News: Who’s leaving the Legislature? Mostly women

Friday, February 11, 2022

Who’s leaving the Legislature? Mostly women

Feb 11, 2022

MOVING ON — State Rep. Carolyn Dykema bid the House farewell yesterday, adding to the growing list of mostly female lawmakers who are either retiring at the end of this session or exiting early to pursue new jobs or higher offices.

Former state Reps. Claire Cronin and Lori Ehrlich have already left for Biden administration posts. State Reps. Maria Robinson and Sheila Harrington had hearings this week for jobs as assistant secretary for the U.S. Energy Department's Office of Electricity and clerk magistrate of Gardner District Court, respectively.

Dykema officially resigns today for a new gig at renewable energy company Nexamp. State Rep. Tami Gouveia and state Sens. Diana DiZoglio and Sonia Chang-Díaz are running for statewide office. Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler and state Reps. Liz Malia and Linda Dean Campbell have all said they won't seek reelection.

It's a moment of both excitement and trepidation for political observers who are cheering the lawmakers' career moves while worrying about what their departures will mean for female representation in a male-dominated Legislature. With Dykema's departure, women make up just 30.5 percent of the Legislature, down from 32 percent — the all-time high — earlier this session.

"What's worrisome to me is how hard everyone has fought just to get to this place," Dawne Shand, the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus board president, told me. And with the pandemic compounding the challenges of campaigning, "I just do not think we're going to see a great wave of women running for these open seats."

The departures also mean the loss of decades of institutional knowledge on Beacon Hill and in legislators' districts. Malia and Chandler, the first woman from Worcester elected to the Senate and the second woman to serve as the body's president, have been in the Legislature since the 1990s. Others have been in office for a decade or more.

"These women were barrier breakers," Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, told me. "Thankfully there is a pipeline that could potentially ascend to leadership positions, [though] of course not overnight."

Cronin in particular leaves a power vacuum. House Speaker Ron Mariano said this week he will name a new majority leader "shortly." He's vowed to keep a "diverse leadership team," but hasn't said whether he'll pick another woman.

All this turnover also breeds opportunity. Two women — state Rep. Jamie Belsito and state Sen. Lydia Edwards — recently won special elections for seats previously held by men. Others, including state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda, are stepping up to run for several of the seats opening up through departures or redistricting, the latter of which changes Cronin's district and effectively erases Robinson's and Belsito's.

Political observers also hope even more women are inspired by their peers who are running for statewide office and winning mayor's races from Boston to North Adams.

"We're talking about a transformational year, and maybe it will be," Shand said. "Maybe having a woman as governor will lead to this resurgence in interest."

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Enjoy the warm weather!

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, HHS Sec. Marylou Sudders and Senate President Karen Spilka visit the Mass211 call center in Framingham at 1 p.m. State Attorney General Maura Healey tours small businesses in Easthampton and Holyoke; stops at Holyoke Peer Recovery Center at 1:30 p.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss holds a listening session with Ukrainian community members at 4 p.m. at his Newton office.

THIS WEEKEND — GOP governor hopeful Chris Doughty is on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) is on WCVB's "On the Record" at 11 a.m. Sunday.

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ON THE STUMP

— POLL POSITION: State Sen. Eric Lesser spent $43,060 to poll the lieutenant governor's race in December, according to state campaign finance filings. His campaign confirmed the poll but did not disclose the results. Lesser launched his campaign for LG in early January.

— GETTING IN: GOP state Rep. Shawn Dooley is challenging Democratic state Sen. Becca Rausch. Dooley, who joined the House in 2014, is also a Republican State Committee member who unsuccessfully challenged Jim Lyons for party chair in 2020. He's now trying to reclaim a Senate seat once held by Republicans including former ambassador and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, though the boundaries of the district will change due to redistricting. Medfield Democrat Stephen Teehan has filed to run for Dooley's seat.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— "Massachusetts reports 2,611 daily coronavirus cases; 6,723 infections in K-12 schools," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "Thursday's daily count of 2,611 new virus cases in the state was significantly down from last Thursday's report of 4,829 infections. … In the K-12 schools report, the total of 6,723 staff and students testing positive is a 44% drop from 11,986 positive tests in the previous week."

— "Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts," by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— BILL TRACKER: House lawmakers approved a bill that would overhaul oversight of the Holyoke and Chelsea soldiers' homes after a Covid-19 outbreak at the Holyoke facility in 2020 killed nearly 80 veterans. But they did so without the backing of state Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, who voted "present" out of concern over differences between the new bill and the one she and state Sen. Mike Rush filed last fall, which was based on input gleaned from their lengthy legislative probe of the Holyoke tragedy, State House News Service's Chris Lisinski reports (via paywall).

The redrafted bill requires that the superintendents of both facilities be licensed nursing home administrators; keeps trustees boards for each home; and establishes a 17-member veterans' council that can approve or remove superintendents. CommonWealth Magazine's Shira Schoenberg breaks down the differences between the bills.

— GRAND REOPENING? Senate President Karen Spilka wants to reopen her chamber to masked and vaccinated members of the public on Feb. 22. Logistics are still being worked out, her office said, and talks are ongoing between the House and Senate for a fuller reopening of the State House that's been closed to the public for more than 700 days.

"The president feels strongly about reopening the State House and is optimistic it can be done fully on Feb. 22," Spilka spokesperson Antonio Caban told me.

— "Bill allowing driver's licenses for people without legal immigration status will advance to a vote in the Mass. House, speaker's office says," by Taylor Dolven and Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "For the first time, the Massachusetts House of Representatives plans to debate and vote on a bill that would grant driver's licenses to people without legal immigration status. ... Ana Vivas, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Ronald Mariano, said Mariano is working to secure enough votes to override a potential veto from the governor, who has opposed versions of the bill in the past."

— "Senate approves drug cost reduction plan," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Newburyport Daily News: "The state Senate on Thursday approved a health care cost reduction plan that would cap costs for insulin and require pharmaceutical companies to notify state regulators when a new or expensive drug comes on the market."

— "Labor appeals board upholds Baker's vaccine mandate," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "A state appeals board has ruled that Gov. Charlie Baker's vaccine mandate for executive branch workers is legal, ending the final avenue of appeals for a challenge by the state police union."

— "Nearly 60% of Mass. rental assistance applications not approved," by Jason Law, Boston 25 News: "According to an affidavit filed by the Mass. Department of Housing and Community Development Chief of Programs Amy Stitely, the state received 151,658 applications for renters assistance between Nov. 2020 and Jan. 2022. The court document shows DHCD approved 58,585 applications and denied 1,107, leaving some 91,000 applications unapproved."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— "Why Liberal Suburbs Face a New Round of School Mask Battles," by Dana Goldstein, New York Times: "Newton and Boston, about 10 miles apart, give an idea of how two politically liberal and cautious districts are approaching the choice — and how and why they may come to different decisions. The debate will involve science, but also politics, race and class, as well as a swell of emotions."

— "Massachusetts boosts availability of COVID-19 antiviral pills, including Paxlovid," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The Bay State is expanding the availability of COVID-19 antiviral pills that have been in short supply, including Pfizer's promising medication called Paxlovid. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health told state providers this week that they can start writing prescriptions for oral antivirals at select Walgreens pharmacies."

— "Vaccine mandates for organ transplant ethical, argues new paper that focused on Boston case," by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald: "A new paper published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure called organ transplant centers 'a lightning rod in the COVID vaccine requirement debate' and took a specific look at the Boston case of a man refused a place on the heart transplant list because of his vaccination status."

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FROM THE HUB

— "Boston, teachers union strike agreement over vaccine mandate," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The city and the Boston Teachers Union have come to an agreement to add some flexibility to the employee vaccine mandate in a big step for the Wu administration — though the city and its public-safety unions remain at loggerheads over the requirement. … If metrics involving positive test rates, hospitalizations and ICU capacity go back down below certain marks, the city moves from a 'red zone' of an absolute mandate to a 'yellow' phase in which the now-367 unvaccinated Boston Public Schools employees can provide evidence of negative tests to stay on the job."

— "Boston schools mask mandate will stay in place beyond state's Feb. 28 end date, Wu says," by Gal Tziperman Lotan, Boston Globe: "Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the city will not lift the mask mandate in Boston Public Schools on Thursday, a day after Governor Charlie Baker said he will end statewide mask requirements for students and teachers at the end of the month."

— "Boston announces 'listening tour' ahead of budget," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "How should Boston spend its billions? That's the question that the administration's embarking on as Mayor Michelle Wu announced a 'listening tour' of community meetings about the city's budget priorities."

— "Gunshot wounds in Boston surged during first year of pandemic, study shows," by Meghan Ottolini, Boston Herald: "BMC's South End emergency room saw 221 patients with firearm-related injuries during the first year of the pandemic — a 32% increase from the average of the five years before COVID-19 hit the city, and a 51% increase from the year beginning March 2019."

— "AG Healey's office inquires about patients' claims against East Boston Neighborhood Health Center," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "Days after ten immigrant families made public claims of poor medical care at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, the health provider says it has reached out to Centro Presente, the nonprofit that raised those allegations. In addition, Centro Presente said it is working with Attorney General Maura Healey's office, which is gathering further information about the claims."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "MBTA seeks to charge $3 for 'new' Charlie Cards," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "The MBTA is seeking approval from its oversight board to charge riders $3 for newly designed Charlie Cards as part of the rollout of a new fare collection system. … To ease the blow on low-income riders, T officials said they plan to distribute about 350,000 Charlie Cards for free in low-income and minority neighborhoods."

— "T oversight board light on oversight, transit advocates warn," by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: "Four and a half months after an escalator at Back Bay station malfunctioned sending dozens of MBTA riders tumbling down in a bloody pileup, many key questions remain unanswered including what, exactly, caused the ascending escalator to suddenly reverse. Enter the MBTA oversight board's subcommittee on safety, which took up the issues of escalators at its monthly meeting on Thursday. But the board members didn't ask any questions about the horrific malfunction, nor did they ask what the T is doing to prevent a similar incident in the future."

— "MBTA fare revenue trending higher than expected," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "MBTA fare revenue so far this fiscal year is trending above the pessimistic forecast used to create the transit authority's budget, but officials say the numbers remain highly variable."

THE PRESSLEY PARTY

— "With evictions on the rise, House Democrats team up to push new housing protections," by Claudia Grisales, NPR: "With evictions on the rise, three House Democrats [including Rep. Ayanna Pressley] are introducing legislation to curb threats facing tenants on the verge of losing their homes."

EX-PATS

— "New England Senators Introduce Congressional Resolution Honoring Tom Brady's 'Legendary' Career," by CBS Boston staff: "Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ed Markey (D-MA) [and their colleagues] have introduced a resolution in Congress that 'highlights Tom Brady's incredible career with the New England Patriots and the joy he brought to all of Patriots Nation who loved watching him play.' Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' name is not on the resolution; neither are the senators from Connecticut."

— Rep. Jake Auchincloss also gave the GOAT some love in a House speech earlier this week.

FROM THE 413

— "Victims' families decry 'loophole' in state law allowing medical parole for murderers," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: "Although the murders of their loved ones spanned three decades, they united Thursday along with Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni to decry what they called a 'loophole' in a state law allowing first-degree murderers to apply for medical parole."

— "A Tradition the Coronavirus Could Not Crush? Town Meeting & Its Moderation," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "Despite the pandemic's complications, there has been no stampede away from this form of government. Rather, there was also a deliberate effort to make it work even as the novel coronavirus would seem to proscribe gatherings."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Lander was a tough boss at the Broad Institute, but not sexist, say former colleagues," by Jonathan Saltzman, Anissa Gardizy and Ryan Cross, Boston Globe: "[T]hree former employees of the renowned genetics research center [Eric Lander] ran in Cambridge called him a demanding boss, with one saying Lander could unwittingly make staff feel 'belittled or used or just insulted.' But none of them ― two women and a man ― said Lander's behavior at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard rose to the level that cost him his job in the Biden administration."

— "Former Broad leader's future at Harvard, MIT unclear after bullying investigation," by Yasmin Amer, WBUR: "Asked about [Eric] Lander's future at MIT and Harvard, both institutions said Lander is currently on unpaid leave and gave no further comment. The Broad made a similar statement."

— "MIT president L. Rafael Reif to step down," by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts Institute of Technology president L. Rafael Reif announced Thursday that he will resign at the end of 2022 after more than a decade leading the institution."

— "Facing self-surrender on Monday, ex-mayor Jasiel Correia again requests stay from prison," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II, scheduled to turn himself in to a New Hampshire federal prison on Monday, took another stab Wednesday at asking federal Judge Douglas Woodlock to keep him free pending the appeal of his government corruption conviction. And on Thursday, federal prosecutors for a third time filed their own motion in opposition to the request."

— "Wrongfully convicted drug defendants await possible $10M payback," by Anastasia E. Lennon, Amanda Cappelli and Claudia Chiappa, New Bedford Light: "After years of negotiations, the state attorney general's office, Gov. Charlie Baker, nearly a dozen state and county officials and defense attorneys have until Tuesday to strike a deal on some $10 million in payments to tens of thousands of wrongly convicted drug defendants whose cases were dismissed in 2017 and 2018 after the state's drug lab scandals, records show."

— "States seek to keep Mass. trash out of landfills," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: "As Massachusetts sends more trash and construction debris out-of-state amid tightening solid waste regulations, neighboring states are weighing plans to curb the amount of outside garbage going into regional landfills."

TRANSITIONS — FayeRuth Fisher joins the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston as director of government affairs and David Cohen joins as director of community affairs.

— The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts has added several staff members: Anthony Moore Jr. is senior manager of partnerships and members; Darien Johnson and Kareem Kibodya are co-leads of policy and advocacy; Krystal Cummings is senior operations manager; Walter Weekes Jr. is development manager; Jayme Washington is chief of marketing and communications officer; Alaycia Carlsen is operations manager; Christopher Sonnie moves from executive assistant to membership coordinator and Naiquisia Hensey moves from membership coordinator to events manager.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Governor's Councilor Terrence Kennedy, E&E News' Evan Lehmann, Hannah Lindow, Olga Davidson and Cameron Merritt.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Falmouth state Rep. David Vieira, Reggie Zimmerman and Lawrence McGrath, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Katie Trojano, Joshua Solomon and Jamie Cushman.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: DEMPSEY TALKS AUDITOR RUN — State auditor hopeful Chris Dempsey joins hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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