News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: MORE OPPO in GOV RACE — WHITE saga takes ANOTHER TURN — BAKER ‘forgot’ meeting HOLYOKE superintendent

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: MORE OPPO in GOV RACE — WHITE saga takes ANOTHER TURN — BAKER ‘forgot’ meeting HOLYOKE superintendent — CICADA WATCH

Jun 01, 2021

SCOOPLET: NEVER TOO EARLY FOR OPPO — A go-to opposition research firm for Republicans has been gathering intel on Democrat Danielle Allen, even though the Harvard professor has yet to make up her mind about a 2022 gubernatorial bid.

Allan Blutstein, director of public records for America Rising Corporation, filed a slew of records requests earlier this year looking to track down how much Allen was paid for speeches at public universities across the country dating back several years. POLITICO previously reported the firm was seeking information on Democrat Ben Downing, the former state senator who launched his campaign for governor in February.

Allen's team brushed off the news. "You don't do opposition research if you're not concerned," a spokesperson for Allen told me. Blutstein did not respond to requests for comment.

America Rising is a "staple for Republicans" when it comes to opposition research, one GOP strategist told me. But it's unclear who's behind the current oppo operation.

The Massachusetts Republican State Committee paid America Rising $38,000 in 2018 for opposition research "in Support of Charlie Baker," according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. The state GOP also shelled out in 2018 and 2017 for research services and consulting, but nothing more recent shows up. Republican Rick Green also paid America Rising $3,000 in October 2018, shortly before he lost to now-Rep. Lori Trahan in the 3rd Congressional District, Federal Election Commission data shows.

POLITICO submitted records requests for Blutstein's records requests and found that Allen was paid $17,000 by Arizona State University for her travel to and participation in an April 2019 lecture as part of a speakers series. A spokesman for the university told me that's on par with what some speakers were paid for the series, and lower than some others. Other contracts for speaking events obtained by POLITICO ranged from $7,500 to $15,000.

The oppo effort comes as Allen inches closer to a decision on the governor's race. She told WCVB it'll be "a few more weeks before we have all the information that we need" during an "On the Record" segment that aired Sunday.

But Allen's already got a star volunteer digital director — quite literally, in Disney Channel alum and singer Bridgit Mendler, who's now a student and researcher at the MIT Media Lab. Allen also held a fundraiser last month with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), so look out for her May finance report in coming days.

SCOOPLET: AUDITOR'S RACE HEATING UP — Expect to see Chris Dempsey's candidate filing for the auditor's race to show up as early as today on the OCPF website, a source tells me.

Dempsey, currently the director of Transportation for Massachusetts, previously co-chaired the No Boston Olympics effort and worked in state government. He would join Governor's Councilor Eileen Duff in the emerging field vying to succeed Suzanne Bump, who POLITICO first reported last week won't seek reelection in 2022. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio's name is also being floated.

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . The rain never bothered us anyway. The Bay State was back in business this weekend, after Gov. Charlie Baker declared Covid-19 "pretty much over" and said "brighter days are very much upon us" as he signed orders on Friday rescinding nearly all of the state's remaining restrictions and ending the state of emergency on June 15. We've got the return of the nightlife scene, full capacity at sporting events, and even a New-Year's-Eve-like midnight mask-toss at the Encore casino. But not everyone's dropping their face coverings just yet.

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

TODAY — Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey delivers remarks at a swearing-in ceremony for Boston Fire Department recruits at 8:15 a.m. and then appears live on GBH's "Boston Public Radio" at 11 a.m. Mayoral candidate and City Councilor Michelle Wu calls on state officials to embrace an "all-at-grade vision" for the Allston Multimodal Project at 10 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds a small business roundtable with Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll at 11:45 a.m. at Adriatic Restaurant. Warren then visits Northern Essex Community College's food pantry in Lawrence at 1:45 p.m. Sen. Edward Markey visits EPA-related sites in Billerica and Chelmsford, followed by a visit to Westford's Kimball Farm for ice cream at 2 p.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss tours community project funding request sites and member-designated transportation project sites in North Attleboro, Norton and Attleboro through the morning and afternoon.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Baker wrongly claimed he never met Holyoke Soldiers' Home leader before swearing him in. 'I forgot,' he says," by Matt Stout, Andrea Estes and Rebecca Ostriker, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker acknowledged Friday that he interviewed Bennett Walsh for a half-hour before he appointed Walsh to lead the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, publicly reversing himself after saying last year he had never met the now-disgraced superintendent before swearing him in."

– "Charlie Baker faces criticism over Holyoke Soldiers' Home outbreak as he dodges questions of 3rd term," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker is facing escalating criticism from a workers' union and veterans group over his handling of a deadly coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home last spring, while dodging questions about a third term."

– "Massachusetts officials lifted social distancing on school buses against advice from DPH, records show," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "When Massachusetts Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders and her COVID-19 response team lifted social-distancing requirements on school buses, they did so against the advice of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, who told them it didn't align with public health recommendations."

– "As contaminated water concerns grow, Massachusetts towns urge the state to stop spraying pesticides in their communities," by David Abel: "To reduce the spread of eastern equine encephalitis and other mosquito-borne diseases, the state has sprayed millions of acres in recent years with a pesticide found to contain significant amounts of PFAS. … (selectmen) voted to make Pepperell one of at least 13 municipalities in Massachusetts to take advantage of a new law that allows communities to request the state's permission to forgo pesticide spraying."

– "Mental health patients face long waits in ER," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: "Hundreds of psychiatric patients are being 'boarded' in emergency rooms across the state as they await beds in mental health facilities, and lawmakers are pushing for more funding to fix the problem."

– "Number of homeschoolers more than doubles," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "The number of students being homeschooled more than doubled this year, as families feared the impact of COVID-19 and many schools switched to remote learning."

– "Tarr seeks more whale patrols to reduce entanglements," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Newburyport Daily News: "A state senator wants to step up marine patrols for endangered North Atlantic right whales to reduce collisions with boats, entanglements with fishing gear and prevent shutdowns of the state's lobster fishery."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "June is seen as last, best chance to boost COVID-19 vaccinations in Massachusetts," by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: "Some time in mid-June, state officials expect to hit a target once thought to be a stretch: fully vaccinating 4.1 million Massachusetts residents — nearly three-quarters of the adult population — against the relentless coronavirus. That milestone will permit a return to normal life for most people, health experts say … But it likely won't be enough to stamp out the virus or prevent future spikes in vulnerable pockets of the population, they caution."

– "Mandate masks for elementary students at start of 2021-2022 school year, Massachusetts Teachers Association asks," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "With Massachusetts education officials planning to lift COVID-19 related health and safety regulations for the 2021-2022 school year, the Massachusetts Teachers Association is calling for safeguards in the fall school guidance. Particularly, the union wants masking for the state's youngest students and for extra efforts to continue vaccinations in communities hardest hit during the pandemic."

– And yet... "Teachers union head criticizes decision to drop coronavirus protocols in Mass. schools, but other educators praise move," by John R. Ellement, Felicia Gans, Bianca Vázquez Toness and Jenna Russell, Boston Globe: "...some school superintendents voiced appreciation for the early and specific direction from the state, hailing it as a helpful step in their planning for next year."

– "Even in highly vaccinated states like Massachusetts, vaccine disparities abound, Dr. Ashish Jha says," by Shannon Larson, Boston Globe: "...there are significant vaccine disparities even in states like Massachusetts, regarded as 'a super high vaccination state,' Dr. Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University's School of Public Health, wrote on Twitter Saturday evening."

FROM THE HUB

– "Explosive turn as daughter says Boston top cop Dennis White blameless; Kim Janey still moves to fire him," by Joe Dwinell and Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "In shocking new video statements, Boston Police Commissioner Dennis White's oldest daughter says the embattled top cop was never violent and in fact was abused by his ex-wife." More details from the Boston Globe's John Hilliard.

– "Dennis White attorney pushes for pretermination hearing to be public for Boston Police commissioner," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Police Commissioner Dennis White's attorneys continue to push for the Wednesday hearing on the embattled top cop's fate to be public, most recently in a tersely worded letter to the city."

– "Contradiction by Gross of Walsh exposes a frayed relationship between a former mayor and police commissioner," by Milton J. Valencia and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "...Former police commissioner William Gross swore under oath that he reviewed the internal affairs history of his hand-picked successor Dennis White for a previous promotion in 2014. Those findings, he said, were also presented to then-mayor Martin J. Walsh. … It also laid bare what has become a strained relationship between the former mayor and his former commissioner, whose tendencies to stray from Walsh — especially on political matters — while top cop often caused troubles for the mayor."

– "'Morale Is Very Low,' Boston Police Patrolmen's Association President Says," by Jon Keller, WBZ: "Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said morale is 'very low' in the department amid calls from some to defund the police, a movement he called a 'foolish argument.'"

– "Attorneys Sue Boston Police Over Public Records Law," by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: " A group of lawyers is suing the Boston Police Department and the city of Boston for allegedly not releasing public records related to possible police misconduct, and distributing other records after department policy required them to be purged. … lawyers are seeking records that could expose police violence directed at peaceful protesters during the Straight Pride Parade in 2019."

– "Boston's Methadone Mile crackdown: Dozens of drug indictments, arrests announced," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Dozens of indictments against suspects 'profiting from pain' along the drug-littered Methadone Mile have been handed down as the city's crackdown intensifies."

– "'We should not be silent': Boston's Asian American community rallies in solidarity against AAPI hate," by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "The scream of yellow whistles echoed through the Boston Common on Monday afternoon as community leaders, organizers, and allies pledged their solidarity to combat hate toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders."

– "'Like the Vegas strip': Loud house parties have left Boston residents fuming," by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: "Raucous house parties and a trail of their foul side effects — public urination, defecation, and even sex acts — have left frustrated city officials and residents to consider new potential penalties to deter and hold accountable the tenants and landlords responsible."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Boston's 'soul-crushing' traffic creeping back after pandemic dip," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Traffic that plummeted last year as workers were sent home and businesses closed is creeping back onto Boston streets, and advocates are warning of worse congestion to come."

– "Uber, Lyft shortages make getting ride in Boston an 'extreme sport'," by Hanna Krueger, Boston Globe: "As the newly vaccinated masses venture out into the world again, they have found readily available Ubers and Lyfts to be a pre-pandemic memory. Local riders and drivers alike agree that current demand far outpaces supply."

FEELING '22

– "'A changing of the guard?' Massachusetts's 2022 election cycle could be primed for history, turnover," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "A blockbuster showdown for governor. A wide-open race to be the state's top prosecutor. A primary between a secretary of state on the verge of history and a fellow Democrat trying to unseat him. As summer unofficially dawns, each scenario is possible as Massachusetts's 2022 state election cycle quietly hums to life."

– "OTR: Danielle Allen explains how she went from conservative Republican to progressive Democrat," by Ed Harding and Janet Wu, WCVB: "The Harvard political professor says she grew up in a conservative family and that her dad served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan."

– "As the Massachusetts GOP battles for relevance, its leader doubles down," by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "In reliably blue Massachusetts, where Democrats dominate and a moderate Republican leads the state, the man leading the GOP is a political outlier: a brash conservative who has embraced former president Donald Trump's false claims about election fraud and empowered the party's hardliners."

DATELINE D.C.

– The Bay State's Rufus Gifford, an Obama-era ambassador to Denmark and failed Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District candidate who served as a deputy campaign manager for Joe Biden during the 2020 general election, is now the president's nominee for chief of protocol with the rank of ambassador in the State Department. My POLITICO colleagues at West Wing Playbook first reported the move.

– "As Harvard Case Looms at Supreme Court, Study Tests Value of Diversity," by Adam Liptak, New York Times: "The Supreme Court is set to consider next week whether to hear a challenge to Harvard's race-conscious admissions program. If the justices take the case — a reasonably safe bet — affirmative action in higher education, which has survived several close calls at the court, will again be in peril."

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

– "Going to pot? Legal weed sales in nearby states could affect industry in Berkshires — though not immediately," by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: "For nearly two years, Massachusetts was the only state on the East Coast where stores were licensed to sell recreational marijuana, before Maine began licensed sales in October 2020. New York's legalization of recreational marijuana March 31 served as a reminder of what many already had recognized: Other states eventually would catch up."

FROM THE 413

– "Critics blast Holyoke acting mayor's decision to rescind order on racism, police violence," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Acting Mayor Terence Murphy has rescinded a previous executive order that declared racism and police violence as matters that constitute a public health emergency."

– "'Wish I Had More Time': Woman Remembers Father Who Died Of COVID At Holyoke Soldiers' Home," by Cheryl Fiandaca, WBZ: "The COVID-19 outbreaks at the state-run soldier's homes claimed the lives of dozens of veterans and sparked several investigations which, so far, have led to two indictments. As many look to return to normal this Memorial Day, the families of those who died at the homes feel they can't."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Will Brood X emerge in New England? Here cicadas are snoozing until 2025 and 2030," by Hadley Barndollar, USA Today Network: "Some spots could see as many as 1.5 million Brood X cicadas per acre over the next few weeks, but the periodical insects won't be emerging in New England – at least not this year."

– Cooperstown, but for marathons: "Hopkinton signs lease for International Marathon Center near starting line," by Tim Dumas, MetroWest Daily News: "Statues. More than 120 years of history. The famed starting line. In the long run: an International Marathon Center. Thursday's announcement of a 99-year lease agreement between the Town of Hopkinton and the 26.2 Foundation continues the goal of creating a $29 million facility on a 19-acre site on East Main Street (Rte. 135), less than two-thirds of a mile from the starting line of the Boston Marathon."

– "Walking to remember: Group walks 65 miles from Boston to Bourne cemetery," Wheeler Cowperthwaite, Patriot Ledger: "A light drizzle fell on 40 soldiers, veterans and civilians as they marched south down Route 53 — some slowly, some with limps, some quickly — toward the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne."

– "Andover withholds Fahey investigation report," by Madeline Hughes, Eagle-Tribune: "Town officials responded to a public records request for a report detailing the private investigation into former Youth Services Director Bill Fahey by turning over a nearly 100% redacted document, save for the employee handbook and a two-page contract. … This leaves the reason for the investigation, the nature of Fahey's misconduct, who the investigator interviewed, and many other questions up in the air."

– "Shaw Memorial Honoring Black Union Army Soldiers Unveiled After A Year-Long Restoration Project," by Amelia Mason, WBUR: "The Shaw memorial on the Boston Common is one of the city's most celebrated landmarks for its tribute to a Union army regiment of African-American soldiers. Now an expensive restoration is unveiled amid increased scrutiny of public monuments."

SPOTTED – CDC director and MGH alum Rochelle Walensky threw out the first pitch at Saturday's Red Sox game. Link.

CONGRATS – to Kimberly Atkins Stohr, a Boston Globe senior opinion writer and MSNBC contributor, who married Bloomberg News Supreme Court reporter Greg Stohr over the weekend. Tweet.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY – to journos Bill Fonda and Adam Sennott.

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