News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WU, JANEY top Boston mayoral POLL — Coalitions EXERT INFLUENCE in Boston elections — SCOTUS REJECTS N.H. tax lawsuit against Mass.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WU, JANEY top Boston mayoral POLL — Coalitions EXERT INFLUENCE in Boston elections — SCOTUS REJECTS N.H. tax lawsuit against Mass.

Jun 29, 2021

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COALITIONS WADE INTO BOSTON MAYORAL RACE — A new coalition launching today hopes to put climate resiliency, economic vitality and other issues affecting Boston's waterfront at the forefront of the city's municipal races this year.

The Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront — a Barr Foundation Boston Waterfront Initiative grant-funded effort that includes Boston Harbor Now, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Boston Children's Museum, NAACP Boston Branch and other neighborhood and conservancy groups — aims to educate candidates and voters on issues facing the city's harbor, islands and other waterways.

To buoy their efforts, the coalition is releasing a MassINC Polling Group survey of 635 likely voters from mid-June that shows overwhelming support for keeping the city's waterfront and other open spaces accessible to all. More than 80 percent of voters also support creating a set of climate change and community benefit standards for waterfront developers, and putting more city money toward climate change protections in specific neighborhoods.

"The future leaders of our city will face off with an escalating climate crisis that presents significant challenges," Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, said in a statement. "Science-based approaches to creating climate-resilient, open space on the waterfront will be critical to the future livability of the city, and we are hopeful that this coalition will help us spotlight these urgent issues at a key inflection point in Boston's history."

It's the second such coalition to launch in recent weeks, following the Responsible Development Coalition, which includes the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and various local developers and contractors.

Neither coalition is looking to endorse candidates, though the development-focused one, which is a 501(c)(4), technically can.

But they're still shaping the field. Banding together in coalitions gives individual groups — particularly 501(c)(3) nonprofits, which can't endorse — a policy platform through which they can exert influence in the mayoral race and down the ballot by hosting forums, grading candidates on the issues and more.

Those efforts are already in motion. Both coalitions already have mayoral forums scheduled — the Responsible Development Coalition on July 15 and the Coalition for a Resilient and Inclusive Waterfront on July 29 at the New England Aquarium. All six major mayoral candidates have also signed a development coalition "pledge" in support of "responsible development to protect Boston's neighborhoods and to strive to make housing more affordable." Several council candidates — and even candidates in other cities — have since joined on, and the coalition is currently running ads promoting the pledge.

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Here's a scooplet: Danielle Allen is launching the first digital ad of her gubernatorial campaign.

The two-and-a-half-minute video is a riff on a book Allen wrote in 2014 dissecting the Declaration of Independence and the role of equality in it. Released this week to coincide with Independence Day, the clip highlights opportunity gaps in a Bay State that Allen says has settled into a "status quo" under the Baker administration.

The clip also shows the Harvard professor and political theorist playing up her academic roots in her first run for elected office as she vies against two seasoned state lawmakers in the Democratic field. Asked during her launch how she plans to appeal to those who might view her as a "clueless academic," Allen said voters "have to recognize that they have settled for too little, that they have let their expectations fall, that we can ask more of ourselves in this commonwealth."

TODAY — Rep. Katherine Clark joins Jane Doe Inc's annual Spring Into Action Breakfast to accept the Justice in Action Award at 8 a.m. Boston mayoral candidates attend a forum hosted by the Newmarket Business Association at 8:30 a.m. at Suffolk Construction. Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Richie Neal speak at the Massachusetts High Technology Council's virtual annual meeting beginning at 9 a.m. Boston mayoral candidate City Councilor Andrea Campbell discusses the opioid crisis with frontline health care providers outside Boston Medical Center at 9:45 a.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) host a virtual press conference on legislation to strengthen HUD tenant protections at 10 a.m. State Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Josh Cutler co-chair the inaugural meeting of their Future of Work Commission, featuring experts from the Aspen Institute, UMass Amherst Labor Center and SEIU, at 11 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren visits Lowell Community Health Center and Mill City Grows Mobile Market at 11:30 a.m.

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, state Senate President Karen Spilka and technology Secretary Curtis Wood speak at the National Cybersecurity Center's Cybersecurity for State Leaders briefing at 2 p.m. Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey gives remarks at a press conference hosted by community leaders calling for the "elevation of the status of Black men and boys in Boston through civic engagement, housing opportunity, jobs/entrepreneurship, reentry, and health equity" at 2:30 p.m. on City Hall Plaza. The New England Joint Board UNITE HERE endorses Boston mayoral candidate City Councilor Michelle Wu at 5 p.m. Boston park advocates host a mayoral forum at 6 p.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss will be the featured guest on Cheddar's new prime time show "None of the Above" to talk infrastructure and the INVEST Act at 8 p.m.

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

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— "More than 60% of Massachusetts is now fully vaccinated, as active COVID infections reach new low," by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: "The number of active COVID-19 infections in Massachusetts continued to decrease on Monday, now down to 1,422 from the 1,432 reported the day before. Massachusetts health officials reported 41 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Officials also reported another 2 COVID-related deaths, bringing the death toll from the pandemic up to 17,628."

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "Mass. Gov. Charlie Baker is transferring bulk of federal aid to legislative control, but now comes the fight over how it's spent," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday signed a $5.1 billion spending plan that would give lawmakers control over where the federal aid from the American Rescue Plan goes, but he swiftly revived a spending plan lawmakers rejected earlier this month that would allot more than half of the money to housing production, homeownership assistance and downtown redevelopment."

— "State's Medicaid director is leaving to take a job in the Biden administration," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: "Daniel Tsai has been assistant secretary for MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, for more than six years. He leaves Tuesday to become deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, overseeing Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. CMS officials said Tsai will lead their efforts to address health disparities and serve the needs of children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and others who rely on public health benefits."

— EYES EMOJI: "Massachusetts state rep, favored by renewables industry, emerges among frontrunners to fill FERC seat," by Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive: "Maria Duaime Robinson, a Massachusetts state representative, is among the frontrunners to replace Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, sources confirm. Though a final nominee has not yet been announced, Robinson has been vetted by the White House..."

— "Business leaders want back-to-work incentives," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: "In a letter to Gov. Charlie Baker, a group representing supermarkets and retail grocers suggested a 'reasonable inducement' to lure workers back to their jobs."

— "Prisoner advocates seek overhaul of inmate mental health treatment," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Seven months after the Department of Justice issued a scathing report about the treatment of inmates with mental illness in Massachusetts prisons, advocates for prisoners and people with mental illness are urging the Legislature to overhaul the way mental health treatment is provided to incarcerated people. A bill sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, and Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley, a Boston Democrat, which had a hearing Monday before the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery, would institute changes at both state prisons and county jails and would require that many prisoners in crisis be moved out of jails into health care facilities."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— "Ashish Jha on what Massachusetts got right — and wrong — during the COVID-19 pandemic," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Dr. Ashish Jha may have left Harvard last year to begin work as the dean of Brown University's School of Public Health. But he remained in Massachusetts — riding out the pandemic in Newton with his family — as he became one of the country's most prolific voices on COVID-19. … while he generally gives Gov. Charlie Baker high marks, Jha says the administration made several 'costly' mistakes."

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FROM THE HUB

— It's a scorchah: Boston.com's Julia Taliesin reports that Boston set a three-way tie for record-high temperatures yesterday. Worcester set a record high, too, the Telegram & Gazette's Anoushka Dalmia reports. The hot weather continues through Thursday, says the Boston Globe's Dave Epstein. Stay cool!

— "Boston's oasis for kids and teens given new life with same mission," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "'Kids are just jumping out of their skin. It would bring you to tears,' [Emmett Folgert] told the Herald Monday after it was announced the Dorchester Youth Collaborative lives again beginning Tuesday. Post-pandemic, this haven of hope will have a new name — Safe City Dorchester at MissionSAFE. It's a merger of two organizations that will accomplish a shared goal of giving children and teens an escape from the streets."

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— It's here: The first major public poll of the Boston mayoral race in two months dropped at midnight, and the Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey shows a three-tier race with Wu and Janey leading the pack, City Councilors Annissa Essaibi George and Andrea Campbell in the middle, and state Rep. Jon Santiago and former city economic development chief John Barros at the bottom. The poll shows a stratification of the field similar to what multiple campaigns have seen in their internal polls recently and to the last two major public polls in April, though the numbers have shifted.

From the Boston Globe's Stephanie Ebbert: "The poll also found that housing is the top issue driving voters' decision-making, followed closely by racism and equality, and schools. It also indicated former mayor Martin J. Walsh is still viewed favorably by nearly 68 percent of voters, despite controversies that erupted after his departure, including his last-minute appointment of a police commissioner who lasted only two days on the job. His unfavorable rating was nearly 22 percent. Both his favorable and unfavorable ratings were higher than any of the candidates looking to succeed him. Overall, 70 percent of likely voters favored one of the contest's four women — all women of color — suggesting that none of the four men running may survive the Sept. 14 preliminary election to advance to the Nov. 2 runoff."

— "Elizabeth Warren endorses at-large Boston City Council candidate Ruthzee Louijeune," by Jasper Goodman, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered a high-profile endorsement to Boston City Council candidate Ruthzee Louijeune Monday, bolstering the first-time contender's status as one of the front-runners in the council's crowded at-large race."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "$7.2M federal grant to add 8 electric buses to Pioneer Valley Transit Authority fleet," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: "A $7.2 million federal grant announced Monday will allow the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to buy eight new electric buses and continue its efforts to promote clean emissions. The grant from the Federal Transit Administration is the largest grant in the nation for a regional transit authority this year under the Low and No-Emission grant program. U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, said at the announcement at Union Station that the grant is part of a 'growing investment' nationwide in decarbonization and electric-powered buses."

DAY IN COURT

— "Supreme Court rejects New Hampshire income-tax case against Mass.," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "The US Supreme Court said Monday it would not intervene in a dispute between New Hampshire and the Baker administration over taxing out-of-state commuters who worked remotely during the pandemic. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu sued the Massachusetts Department of Revenue last fall in the Supreme Court, the typical venue for resolving legal disputes between states, after the agency adopted a temporary policy of collecting income taxes from commuters who used to travel into Massachusetts but were working remotely instead because of the COVID-19 pandemic."

— Granite Staters are not amused. Boston.com's Nik DeCosta-Klipa rounds up reactions from GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, and more.

— "Jasiel Correia co-conspirator Tony Costa sentenced to 3 years probation," by Jo Goode, Dan Medeiros and Linda Murphy, Herald News: "Saying the future is up to him, a federal judge sentenced Fall River businessman Tony Costa to three years probation for his part in former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia's marijuana extortion schemes. … Costa headed into the sentencing hearing with the knowledge that federal prosecutors U.S. Assistant Attorneys Zachary Hafer and David Tobin asked for no prison time saying he was instrumental in their prosecution of Correia on 21 out of 24 criminal counts."

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DATELINE D.C.

— "Inspired by #FreeBritney, Democrats and Republicans agree conservatorship is toxic," by Jim Saksa and Sandhya Raman, Roll Call: "Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton was a bit more circumspect when he tweeted Friday, admitting that conservatorship was 'a word I didn't know until yesterday' and asking his followers if Congress should investigate. The overwhelming majority said yes."

FROM THE 413

— "Gravesite memorial service for slain altar boy Danny Croteau provides closure for family," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Forty-nine years after his violent death at the hands of his parish priest, more than 100 gathered at the Croteau family gravesite on Monday for a memorial service that shone a bright light on a boy's life cut short. "

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THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Man who 'executed' Black Winthrop residents acted alone, authorities say," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Investigators say a Winthrop man who had 'hate' in his heart when he set out on a violent rampage that left two innocent bystanders — both Black — dead, acted alone."

— More: "Family And Friends Remember Victims Of Winthrop Shooting," by Anthony Brooks, Simón Rios and Beth Healy, WBUR: "Family members and friends are mourning the two longtime public servants who were killed by a gunman in Winthrop on Saturday. Police say Nathan Allen, 28, of Winthrop, rammed a building in a stolen truck, then fatally shot David Green, a retired state police trooper, and Ramona Cooper, an Air Force veteran, before police killed him."

— And more: "DA Rollins Says Winthrop Killings Show Massachusetts Is Not Immune To Racist Violence," by GBH/Greater Boston: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said Monday that the Saturday killing of two Black residents of [Winthrop] — Ramona Cooper and David Green — should be a reminder that even largely liberal [Massachusetts] is not immune from hate-based killings."

— "Worcester-themed Monopoly game draws 60,000 email submissions with votes for 34 board spots," by Tom Matthews, MassLive.com: "Worcester's Monopoly craze has resulted in a total of 60,000 email submissions to Top Trumps USA, the company said in an email Monday. … The company is now currently tallying votes to determine the 34 spots on the board, which will launch sometime in November."

— "Quincy College campus debate raises the question: Should the city be running a college?" by Mary Whitfill and Joe Difazio, Patriot Ledger: "The two-year, city-run school in the heart of downtown Quincy has been a point of contention between elected officials since Mayor Thomas Koch proposed a $123 million land acquisition and construction project that would end decades of nomadic existence for the community college and double as a new city hall. The mayor's proposal was ultimately withdrawn from city council consideration when it became clear it didn't have the support it needed, and Koch is now looking at alternative ways to fund it. But in asking councilors for the money, officials also posed an existential question: Is it the city's place to run a college? Quincy College is the only municipally run college in the state…"

— "'Hiring is a struggle': Housing costs add to shortage of first responders, town staff around Cape Cod," by Cape Cod Times Staff: "When Barnstable Police Chief Matt Sonnabend recently talked to the town council about his department's budget, he mentioned he had eight staff vacancies. 'Hiring is a struggle right now,' he said. And that applies pretty much everywhere on Cape Cod. Local communities are among 86% of cities and towns nationwide having trouble attracting first responders. For the Cape, the problem is tied to the high price of housing."

IN MEMORIUM — "Mike Gravel, Springfield native who became a US senator in Alaska, dies at 91," by Bryan Marquard, Boston Globe: "Mike Gravel once recalled that when he was a boy of 12 in Springfield, his parents and siblings started calling him 'our politician.'"

TRANSITIONS — Diana Sargsyan joins Boston City Council District 7 candidate Angelina "Angie" Camacho's campaign as campaign manager. Tweet.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Amish Shah.

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