News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: THIN BLUE DIVIDE — Dems FIGHT over REDISTRICTING — MASSGOP keeps FEUDING

Friday, June 11, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: THIN BLUE DIVIDE — Dems FIGHT over REDISTRICTING — MASSGOP keeps FEUDING — Delegation SPLIT over OMAR

Jun 11, 2021

THIN BLUE DIVIDE — Boston mayoral candidates and city councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell have both said they won't take police union endorsements or accept the groups' money as they vie for the city's top job.

Wu participated in a virtual Boston Police Patrolmen's Association candidate forum on Thursday. Campbell did not.

"I'm seeking to lead the city and each of these agencies in delivering the changes that our communities deserve. That requires direct, honest conversations," Wu said in a statement to POLITICO. "Whether or not I'll get the votes from a certain room, I show up to engage and move forward, just as I'll do as mayor."

Campbell, who's publicly clashed with the union, told POLITICO in a statement: "I want Bostonians to trust that when I say I'm going to deliver systemic reform to make sure our police department is the most accountable and transparent in the nation, I mean it."

The diverging tactics from two candidates who have both advocated strongly for policing reform are indicative of the quandary facing this year's mayoral hopefuls — what to do about police endorsements.

Police unions have historically been some of the city's more sought-after endorsements. But the reckoning on policing and scandals plaguing the Boston Police Department have left candidates facing difficult decisions.

City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George is largely considered the cops' candidate and has already received former police Commissioner William Gross's endorsement. But she said she's "not sought" an endorsement from the BPPA, the city's largest cops union, which hosted yesterday's forum alongside other public safety and first responder groups.

"It's no secret that I am supportive of our city's police officers and will be as mayor," Essaibi George told POLITICO in a statement. "But I need to see more willingness from BPPA leadership in partnering with me to make the critical changes we need in this city."

Campbell and Wu's campaigns also made clear they're not seeking the BPPA endorsement, or taking donations from the union.

State Rep. Jon Santiago and former city economic development chief John Barros left things more open-ended in statements to POLITICO. Santiago called for "conversation, compromise and respect between all parties," and his campaign said he welcomes the support of anyone willing to work together to improve the city. Barros was more blunt — "I don't believe an individual should be shut out of the democratic process because of their occupation."

Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey also skipped the forum, citing scheduling conflicts. "Mayor Janey is focused on reforming policing in Boston and anyone — in or outside the BPD — who shares her vision of transparency, accountability, equity and justice is welcome to join her efforts to reimagine policing," her campaign manager said.

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The GOP's not burying the hatchet just yet.

Barely 12 hours after Jim Lyons emerged from a contentious Massachusetts GOP state committee meeting preaching party unity, the chairman was on the attack.

Lyons lashed out at the 29 of 30 House Republicans who called on him to make state committeewoman Deborah Martell resign over anti-gay remarks or step down himself — blasting out an email accusing lawmakers of caving to "poisonous woke cancel culture groupthink."

Lyons' shot across the bow was quickly answered by GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, who called Martell's remarks "unacceptable" and said he doesn't believe "somebody with those points of view ... belongs on the state committee."

Baker stopped short of calling for Lyons to resign. But within hours, seven former MassGOP chairs, including former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey and former U.S. Rep. Peter Torkildsen, fired off a letter to the state committee saying it's time for Lyons to "have the decency to step aside" or be removed.

With each escalation, the intraparty feud is attracting more attention from Republicans outside of Massachusetts. Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has already condemned Martell's remarks. Other national operatives are keeping a wary eye — and their distance.

Lyons is now at odds with his party's top elected officials, nearly all of the Republican state legislators, and his own vice chairman. But he's vowing not to resign.

"I'm going to keep trying to build this party with people who want to stand up and fight the Democrats instead of each other," Lyons told me.

Plenty of Republicans feel Lyons is the one driving the GOP wedge deeper. He disagrees.

"I'm not fighting my own party," Lyons said. "The people that have been in power are fighting me."

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

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at the 2021 Amplify Latinx Conference: Activating Our Latinx Power, along with Housing and Economic Development Sec. Mike Kennealy, Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey and more. Janey attends the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition's ceremonial unveiling of a billboard encouraging residents to get vaccinated at 10 a.m. Rep. Lori Trahan participates in a Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue discussion on banning surveillance-based advertising at 11 a.m.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts again reports zero high-risk 'red zone' communities, more than 3.9 million people fully vaccinated," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "For the first time this week, zero communities are in yellow — which is considered to be moderate risk for COVID transmission."

– "85 confirmed cases, 7 deaths, and 31,202 vaccinations," by Martin Finucane and Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts reported 85 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the pandemic total to 662,544. The state also reported 7 new confirmed coronavirus deaths, bringing the state's total to 17,566."

– "103 new coronavirus cases reported in Massachusetts schools as summer break approaches," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "A total of 103 staff and students in Massachusetts schools have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week, a decrease of 27 cases from the week prior, according to data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Senate moves to extend pandemic-era provisions as House votes to make mail-in voting permanent," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "The same day state senators passed a bill that would extend pandemic perks including cocktails to-go and mail-in voting for several months, House lawmakers took it one step further — voting to make universal mail-in voting permanent."

– "A fight is breaking out over how to redraw Massachusetts' political boundaries — and Democrats are on both sides," by Matt Stout and Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "A seemingly technical change in how the state will redraw its political boundaries has ignited a fiery intraparty battle on Beacon Hill, where the state's top election official is accusing legislative leaders of orchestrating a 'power grab' … The secretary of state, a Democrat, is charging that Democrats atop the House are seeking more control in redrawing boundaries to make it harder for other candidates to mount primary challenges against them."

– "Municipal officials oppose legislative redistricting proposal," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "As the House prepares to move forward with a major change to how redistricting is done, city and town officials are sounding the alarm that the change could have confusing unintended consequences, disrupting elections and municipal operations."

– "The millionaire tax is now on the 2022 ballot in Massachusetts. Charlie Baker still opposes it," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "A day after Massachusetts lawmakers voted to put the so-called 'millionaire tax' on the state's 2022 ballot, Gov. Charlie Baker suggested Thursday that he remains opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment, even in — or perhaps because of — the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic."

– "Gov. Charlie Baker touts post-pandemic jobs program, $360K grant for Roxbury Community College," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday touted a $360,000 grant for Roxbury Community College as part of the state's Rapid Reemployment Program to help train — and place into high-paying jobs — residents who've lost jobs or been furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic."

– "State asked Holyoke receiver-superintendent Alberto Vázquez Matos to leave," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "The state education commissioner asked the receiver-superintendent of Holyoke Public Schools to resign earlier this year and paid him $102,500 in severance."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "A Mass. software engineer's bot helped people find vaccine appointments. Now he's shut it down, and the thank-yous are rolling in," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe: "A Massachusetts software developer's Twitter bot offered help to those seeking vaccine appointments at a time they were frustratingly scarce. ... The @vaccinetime bot checked around 20 vaccine appointment websites in the state every minute and tweeted out where appointments were available."

– "Cambridge-based Moderna Requests FDA Authorization For COVID Vaccine In Adolescents 12 To 17," by Meghan Smith, GBH News: "Cambridge-based Moderna today announced that it has requested emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its COVID-19 vaccine for children from ages 12 to 17."

– "More than 150 cases of delta variant found in Mass., according to the DPH," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe: "The Department of Public Health says more than 150 cases of the worrisome delta variant of the coronavirus have been found in Massachusetts. … The findings were from samples collected here as early as March 13 and up until May 23, the DPH said."

FROM THE HUB

– "First-time homebuyer assistance in Boston expands up to $40,000, Kim Janey announces," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "First-time homebuyers in Boston can get a boost in assistance of up to $40,000 in down payment and closing costs, a significant increase compared to previous funding, Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Boston City Council at-large candidate Ruthzee Louijeune has been endorsed by the Massachusetts Nurses Association and the Boston Teachers Union. "Ruthzee Louijeune is a BPS graduate who served both as the top lawyer in Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign and as an attorney fighting for tenants against evictions here in Boston. ... Her track record, her campaign messages, and conversations with our educators have thoroughly convinced us that she will be a committed and effective advocate," BTU President Jessica Tang said via the campaign.

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Boston Teachers Union endorses Boston Public Schools' teacher Joel Richards for City Council District 4. "Joel is an active BTU union leader, dedicated BPS teacher and community organizer whose first priority is centering and listening to marginalized voices. He is a passionate and thoughtful activist, and we look forward to all the good work he will do on the City Council for our students, schools and community," Tang said through Richards' campaign.

– "Some Boston mayoral candidates attend emergency-responders forum," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Four of the six Boston mayoral candidates attended a forum put on by Boston first-responders unions, with most of the candidates in attendance saying the police department was understaffed."

– "Mayoral candidates face an electorate that's moving to the left," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "Recent polling has painted a picture of a Boston electorate ready to embrace progressive change, showing that 76% of voters support rent control, 60% want an elected school committee and 48% support reducing spending on police and investing the savings in anti-violence and social service programs, versus 36% who oppose such a move. ... Only Wu supports rent control, none supports a fully elected school committee and Essaibi George, Barros and Santiago have voiced varying degrees of opposition to police reforms backed by Progressive Massachusetts chapters."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Poll: Boston traffic congestion to return or get worse," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "A new poll indicates three of every four Greater Boston voters think traffic will return to previous levels or get worse as the state reopens, and most are in favor of reducing or eliminating bus and transit fares to take more drivers off the roads. The poll of 670 voters was conducted by the MassINC Polling Group on behalf of the pro-transit Barr Foundation between May 21 and May 28."

WARREN REPORT

– "Elizabeth Warren says Bitcoin, Dogecoin have 'significant problems' that need to be confronted 'head on'," by Cassie McGrath, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren took a strong stand against cryptocurrency in a congressional hearing for the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Policy on Wednesday."

THE PRESSLEY PARTY

– "Addressing the Heightened Crisis of Childhood Trauma," by Lauren Camera, U.S. News & World Report: "[Ayanna] Pressley, who introduced a bill last legislative session to address childhood trauma, says she first realized how the pandemic was magnifying it when she held a youth town hall a few months after the onset of the pandemic ... On Thursday, the congresswoman reintroduced that bill, proposing $460 million to tackle what's become a pandemic in its own right."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Katherine Clark weighs in on Ilhan Omar's controversial tweet, as Ayanna Pressley comes to her defense," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are increasingly making their opinions known about Rep. Ilhan Omar's recent controversial tweet grouping together the United States and Israel with groups like Hamas and the Taliban. … A dozen Jewish Democrats, including Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss, released a statement Thursday calling Omar's remarks 'offensive' and similarly asking for a clarification. … Rep. Ayanna Pressley, rallied behind Omar, characterizing the criticism as 'bad faith attempts' to take her words 'out of context.'"

PARTY POLITICS

– "Former Massachusetts GOP leaders call on chairman Jim Lyons to resign," by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "As tensions within the Massachusetts Republican Party rise to a fever pitch, seven former GOP leaders, including a lieutenant governor and congressman, on Thursday wrote that its chairman, Jim Lyons, has lost his right to lead — and that if he will not step down, the Republican State Committee should remove him."

– "'Disgusting and unacceptable': Antigay remarks by Republican state committee member spark rebuke from Gov. Charlie Baker," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday forcefully drove home the message that bigotry and antigay rhetoric is not only repugnant — it's also a losing political strategy in Massachusetts."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Report: Massachusetts Community College Attendance Boosts Employment, Earnings," by Carrie Jung, WBUR: "Taking courses at one of Massachusetts community colleges is likely to result in a positive return on a student's time and tuition investment. That's according to a new report from The Boston Foundation and MassINC. … the report's data bolsters the idea that community colleges can reduce income inequality given the high rates of enrollment among students of color."

– "Day of mourning in Worcester, with thousands in city for funeral of Officer Enmanuel 'Manny' Familia," by Mike Elfland, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "After his casket was brought to St. John Church by a horse-drawn carriage, passing thousands of saluting officers at the edge of the route, Officer Enmanuel 'Manny' Familia was eulogized as a loving father and dedicated police officer. His brother, Elvin, said Manny has been called to a special detail, one 'that only he can fill.'"

– "Fatal police shooting of Easton's DJ Henry will be reviewed 10 years later: DA," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The deadly police-involved shooting of Easton's Danroy 'DJ' Henry will be reviewed more than 10 years after the Black man was killed in New York."

– "Dartmouth medical school drops all cheating sanctions against students," by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "The medical school at Dartmouth College has dropped sanctions against all students it had found guilty of cheating on exams, a stunning reversal that came after students vigorously maintained their innocence."

– "Teacher placed on leave following viral video of fight at Barnstable High School," by Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times: "A viral video that has gone through the Barnstable High School community shows a teacher intervening in a fight, grabbing a student and pulling the student to the floor, hitting a file cabinet along the way."

– "Duxbury football players used anti-Semitic slurs at practices as far back as 2010: Investigation," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Duxbury High School football players used anti-Semitic slurs at practices as far back as 2010, while the coaching staff listened in to such hurtful play calls. That's what an outside investigator found during his independent investigation into players using anti-Semitic and racially offensive slurs during a game in March."

– "Quincy agrees to spend $100 million on improved sewage flow following EPA lawsuit," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: "The city has agreed to pay a $115,000 penalty and spend $100 million improving stormwater and sewer systems after a federal lawsuit accused Quincy of releasing sewage and untreated wastewater into Boston Harbor, Dorchester Bay, Quincy Bay and other public waterways."

MAZEL! – to the Boston Herald's Joe Dwinell on being named executive editor. Link.

SPOTTED — Also on the Zoom celebrating Peter Canellos' new book were Boston Globe CEO Linda Henry, Globe alum and former Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron, former Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Globe opinion columnist Renée Loth, and Globe alums Ellen Clegg, NPR's Sasha Pfeiffer and NYT's Farah Stockman.

TRANSITIONS – Amy Sokolow joined the Boston Herald on Tuesday. Dasia Moore moves from Boston Globe metro to Boston Globe Magazine. Tweet. Terry MacCormack is Gov. Charlie Baker's new press secretary; promoted from deputy communications director. Link.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate Andrea Campbell, Sam Tracy and Tad Devine.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Campbell Curry-Ledbetter, Allison DeAngelis, Peter Francis and Lauren Fish, who celebrate Saturday; and to Catherine McLaughlin and Liam Byrne on Sunday.

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