Monday that Massachusetts residents are less hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine than people elsewhere in the country and urged everyone age 16 and over in the Commonwealth to get vaccinated as soon as possible."

– RELATED: "Mass. says vast majority of residents have been getting 2nd vaccine dose," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe.

– "UMass Boston, state university system to require vaccinations for fall," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Students at the University of Massachusetts Boston and in the nine schools of the state university system will be required to be vaccinated for the coronavirus before they return to campus in the fall, officials said Monday."

FROM THE HUB

– "She hasn't even started work yet, but Stephanie Everett already has one of the toughest jobs at Boston City Hall," by Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: "Stephanie Everett has yet to get a city e-mail address, choose her staff, or receive her first paycheck. But she already has one of the toughest assignments in Boston City Hall. The Mattapan lawyer and former state government official was tapped earlier this month to become the executive director of the city's Office of Police Accountability and Transparency."

– "Pool Testing in Massachusetts Schools Has Not Fit All Districts," by Meg Woolhouse, GBH News: "When Superintendent Almi Abeyta of Chelsea listened in a Zoom meeting last fall to her fellow superintendents talk about what they were doing to get students back into school buildings, it was a window into the kind of educational inequities the pandemic has brought on."

– "Full classrooms, waitlists common for fall enrollment at private schools in Massachusetts; Catholic school enrollment previously lower than after clergy sex abuse scandal," by Heather Morrison, MassLive.com: "Between the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2020, Catholic schools in the U.S. lost more than 111,000 students, including many from Massachusetts. It was the largest decline in nearly 50 years — larger than after both the clergy sex abuse scandal and the 2008 fincanical crisis."

– "The pandemic is changing Newbury Street. What's in store for its future?" by Erin Kuschner, Boston.com: "Few Boston streets are as iconic as Newbury Street. Dotted with boutiques and global chains, fine-dining restaurants and bubble tea shops, the picturesque thoroughfare has long attracted students, tourists, and residents looking to shop, eat, and be seen."

– "Amid Racial Reckoning, A Push To Diversify College Investment Strategies," by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: "As the country undergoes a racial reckoning, GBH News surveyed Williams and ten other colleges in Massachusetts with large endowments and asked how many asset managers they invest with are Black or brown. The schools manage endowments approaching $80 billion in total and profess diversity, equity and inclusion as core values. They also receive federal funding, which requires them to abide by anti-discrimination laws in all activities."

– "Annual Count Shows Homelessness In Boston Down, Unsheltered Population Up In Pandemic," by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR: "Data from the city of Boston's annual homeless census that took place in January show homelessness in the city dropped overall since the start of the pandemic, but the number of people who were unsheltered increased."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Bill would give mainland towns more pull on Steamship board," by Jessica Hill, Cape Cod Times: "A bill filed in the state Legislature could give mainland towns more say in the operations of the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Sen. Susan Moran, D-Falmouth, introduced a bill in March that would give the mainland ports of Falmouth, Barnstable and New Bedford more voting power on the authority's board of governors."

– "MBTA increasing ferry service for South Shore, bringing back Hingham direct, weekend service," by Joe Difazio, The Patriot Ledger: "Starting May 22, the MBTA is bringing back weekend ferry service for the South Shore and a weekday Hingham to Boston direct ferry route, both cut earlier this year in pandemic-related scalebacks ."

DAY IN COURT

– "'Shakedowns' at center of former Fall River mayor's federal corruption trial, prosecutors say," by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "Former Fall River mayor Jasiel F. Correia II betrayed his constituents by extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from four marijuana vendors seeking to open dispensaries in the city, forced his chief of staff to give him half her salary, and stole more than $230,000 from investors in a tech startup he created, a prosecutor told jurors during opening statements Monday in Correia's federal corruption trial."

WARREN REPORT

– "Why Elizabeth Warren wants to fire the company servicing your student loans," by Ayelet Sheffey, Insider: "As calls increase for President Joe Biden to cancel $50,000 in student debt per person, lawmakers are also keeping an eye on student loan servicers, which process loan payments and collections. The problem is they've been accused of failing to provide borrowers with all the necessary information."

MOULTON MATTERS

– "Congressman Moulton Believes BLM Mural Matters In Lynn," by Steve Krause, The Daily Item: "When the two youths who spearheaded the movement to have a Black Lives Matter mural placed on Essex Street — within proximity of the Lynn District Court and City Hall — take their case before a City Council subcommittee Tuesday night, they will have a staunch ally on their side."

DATELINE D.C.

– "GOP tears into Kerry amid Iran controversy," by Andrew Desiderio and Burgess Everett, POLITICO: "Republicans on Monday called on John Kerry to resign from President Joe Biden's National Security Council over claims that he revealed sensitive information about Israeli military operations to Iran."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "GREEN LIGHT," "RED LIGHT," — Globe : "Fight over women's prison hits Mass.," "Population up, state keeps House seats."

FROM THE 413

– "Moving in? Study shows evidence of population growth in the Berkshires," by Tony Dobrowolski, The Berkshire Eagle: "Berkshire County has been losing population since 1970, but new data compiled by the U.S. Postal Service suggests that trend is slowing and might even be in the early stages of reverse."

– "Northampton Arts Council becomes 1st city board to back activist group's call to defund police by 50%" by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: "The Northampton Arts Council last week became the first city board or agency to back a local activist organization's call to defund the community's police department by 50%."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Lynn seeking shutdown of tax prep business over flouted mask rules," by Julie Manganis, The Salem News: "The city of Lynn will ask a judge on Wednesday to shut down a Lynn tax preparation business whose operator has not only ignored orders to comply with the governor's mask mandate but has banned the use of masks inside her store."

ENGAGED! – Kennedy alum Adam Buchbinder, director of sales at Listenwise, proposed to Lily Guttentag, assistant director of development at MGH, on Boston Common on Sunday. Pic.

TRANSITIONS – Kat Cline joins the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus as associate director.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Lou Mandarini, executive director of Massachusetts Laborers Benefit Funds; Patrick Bench, president of Benchmark Strategies; Brendan Joyce, Seth Mnookin and Jessica Ruby.

NEW EPISODE: RECOUNTING THE DAYS – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray discuss the race for mayor of Boston, and the Boston Globe's Matt Stout breaks down a legal battle involving the secretary of state, the city of Boston and the MassGOP. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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.

TUNE IN TO 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 and start listening today.

A message from Uber Driver Stories:

When Olivia was diagnosed with MS in 2017, it became clear to her that having a regular job would no longer be possible.

"I drive with Uber because I love to drive," she says. "It just puts the MS far out of my head. There's no way I could work a regular 9-5."

With Uber, Olivia can choose when, where, and how long she wants to drive. This flexibility lets Olivia be there for her daughter and for her own health needs.

If she's not feeling well, or her daughter needs her, she doesn't have to worry about asking her boss or requesting time off—she can take the time she needs to focus on herself and her family.

To see more stories like Olivia's, click here.

*Driver earnings may vary depending on location, demand, hours, drivers, and other variables.