News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Draft day for the Legislature

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Draft day for the Legislature

Oct 12, 2021

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DRUMROLL PLEASE — Lawmakers are expected to unveil draft House and Senate redistricting maps today, giving the public a first glimpse at the documents that will chart the course for legislative representation over the next decade.

The redistricting committee chairs will release their draft maps and discuss the upcoming public comment period on the redraw during a virtual hearing at 1 p.m.

Here are some things to keep an eye on as you peruse the new maps:

DEPARTURES — Reading between the map lines can offer clues as to which sitting lawmakers are making other plans.

Redistricting will likely lead to retirement for some veterans if their districts are redrawn to their political disadvantage. At the same time, pre-planned retirements can help mapmakers as they plot new district lines.

The recent and pending departures of some legislators — House Majority Leader Claire Cronin, who represents Easton and Brockton, and Framingham state Rep. Maria Robinson are both awaiting confirmation to Biden administration posts — could also affect how lines are redrawn.

Keep an eye on the Berkshires, where the number of representatives is expected to shrink from four to three, per the Berkshire Eagle's Danny Jin , and where Rep. Paul Mark (D-Peru) is eyeing the state Senate seat that Adam Hinds is expected to vacate to run for lieutenant governor.

MAJORITY-MINORITY DISTRICTS — The House currently has 20 majority-minority districts. The Senate has three.

Advocates from Drawing Democracy, a coalition of voter-rights groups, are calling for lawmakers to increase that to 29 majority-minority House districts and seven majority-minority Senate districts. Among their asks: An incumbent-free majority-minority district in Chelsea, and an incumbent-free majority-Black Senate district in Boston. Advocates are also hoping to see a majority-Latino Senate seat anchored in Lawrence, per the Boston Globe's Emma Platoff.

Lawmakers have said they're aiming to maximize the number of majority-minority districts. Assistant House Majority Leader Mike Moran, the House chair of the joint redistricting committee, previously said the Drawing Democracy advocates would see "their fingerprints on our maps."

But elected leaders in Haverhill are urging lawmakers not to split their city into two Senate districts just to achieve that goal. The Eagle-Tribune's Christian M. Wade has more on that.

LEGAL CHALLENGES — Lawmakers and Secretary of State Bill Galvin pride themselves for not drawing any legal challenges over their 2011 maps.

We'll see if that holds in 2021. State Rep. Dan Hunt has already threatened legal action over potential changes to a Dorchester voting ward that could take some Ward 16 precincts out of their current Boston-based Senate district and place them into a suburban district currently represented by Milton state Sen. Walter Timilty, according to the Dorchester Reporter's Gintautas Dumcius.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. There's nothing like the thrill of the Boston Marathon. But let's get back to the other big race in town.

Mayoral hopeful Michelle Wu is out with a new ad this morning.

"This is a moment for change," Wu says in the 30-second spot. "You want a mayor who will deliver big, bold solutions that'll address the high cost of living and open the doors of opportunity for everyone."

"The Wu Way" is the city councilor's first new ad of the general election, dropping on the eve of the first debate. It'll air on broadcast, cable and digital as part of a roughly $100,000 buy. There will be a Spanish version as well.

City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George has been running a 30-second ad called "Doing the Work." That's also a $100,000 buy, per her campaign.

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and administration officials tour affordable housing properties in Bridgewater at 10:15 a.m., Brockton at 11:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., and Randolph at 2:15 p.m. State Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Josh Cutler co-chair the fourth Future of Work Commission meeting, 11 a.m. in Plymouth. Wu holds a rally for transit equity and receives endorsements from transit leaders at 11 a.m. at Hyde Park's Readville Station.

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

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Secretary of state pushes for three days to count votes in November election," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "After a long delay in counting Boston's mail-in ballots for September's municipal election, Secretary of State William F. Galvin is urging lawmakers to allow three days to count ballots that are submitted or postmarked by the 8 p.m. deadline for the Nov. 2 election, but the Legislature may not be able to act in time."

– "Business groups push lawmakers to act on unemployment claim debt," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Industry groups accused Beacon Hill lawmakers of 'not grasping' the scope of the unemployment hit on business owners, noting as at least 30 states have already moved to relieve the debt racked up amid the pandemic."

– "Margaret Scarsdale announces run for 1st Middlesex District," by Jacob Vitali, Lowell Sun: "Margaret Scarsdale is hoping to go from Select Board to the State House. Scarsdale is running as a Democrat for the 1st Middlesex District seat currently held by incumbent Republican state Rep. Sheila Harrington of Groton."

– "716 psych patients are stuck in emergency rooms waiting for care, Mass. report shows," by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "That's 174 children and 542 adults who showed up at an emergency room in distress and are still there because the treatment programs they need are full."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "So far this year, schools report far higher rates of COVID-19 in students, staff," by Max Larkin, WBUR: "After four weeks of classes, the state tallies 8,502 total cases — 7,388 among students and 1,114 among staff — compared to just 578 in the same period of the 2020-21 school year. While increases in the number of students learning in-person and in school-based testing account for part of that disparity, some public health experts and local officials take it as a sign that the state can't yet let its guard down when it comes to controlling the virus's spread."

– "More than 90% of COVID clusters in Massachusetts are happening at home; Data shows where you're most likely to catch virus," by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com.

– "Study says 140,000 children lost a caregiver to COVID," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine.

FROM THE HUB

– "12 hours at Mass. and Cass," by Danny McDonald and Craig F. Walker, Boston Globe: "Despair is a 24/7 business in this part of town. Every now and then, a person exits a tent with a bucket of human waste and dumps it onto the side of the street. Anecdotes of street violence and prostitution are commonplace. Theft is seemingly a way of life. People don't have to search very long for hard drugs; in this marketplace of dependencies, drugs find them."

– "1,000-plus Boston employees face suspension this week over coronavirus vaccine mandate," by Sean Philip Cotter and Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "The Janey administration is scrambling to deal with what could be more than 1,000 city workers suspended at this start of this coming work week as City Hall begins to crack down on people out of compliance with coronavirus vaccine mandates."

– "Information scarce on sexual misconduct at Boston schools," by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "It's hard to tell whether the type of sexual behavior that resulted in a recent $650,000 legal settlement at a Boston public school is an aberration or just the tip of the iceberg because the school system releases so little data on sexual misconduct."

– "Boston police arrested a Black man having a stroke. After $1.3 million payout, it's unclear if anything's changed," by Ally Jarmanning, WBUR.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "Candidate for 'Mayah' Proudly Leans Into Her Boston Sound," by Ellen Barry, New York Times: "As [City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George] built toward the climax of her speech, a pledge to be 'the teacher, the mother and the mayor' the city needs, her accent unfurled like a banner. … In that catch phrase, which she also featured in two television advertisements, Ms. Essaibi George makes several things clear: that though she identifies as Arab American, she was born and bred in the heart of Irish American Boston. That amid an influx of affluent professionals, she would stand up for Boston's working class — not just police officers and firefighters, but electricians and construction workers. That her neighborhood, Dorchester, is stamped on her DNA."

– "From Puerto Rico to Hawaii, out-of-state donors flock to Michelle Wu's mayoral campaign," by Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: "Wu has raised more than four times as much money from out-of-state donors as Annissa Essaibi George with less than a month until Election Day. Of the nearly $1.8 million Wu logged in individuals' contributions from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, almost 20 percent, or more than $350,000, came from outside the state."

– "Activist groups endorse Wu," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "Members of the groups – Right to the City Vote, Chinese Progressive Political Action and Mijente – said [City Councilor Michelle] Wu aligned with their policy goals, which include bringing rent control back in Boston, improving the city's schools and backing immigrant rights."

– "Boston Teachers' Union, Which Has Yet To Endorse A Mayoral Candidate, Sets Up A Super Pac," by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: "Local 103, the IBEW Boston chapter, endorsed Essaibi George's last month. The BTU, however, has not endorsed a mayoral candidate. Establishing a super PAC could suggest they are preparing to."

– "Asian pols near breakthrough moment in mayor's races," by Marissa Martinez, POLITICO: "Three major cities could elect their first mayors of Asian descent this fall, in what would be part of a significant leap for Asian American and Pacific Islander political representation."

– Some FIRST IN PLAYBOOK endorsements: SEIU 1199 and the Ward 12 Democratic Committee have endorsed Boston City Councilor At-large Julia Mejia in her reelection bid. She was also endorsed by the Greater Boston Labor Council.

– Boston City Council District 6 candidate Kendra Hicks has been endorsed by four former school committee members — Miren Uriarte, Marchelle Raynor, Sue Naimark and Claudio Martinez — per her campaign.

– Winnie Eke, the third-place finisher in the Boston City Council District 6 preliminary election, has endorsed former Boston School Committee member Mary Tamer for the seat, per Tamer's campaign.

– "In Boston at-large council race, state GOP backed boxer who pushed anti-Asian posts," by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: "Massachusetts GOP officials spent thousands of dollars to help a Boston City Council at-large candidate who has taken to social media with anti-Asian posts, falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen, and lashed out about vaccine requirements. Donnie Palmer, a professional boxer who hails from Dorchester, was among the 17 candidates to run for City Council at-large in the Sept. 14 preliminary election."

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TRUMPACHUSETTS

– TRUMP'S NEW DIEHL: Donald Trump thinks GOP Gov. Charlie Baker's a "phony." But the former president believes former Republican state Rep. Geoff Diehl "will be the real deal."

That's what Trump said when he called into The Howie Carr Show yesterday.

"I can't stand Baker. He's a phony. He comes to the White House and says 'oh you're doing such a great job' … then you'd see him on television saying the opposite," Trump said, adding that with Baker "you might as well have a Democrat in" office.

Trump might come to Massachusetts to campaign for Diehl, who he said he endorsed for governor last week after a recommendation from MassGOP Chair Jim Lyons.

TODAY'S SPECIAL (ELECTION)

– "Columbus Day Conflict Challenges Democrats Running In State Senate Special Election," by Mike Deehan, GBH News: "The two Democratic candidates vying for a senate seat representing one of the largest populations of Italian Americans in Massachusetts agree the City of Boston shouldn't have unilaterally renamed Columbus Day. But neither has a clear solution for how to solve a conflict that could become a headache for the next senator representing the North End, East Boston, Revere and surrounding towns."

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ROUNDUP

– "Springfield city councilor rectifies $5K in 'erroneous' campaign expenses," by Stephanie Barry, MassLive: "City Councilor Justin Hurst ran afoul of state law by charging more than $5,000 for car repairs, liquor, home improvements, seafood and other personal expenses to his campaign account in August and September, according to public records. Hurst, a former council president and an attorney from a politically connected family, said he charged around 20 items without realizing he was using his campaign debit card, rather than his own."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Officials upset as delays plague Milton, Mattapan trolley line overhaul," by Joe Difazio, Patriot Ledger: "The MBTA project to overhaul the Mattapan Line, upgrading the old trolley cars to make them last about 10 more years is more than two years behind schedule. … MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said that unforeseen issues and the pandemic has slowed the trolley car rehabilitation."

– ICYMI: "Baker appoints new MBTA board," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine.

DAY IN COURT

– "Jurors convict two parents charged in connection with the Varsity Blues college admissions bribery scandal," by Shelley Murphy and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "Jurors, who after a four-week trial deliberated for more than 10 hours over two days, convicted John B. Wilson, 62, of Lynnfield, a real estate and private equity investor, and Gamal Abdelaziz, 64, of Las Vegas, a former Wynn Resorts executive, on all charges for participating in the bribery scheme orchestrated by a California college admissions consultant."

FROM THE 413

– "Hampden DA notifying 8,000 criminal defendants of police misconduct," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Last year, the [Springfield police] department was the subject of a scathing report by the US Department of Justice, which documented a pattern of use of excessive force by officers. Now that report, which also called into question police credibility, has become the basis for the Hampden County district attorney notifying 8,000 criminal defendants that a Springfield police officer connected to their case has also been involved with police misconduct."

– "Holyoke School Receiver responds to student walkout related to handling of sexual assault allegations," by Dennis Hohenberger, Springfield Republican: "The students protested the handling of allegations a 14-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on campus."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Activists protest Kyrsten Sinema at Marathon; senator sits out race, recovering from broken foot," by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: "Senator Kyrsten Sinema sat out the Boston Marathon on Monday while she continued to recover from a broken foot, her office said, as activists traveled from her home state to Massachusetts to confront the Arizona Democrat about her refusal to support the Biden administration's Build Back Better plan."

– The Globe rounds up the notables who ran the marathon, including Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, CNN's Andrew Kaczynski and Marblehead native Shalane Flanagan. WBUR's Rupa Shenoy reports on how some saw "huge symbolism" in rescheduling the marathon on Indigenous Peoples' Day.

– It was a big sports day in Boston. The Red Sox are going to the ALCS, reports the Herald.

– "A year after a bruising primary defeat, progressive Alex Morse finds peace in governing a town of fewer than 4,000 people," by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: "As mayor of Holyoke, Alex Morse answered to 40,000 residents. Now, he reports to just five people: The Provincetown Select Board. And he's more than OK with that change. … The new job has allowed him to focus on public service without worrying about 'doing political things,' such as raising money or running a campaign."

– "Some Dana-Farber Cancer Institute trustees stood to profit from their philanthropic role," by Liz Kowalczyk, Sarah L. Ryley and Patricia Wen, Boston Globe: "Dana-Farber has long supported its trustees who decide to invest in its research ... But it is a practice by trustees that is prohibited at two of the nation's major cancer centers and that raises ethical questions about the appropriate role for leaders of a nonprofit hospital. And on Wednesday, after the Boston Globe Spotlight Team had been questioning hospital leaders on its investigative findings, Dana-Farber abruptly reversed course and two longtime trustees resigned."

– "A 'last chance': From assaults to drinking and driving, some Worcester cops were accused of serious crimes and got to keep their jobs," by Melissa Hanson and Scott Croteau, MassLive: "[A] 2014 crash put [Worcester Police Officer James D'Andrea], who joined the department in 2013, under the scope of an internal investigation. Ultimately, he signed what's known as a last chance agreement, a settlement agreement between the city, the officer and the officer's union following misconduct, disciplinary matters or charges resulting from an internal affairs investigation. The agreement allows an officer to keep his or her job but can make the process of firing that officer easier if any conditions within the agreement are violated."

– "Mass. scrambles to provide housing, medical care as Haitian refugees arrive from Mexico border," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe.

– "'No shenanigans': As Jasiel Correia heads to prison, Coogan overhauls the pot-shop process," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News.

– IN MEMORIAM: "'Says You!' panelist Arnie Reisman, a Boston media mainstay, dies at 79," by Bryan Marquard, Boston Globe.

– IN MEMORIAM: "Table Talk Pies 'matriarch' Mary Cocaine remembered for devotion to family, Worcester," by Henry Schwan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

CONGRATS – to Brookline Select Board Vice Chair Raul Fernandez and Christina Kovach, who were married over the weekend. Boston mayoral hopeful and City Councilor Michelle Wu officiated. Guests included Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), New York Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas, state Rep. Andy Vargas, Waltham City Councilor Jonathan Paz, Marlborough City Councilor Samanthn Perlman, Everett City Councilor Stephanie Martins and Brookline Select Board Member Miriam Aschkenasy. Pic … pic … another pic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Mary Campbell and Mass Cultural Council Public Affairs Director Bethann Steiner. Happy belated to Monica Hinojos-Capes, who celebrated Saturday.

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Illegal trade is a $464-billion-a-year business, and it's growing. Criminals get rich from illegal trade by peddling fake and stolen goods, ultimately robbing governments of much-needed revenue to provide essential services to Americans. Instead of helping taxpayers, that money is pocketed by crooks who traffic in illegal narcotics, apparel, counterfeit medications, tobacco, weapons, wildlife, and even people. That's why we're bringing together experts from the private and public sectors, academia, as well as government & law enforcement agencies, combining our collective expertise to curb illegal trade for the benefit of our Massachusetts communities. Learn more.

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