News: Healey massages her message

Monday, January 31, 2022

Healey massages her message

Jan 31, 2022

MAKING THE ROUNDS — State Attorney General Maura Healey is honing her pitch for governor on the media circuit. Here's what we learned from her Sunday appearances on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" and WCVB's "On the Record."

CHANGE VS. CONNECTIONS — Healey's Democratic and Republican opponents are painting her as part of the Beacon Hill establishment. She's working to weaken that argument by leaning into it, emphasizing her statewide network and her experience managing an office with 600 workers and a $60 million budget.

BREAD-AND-BUTTER ISSUES — Healey vowed to be the "most aggressive governor in the country" on combating climate change.

But economic issues like the cost of living, workforce development and access to child care remain her central pitch. "That's what's important to voters around the state," Healey said on OTR. "They are the things that people talk to my office about."

Healey's been light on policy specifics in the opening days of her run for governor. But she did outline her vision for workforce development on WBZ.

MIDDLE GROUND — Healey has campaigned for Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley and joined forces with them on policy issues like relieving student loan debt. But she again declined to position herself with the progressives, at least ideologically, as she makes her play for independent voters.

Healey has "a lot of regard" for Warren and Pressley. "But I think during my time as attorney general I have been on the front lines fighting for consumers, fighting for workers, fighting for fairness in the marketplace."

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.Former Boston city councilor and mayoral hopeful Andrea Campbell told MassDems she intends to run for attorney general, but she isn't in the race just yet.

Campbell told me she's "grateful to the many friends who are offering their support and encouragement" and she continues to mull, and pray on, her final decision.

Quentin Palfrey also told the party he intends to run for AG, per an email sent to state committee members Friday and obtained by POLITICO. Every other Democrat who filed with MassDems has already launched their campaign for one of the state's six constitutional offices or signaled they plan to seek reelection. Other candidates can still emerge, but they'll need to collect 500 delegate signatures by April 22.

We'll get an early look at how some of these statewide races are shaping up when Policy For Progress and the MassINC Polling Group release a new poll at 11 a.m. via Zoom.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker attends a NGA business session with President Joe Biden at 10 a.m. at the White House, and meets with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall at the Pentagon at 2 p.m. and Assistant Army Secretary for Civil Works Michael Connor at 3:30 p.m. Rep. Jim McGovern highlights ARPA funding in Leominster at 10 a.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is in Newton at 1 p.m. to demonstrate a tech-enabled on-demand public transit service. Rep. Ayanna Pressley hosts a youth organizing conversation at 6 p.m.

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ON THE STUMP

— NEW: Rep. Ayanna Pressley is formally launching her reelection bid today. "I remain committed to reaching people where they are in community, expanding the electorate and bringing more people into this movement," Pressley said in a statement. "The urgency of the moment we find ourselves in could not be more clear — there's still a lot of work to do to address the many challenges and inequities facing our communities."

Republican Donnie Palmer, a professional boxer from Dorchester who ran unsuccessfully for the Boston City Council last year, filed paperwork with the FEC last fall to run against Pressley in the 7th District. Palmer, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, faced scrutiny in his council campaign over anti-Asian posts he made on social media.

— CASH DASH: Rep. Seth Moulton will report raising $505,867 across his three political accounts over the last three months of 2021 and ending the year with $738,505 in cash on hand, per a spokesperson. Those totals are from his campaign account, Serve America PAC and the Moulton Leadership Fund, which splits donations between Moulton's reelection fund and the PAC.

— "Former City Councilor Margareth Shepard to run for new state rep seat," by Dan O'Brien, MetroWest Daily News: "Margareth Shepard, who last year opted against running for a third term on the Framingham City Council, has announced that she is a candidate for state representative in the new majority-minority 6th Middlesex District in Framingham."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The Massachusetts Independent Drivers Guild, a group of rideshare and delivery drivers, is launching a new ad campaign urging lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow app-based drivers to unionize and negotiate over wages, accident coverage and more. The renewed push comes amid a brewing ballot-question battle over how app-based drivers should be classified.

"We have a chance to change everything," rideshare driver Cletus Awah says in the new digital ad, the cost of which was not immediately provided to POLITICO. "To the Massachusetts Legislature, our future is in your hands. Please don't leave us behind."

— "Mass. correction officers union slams body camera plan," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union issued a statement saying the [Baker administration's] plan for body cameras at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center would endanger officers and can not be implemented without bargaining."

— "Baker seeking to halt probation and parole fees in 'progressive' proposal," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker is seeking to end the monthly fees Massachusetts charges those on probation and parole, targeting levies that court officials, lawmakers, and advocates have argued unnecessarily burden people trying to reenter society and do little to ensure the public is safe. The proposal, which Baker inserted into the $48.5 billion budget plan he released last week, would eliminate millions of dollars the state collects each year, including from those under supervision after being released from prison or jail."

— "Massachusetts State Police bagged in overtime scandal pay taxpayers back," by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: "Taxpayers are getting a refund from troopers nabbed in the overtime scandal that cost some their jobs and resulted in a barracks being mothballed. A Herald analysis of last year's payroll from the Massachusetts State Police shows a negative OT balance in a few cases. The State Police said half of them are for bookkeeping adjustments, but two are for paybacks from the scandal." The Herald has the 2021 state police payroll , plus overtime.

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— "Waiting and hoping: Canceled surgeries and busy hospitals take heavy toll on patients," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "Even as the number of new cases in the latest COVID-19 surge eases in Massachusetts, much of the health care system remains overwhelmed, and many anxious patients, some coping with chronic pain and worsening conditions, are facing substantial delays in surgeries and other medical procedures."

— "Wastewater COVID is down 90% from its omicron peak. Experts are still concerned," by Gabrielle Emanuel, WBUR: "'Numbers of infections now are about where they were at the peak of the first winter wave [in late 2020 and early 2021]. They are three-fold higher than during the delta wave this past fall, and 50-fold higher than in the lulls during both pandemic summers,' [said Scott Olesen, an epidemiologist at Biobot Analytics]."

— "'Game changer' COVID-19 drugs trickle out to patients amid challenges," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: "When the FDA in late December authorized two oral medications to treat early-stage COVID-19, the decision seemed like a Christmas gift for anyone living in fear of the virus. ... Instead, only 429 patients have received the drug in Massachusetts — using up just one-sixth of the available supply — as providers scramble to set up systems to manage distribution."

WU TRAIN

— "Mayor Wu brings her policy — and personality — to social media," by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "[Mayor Michelle Wu's] style on social media, much like her manner in person, is polite but direct. … Wu uses social media in the rare moments of respite between mayoral responsibilities. Sometimes, that's during her morning commute. Often, it's in the evenings, after her two young sons have gone to bed. And there's no particular formula to who gets a reply from Boston's mayor."

FROM THE HUB

— "'Our plates are full': Tufts Children's Hospital closure leaves patients in the lurch," by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: "Tara Forrest, of Westford, chose Tufts for her teenage daughter, Ali Pantoja, as she fought acute myeloid lymphoma. As she lived alone at the hospital for nine months last year, unable to see her family and friends due to her weak immune system, the staff at Tufts became her 'second family,' Pantoja, 15, said."

— More: "Petition to keep Tufts Children's Hospital afloat garners 30,000 signatures," by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald.

— "Boston restaurants losing $15,000 a week over coronavirus vaccine mandate, industry group says," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The MRA says some restaurants are losing $10,000 to $15,000 a week in revenue. The organization claims events, weddings and group gatherings are rescheduling outside Boston to municipalities that don't have the city's coronavirus vaccine mandate, and that certain restaurants are experiencing a 50% reservation cancellation rate, which the MRA chalks up to the mandate."

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Deal between CSX and Amtrak could help pave the away for East-West Rail," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "It's certainly more likely now, thanks to some legal maneuvering amid giant freight railroad operator CSX's proposed acquisition of the smaller Pan Am Railways, a regional freight carrier based in Billerica. So-called East-West Rail service from Boston to Springfield and beyond isn't part of this merger, or at least it wasn't supposed to be. But Florida-based CSX controls the rail right of way west of Worcester, all the way to the Albany station in Rensselaer, N.Y. And Amtrak is using some tough regulatory scrutiny of the merger as leverage to ensure it can expand passenger service in the CSX corridor when the time is right."

DAY IN COURT

— "Can a parent's right to their child be terminated via Zoom?" by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Parental rights hearings are conducted like a trial, with attorneys and witnesses. While there are serious downsides to delaying such proceedings indefinitely — namely, delaying a child's chance at adoption — advocates for families worry that holding trials via Zoom infringes on parents' rights, particularly the rights of poor parents who may struggle with technology."

— "State shuts down real estate companies that cheated low-income homebuyers with lease-to-own scam," by Dave Canton, Springfield Republican: "Two real estate companies have been ordered to shut down operations in Massachusetts, pay a cash settlement and make amends to potential homebuyers the company scammed, including giving the homes to the people who were cheated. … The agreement resolves a lawsuit brought against the companies by the AG's office."

KENNEDY COMPOUND

— "RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine crusade deepens rift with family and friends," by Mark Shanahan and Hanna Krueger, Boston Globe: "[T]he controversy is merely the latest to embroil the 68-year-old son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy. His increasingly extreme views on vaccinations and embrace of conspiracy theories have caused a deepening rift in one of America's most prominent political families."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— "In combating climate crisis, cities team up," by Dustin Luca, Salem News: "North Shore cities are taking a strength-in-numbers approach to the climate crisis, launching partnerships to build up area coastlines and get ahead of future challenges wrought by more frequent extreme weather."

— "28 legislators urge Biden to slash Pentagon emissions," by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: "An executive order directs the government to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, but exempts the Defense Department. A letter led by Senator [Ed] Markey demands the White House close that loophole."

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— "Jailed for marijuana, now he owns a business that grows and sells it," by Hadley Barndollar, USA Today Network: "In 2007, [Jesse] Pitts was arrested when more than 70 pounds of marijuana and a quarter of a million in cash were seized from the home he was renting. … Pitts speaks today from his position as co-founder of Wareham marijuana company Trade Roots, the first Social Equity Program participant in the state to become a triple licensee — obtaining licensure for retail sales, cultivation and manufacturing, as confirmed by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission."

— "Stoned drivers are 'significantly' impaired for up to 4 hours after cannabis use: study," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "Cannabis use can 'significantly' impair drivers for up to four hours after use, a new study revealed, stressing the urgency for a better understanding of the effects its use increases around the country. … Gov. Charlie Baker, in his final year in office, is pushing lawmakers to act on legislation filed by his office to toughen up enforcement and penalties for Massachusetts drivers who get behind the wheel when they're stoned."

FROM THE 413

— "Here's what your lawmakers say their priorities are as the Legislature enters a busy stretch," by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: "While lawmakers are calling colleagues in a final push to pursue favorable reports on bills, they also are beginning to identify priorities for the budget process. K-12 school aid, for instance, is a common goal among Berkshire County lawmakers."

— "Amherst police alternative program expected to be ready by May," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "A community responders program, whose unarmed employees will handle some calls that don't involve violence or serious crime that police officers currently respond to, should be running by May."

EX-PATS

— BRADY VS. BLIZZARD: Tom Brady hasn't played for the Patriots in two seasons. He's apparently still a bigger story here than a blizzard. The ESPN-prompted will-he-or-won't-he retire saga bumped blizzard coverage down on the front page of the Sunday Boston Globe and almost kept it off the front page of the Boston Herald entirely. TV stations switched from live shots with frozen correspondents to call-ins from former Patriots players. And yet, nearly 48 hours and a flurry of rumors later, we still don't know when Brady's retiring. (Patriots beat writers, if you're reading this, please let us know).

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— SPEAKING OF SNOW: Stoughton hit the snow jackpot with 30.9 inches of the white stuff, and other towns weren't far behind; the storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of customers, particularly on the Cape and Islands; and Boston schools are open today, but others remain closed as cleanup continues.

— "Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe Dies After Being Found Outside Canton Home," by CBS Boston staff: "A Boston Police Officer has died after being found outside a Canton home on Saturday, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office. The officer was identified by Boston Police as John O'Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the department. … According to the D.A., O'Keefe appeared to have been in the cold for some time before he was found early in the morning near a Fairview Road house belonging to people he knew."

— "Judge upholds suspension for lawyer suing South Shore schools over mask mandates," by Megan Fernandes and Wheeler Cowperthwaite, Patriot Ledger: "The New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the law license suspension of a New Hampshire lawyer who filed a flurry of anti-mask lawsuits against school districts in Massachusetts, Florida and New Hampshire. Those lawsuits are pending, but appeals to try to temporarily pause mask mandates were denied by an Appeals Court judge last week."

— "Trustees: Hovan will not return to Southcoast Health CEO position," by Anastasia Lennon, New Bedford Light: "The Southcoast Health Board of Trustees announced on Friday that it is in the 'best interest' that President and CEO Keith A. Hovan does not return to his role after being placed on paid leave in November following his arrest, according to an email to employees."

MEDIA MATTERS

— LISTEN UP: The MassGOP has a new podcast. " Jim Lyons: The Elephant in the Room" is now on Spotify. On its first episode, "Taking a Stand," Lyons and co-host Jon Fetherston "voice their objections to government overreach in our schools, our businesses and our lives."

TRANSITIONS — Kathy Sullivan, the first American woman to walk in space, a former Obama administration NOAA administrator and a current member of President Joe Biden's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and Steve Smith, former NASA Astronaut Corps deputy chief and a former astronaut with seven spacewalks, will join the advisory board of Boston-based weather and climate security platform Tomorrow.io.

— Mae Eldahshoury is Rep. Ayanna Pressley's new press secretary. She previously worked as a press assistant for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Steven Boozang, Orit Gadiesh, Eli Nachmany, Robert Norris and Andrew Smith.

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