News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: VACCINES open to ALL ADULTS — City council DOMINOES

Monday, April 19, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: VACCINES open to ALL ADULTS — City council DOMINOES — JANEY challenges POLICE

Apr 19, 2021

Presented by Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM)

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! The Boston Marathon might be postponed, but on the bright side, all adults living in Massachusetts can book vaccines today.

CITY COUNCIL DOMINOES — There's a lot of pent-up ambition in Massachusetts politics. But there's also a notable amount of opportunity this year. Mayors are leaving their jobs, and it is creating a domino effect.

The swarm of city councilors running to fill Labor Secretary Marty Walsh's old seat, now held by Acting Mayor Kim Janey, is causing a council shakeup.

All four of the city councilors running for mayor of Boston say they won't double-dip and run for their seats on the council at the same time, something they're technically allowed to do under the city charter, according to the Boston Herald. And Councilor Matt O'Malley is not running for reelection, leaving another seat open.

That means there are five council seats up for grabs on the 13-member council this fall, so more than a third of the council is about to turn over. And for some, the council can serve as a launchpad for higher office. Rep. Ayanna Pressley ran for Congress as a Boston city councilor in 2018.

There are mayoral seats ripe for the taking all over the state. Mayors are burnt out from the pandemic and calling it quits this year, opening up contests in Northampton, Lynn, Newburyport and elsewhere. This is a big deal because incumbents tend to hold their seats for a long time, making it challenging for new candidates to run for office and move up the pipeline. CommonWealth Magazine did the math, and it equals out to about a fifth of the state's mayors. In Lawrence, former mayor Dan Rivera left his post to become president of MassDevelopment. Donations are already flowing in the race to fill his seat.

To be sure, there's not quite as much opportunity for federal office. More than half of the congressional delegation has been in office since at least 2013. But for ambitious pols who want to mount a challenge to an incumbent lawmaker, being mayor is one place to start. Former Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who just left his job after a decade to become the Provincetown town administrator, came up short in his congressional campaign last year, but did raise $2 million and garnered national attention. Four candidates are already making moves to replace Morse in Holyoke.

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

TODAY — Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey holds a press conference on the city's environment, energy and open space initiatives, and speaks at a press conference announcing a vaccine clinic at Twelfth Baptist Church.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Active COVID cases in Massachusetts dropping as health officials report 1,265 new positive tests, 7 more deaths Sunday," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts public health officials announced 1,265 new COVID cases and seven new deaths on Sunday, which marked the sixth consecutive day of a drop in active cases across the state."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Former state lawmaker's fraud scheme relied on elected office — until indictment ended his career," by Emma Platoff and Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "For years, federal prosecutors say, he scrambled for money wherever he could find it, tapping into his campaign account, borrowing from friends and family, securing bank loans under false pretenses, and cheating on his taxes. The scheme leaned precariously on his role as an elected official — until a February 2020 indictment effectively ended it."

– "More Employers Than Expected Have Opted Out Of The State's New Paid Leave System. Will The Program Suffer?" by Gabrielle Emanuel, GBH News: "The law, which is just now being rolled out, is a crowning achievement for progressives, extending a safety net to workers at all income levels. But more than a million people in Massachusetts work for companies that have opted out of the system, according to public records obtained by GBH News. That's nearly one in three workers in the Commonwealth who are not in the state's paid leave system. Some experts say that hole in the safety net has the potential to undermine the program's financial stability."

– "Mass. education commissioner recommends vocational school admissions changes to boost fairness," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts' education commissioner, Jeff Riley, has proposed changes to vocational-technical school admissions aimed at giving disadvantaged students a better shot at attending the coveted schools."

– "AG Healey speaks to essential women workers about wage theft," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "On Saturday, a half dozen women, some of them immigrants, described their workplace experiences at a virtual news conference organized by the Matahari Women Workers' Center in Boston to call attention to wage theft and its impact on essential workers. The event included a recorded message from state attorney general Maura Healey, who said last year her office ordered employers to pay more than $12.3 million in restitution and penalties for violating wage and hour laws."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "Vaccine Eligibility Expands To All People 16 Or Over. Is Massachusetts Ready?" by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: "Monday is the day a lot of people have been waiting for in Massachusetts. The state will open up eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 16 or over, adding another 1.7 million people to the list of those who can sign up."

– "More than 2 million people in Mass. are fully vaccinated as of Saturday, says Baker administration," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: "Ahead of Monday's massive expansion of the state's vaccination effort, Massachusetts reached a new milestone Saturday in its fight with COVID-19, as the number of people fully vaccinated hit 2 million, according to the Baker administration."

– "As Mass. expands vaccine eligibility, experts and advocates urge greater equity in distributing doses," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe: "As everyone in Massachusetts 16 or older becomes eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine Monday, health officials cautioned the state must do more to deliver doses to communities of color, which have been disproportionately hit by the pandemic."

– "Take a free Bluebike to your COVID-19 vaccine appointment," by Diti Kohli, Boston Globe: "Getting your vaccine soon? Bluebikes wants to get you there. The bicycle rental service is offering free rides to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites beginning Monday, when the general public becomes eligible to receive the shots."

FROM THE HUB

– "In a Changing Boston, a New Mayor Challenges the Police," by Ellen Barry, The New York Times: "Three weeks after her swearing-in as acting mayor of Boston, Kim Janey was enjoying a sort of honeymoon, enacting feel-good policies like forgiving library fines and basking in the spotlight that came with her status as the city's first Black and first female mayor. … That cautious approach ended last Saturday, when Ms. Janey found herself responding to a police scandal."

– "Protesters in Boston remember those killed in violent encounters with police," by Lucas Phillips, Boston Globe: "Protesters responded Saturday to the death of Daunte Wright, a Black man fatally shot by a former Minnesota police officer, with a rally that drew about 200 people in Roxbury. Speakers mourned Wright, a 20-year-old who was killed when a police officer allegedly mixed up her Taser and gun during a traffic stop, and called attention to local cases of fatal encounters with police."

– "While Boston Police Street Stops Decrease, Black People Are Still Stopped The Most," by Tori Bedford, GBH News: "Boston police street stops — called 'field interrogation and observation' encounters, or FIOs — have been trending downwards, reaching their lowest number last year since 2012, according to department data. In 2020, a year that saw a nationwide movement against the current systems of policing, and a pandemic that kept many people off the streets, Boston police stopped 10,224 people as part of 5,717 FIOs ."

– "Boston has empty office space, yet new high-rises are going up. Who will lease those towers when they're finished?" by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "Downtown Boston hasn't had this much empty office space in years, even as construction hums along on some of the biggest towers the city has seen in decades. That's raising questions about who will lease all these high-rises when they're finished."

– "Some South Shore schools requiring testing after spring vacation week, The Associated Press: "As the April school break kicks off in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, families are being asked to revisit guidelines for testing and quarantining before students get ready to return to school. In Massachusetts, some schools are following the state's lead and recommending testing or quarantining only for returning students and staffers, but others are keeping it as a requirement."

– "'There will be extraordinary spending': Retailers anticipate a post-pandemic consumption boom," by Janelle Nanos, Boston Globe: "First it was bedroom slippers, sold by the pallet last year during lockdown. Then sheets and comfy pillows. As the weather warmed, patio furniture flew off the blocks, followed by the outdoor recreation gear: kayaks and, when the temperatures turned back to winter, snowshoes."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "Michelle Wu, Annissa Essaibi-George talk Boston schools on the campaign trail this weekend," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Boston schools came into focus as a campaign issue on Sunday as mayoral hopefuls continued to differentiate themselves on their strategies to reform policing amid a crowded candidate field."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "MBTA targets fare scofflaws with new fines," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "The MBTA loses tens of millions of dollars each year because of riders who don't pay, and a plan to modernize the fare collection system could make matters worse. While the T has taken steps in recent years to crack down on fare evaders, the agency is concerned that plans to upgrade the system to allow electronic payments and all-door boarding will exacerbate the problem."

– "Officials in Worcester agree, public transportation is a 'lifeline' for the community, so why is it in such 'rough shape'?" by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: "For much of the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic stripped New England's second-largest city of severe traffic. … But as vaccine doses rise, so do the number of cars packing into the city."

A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM):

DAY IN COURT

– "Wunderkind ex-mayor to face jurors in fraud, bribery case," by Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press: "After he was elected mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, at just 23 years old, it seemed Jasiel Correia's political career had nowhere to go but up. Bright and dynamic, Correia charmed voters by portraying himself as a successful entrepreneur who could revive the struggling old mill city. Prosecutors say in reality he was a fraud and a thief."

– "Plaintiffs seek emergency injunction to halt Boston exam school admission decisions as they pursue appeal," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "A group of white and Asian American parents on Friday appealed a federal district court decision upholding a temporary admissions policy for Boston's exam schools that allocates most seats by ZIP codes and sought an emergency injunction to halt school officials from admitting students under the plan."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Massachusetts pols ramp up pressure on Biden over student debt, expanding Supreme Court. Will it work?" by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "Massachusetts lawmakers are ratcheting up their pressure on President Biden to get behind their progressive policy goals, but experts say efforts to cancel student loan debt and pack the U.S. Supreme Court face steep uphill battles."

– "Seth Moulton bankrolls ring maker, Mark Green goes crypto, Mark Warner sells a 7-figure window-and-door investment," by Dave Levinthal and Kimberly Leonard, Insider: "There's a company in Finland called Oura that manufactures a high-tech ring — as in the kind you slip on your finger. The ring measures all sorts of biological data, including heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, steps taken, calories burned, and sleep patterns. Rep. Seth Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts who briefly ran for president last election, is one of its newest big-dollar investors, having purchased up to $250,000 worth of the private company's stock on March 8."

PARTY POLITICS

– "Do Fattman, Eldridge donations follow similar pattern?" by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Acton was a big supporter of his former State House aide, Danillo Sena, when Sena ran for a House seat last year. According to Sena's campaign finance report, Eldridge on February 11 personally donated $1,000 to the Sena campaign and Eldridge's campaign committee donated another $100. Both donations were the maximum allowed under state law."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– "Baker retreats more on biomass power plants," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Reacting to strong public opposition, the Baker administration on Friday continued its retreat from measures that would have allowed a power plant fueled by wood to be constructed in Springfield."

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

– "State regulators weigh how to expand hemp sales," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "When the state budget passed in December, lawmakers tucked into it a provision meant to be a lifeline for struggling hemp farmers in Massachusetts, allowing farmers to sell their products to marijuana dispensaries. The farmers hoped this would let them vastly expand the type of products they can legally sell. But months later, state regulators appear hesitant to make major changes to the laws governing the hemp market."

– "Budding business: Holistic Industries a key player in western Mass. cannabis boom," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "One of the largest marijuana companies in the country, Holistic has three dispensaries — including one in Easthampton — and Chief Marketing Officer Kyle Barich said the company sells wholesale to a majority of the state's marijuana retailers. Holistic's facility is part of a burgeoning industry in western Massachusetts, where companies have been buying up unused mill buildings and other properties to turn them into indoor-grow operations."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "SHOTS FOR ALL," — Globe: "As eligibility widens, a big test for Mass.," "US ramps up federal role in drive against COVID," "National milestone: 50% get 1st injection."

AS SEEN ON TV

– "Massachusetts Sen. Eric Lesser calls state's COVID-19 vaccine rollout messy, uncoordinated," by Janet Wu, WCVB: State Sen. Eric Lesser says the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Massachusetts went beyond 'mere hiccups.'"

– "Boston Mayoral Candidate Annissa Essaibi George On Education, More Police Officers," by Jon Keller, WBZ: "Boston mayoral candidate and at-large member of the Boston City Council Annissa Essaibi George made it clear that she is against the city's temporary plan to drop admissions exams for Boston's three exam schools."

FROM THE 413

– "Hampden Superior Court Judge orders Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to appoint civilian police commission," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "A Hampden Superior Court judge ruled Friday that Mayor Domenic J. Sarno must appoint a five-member commission to oversee the Police Department, as sought by the City Council for years. Judge Francis E. Flannery, in a 20-page ruling, said that the council's 2018 ordinance creating the commission 'is valid and enforceable.'"

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Lynn rally decries anti-Asian hate," by Lucas Phillips, Boston Globe: "Demonstrators in Lynn gathered Saturday to 'dismantle racism [and] say no to attacks on Asian and Asian-American people and communities,' in the wake of recent attacks on Asian-Americans."

– "Attleboro police chief says Civil Service, anti-cop sentiment, hamper ability to fill vacancies," by David Linton, Sun CHronicle: "Police Chief Kyle Heagney says he is having difficulty filling six vacancies in the police department. Heagney said Friday out of 212 names on the Civil Service list, only 15 people signed up to express an interest in becoming a police officer in Attleboro."

– "Full-time student return to Andover High unlikely this spring," by Madeline Hughes, Eagle-Tribune: "Because of space issues at Andover High, it's unlikely students will return to classrooms full time this spring, school officials said. They said the pandemic's social-distancing rules prevent the school's classrooms from providing the space needed for all students to return full time."

TRANSITIONS – Kelsey Donohue joins the communications team at Snapchat, overseeing comms for public policy and social impact.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Ron Kaufman, Sydney Rachael Levin-Epstein, Anya van Wagtendonk and Kyle Grabowski.

NEW EPISODE: NEW EPISODE: MAYORALS? FOR SPRING? GROUNDBREAKING – On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray discuss new polling in the race for mayor of Boston, and the debate over a logo with Native American imagery in Wakefield. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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