News : Wu takes on the trolls

Monday, February 14, 2022

Wu takes on the trolls

Feb 14, 2022

IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu can't stop protesters from showing up outside her house at 7 a.m., but she can clap back at the critics of her mask and vaccine mandates online.

"Trolls in the comment section is not news in 2022," Wu tweeted yesterday in response to a Boston Globe article detailing the Covid-mandate backlash she faced on a recent Instagram Live event. When one Twitter user replied that the "trolls" were "concerned citizens who cannot sit idly by as you kill children," Wu fired back that "Boston's COVID policies will be set by public health officials, not organized efforts to elevate anti-vax conspiracies."

Exchanges like this get a lot of attention. And they reflect a quantifiable change in Wu's social media use as she wields her personal @wutrain Twitter handle to confront ongoing opposition to her Covid rules, according to a new analysis of Wu's Twitter presence from Legislata, a productivity software for politicians.

Wu has been responding more to negative tweets, according to an "average sentiment" analysis of messages with positive words like "great" and "congratulations" and negative words like "terrible" and "awful." It's not a foolproof methodology; the calculations can't account for sarcasm, for instance. Still, Legislata found the average sentiment of the tweets Wu is replying to has dropped "by a lot" since the start of the year, founder and CEO Chris Oates said.

Wu grabs attention — and headlines — for her missives in part because of when she sends them. While other mayors wind down for the night, Wu's personal account remains "particularly active outside work hours," Oates said, and that "likely heightens the sense that she tweets much more than others."

Still, Wu is also a high-volume tweeter compared to other mayors. In December, her first full month as mayor, @wutrain sent out 275 tweets and @MayorWu, the official office handle run by her staff, sent 128. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll was the next closest mayor, with 168 tweets from her @MayorDriscoll account.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Democrats dashing through the caucus circuit tend to only get a couple of minutes to make their elevator pitches and share their personal backstories with potential delegates.

Yet some policy differences are beginning to emerge among the gubernatorial hopefuls. State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz championed single-payer health care at a Littleton Democrats caucus earlier this month. Harvard Professor Danielle Allen, when asked at a Framingham caucus whether she supports single-payer, said closing coverage gaps and having a public-private option and cost controls "will get us to universal, simple and affordable [health care] faster and more successfully than I've seen in the single-payer models that are out there."

Asked where state Attorney General Maura Healey stands on single-payer health care, her campaign told Playbook that she would make "health care affordability" a top priority.

TODAY — Wu joins GBH's revamped "Morning Edition" at 8:20 a.m. Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Stephen Lynch, House Speaker Ron Mariano and transportation officials make a federal infrastructure spending announcement at 9:30 a.m. in Quincy. Baker, Polito, Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka hold their weekly leadership meeting at 2 p.m. at the State House. Rep. Lori Trahan and EPA regional administrator David Cash highlight federal wastewater investments at 10 a.m. in Lowell.

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PROGRAMMING NOTE — Massachusetts Playbook will not publish this Friday or next Monday. After the long weekend, we'll be back on Tuesday.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— LOVE IS IN THE AIR: Senate President Karen Spilka took a page out of Leslie Knope's book this Galentine's Day (that's a "Parks and Rec" reference, for the uninitiated) by posting a video "celebrating women's achievements" and "the relationships that lead to women helping women shatter glass ceilings." She highlighted Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, state Attorney General Maura Healey , state Auditor Suzanne Bump and state Treasurer Deb Goldberg in the three-minute clip.

— ON THE BANDWAGON: Sports-betting site Draft Kings said a quarter of its New Hampshire Super Bowl bettors had Bay State addresses — so Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Ron Mariano wagered the big game was as good a time as any to continue their calls to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts.

"We filed a bill in 2019 and again last year to make sports gaming legal. MA is losing out to neighboring states on this, especially during big games," Baker tweeted as the game got underway. "Enjoy the Super Bowl, and let's make sports gaming happen!"

Mariano punted to the Senate, where Spilka has yet to tackle the matter. "The House has repeatedly passed legislation to legalize sports betting in the Commonwealth. It is long past time for that legislation to become law," the House speaker tweeted.

— "Baker vetoes 'unrealistic' deadlines in supp budget," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Gov. Charlie Baker on Saturday signed into law a $101 million supplemental budget bill that puts money toward increasing COVID-19 testing, buying masks, doing vaccine outreach, and recapitalizing a COVID-related paid sick time program. The governor vetoed or returned with amendments a few sections, primarily deadlines [including for distributing masks] that he called 'unrealistic.'"

— SIGNATURE SEASON: The supplemental budget also set Sept. 6 as the state's primary date. Secretary of State Bill Galvin said candidates can start picking up nomination papers at 10 a.m. this morning in Boston and at regional offices later this week. Deadlines for returning nomination papers start in May.

— "Speaker Ron Mariano wants 'equal access' to the Massachusetts State House when it reopens to the public," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "House Speaker Ron Mariano on Friday declined to divulge a concrete reopening date for the Massachusetts State House. … Ana Vivas, spokeswoman for the speaker, told MassLive in a statement Friday afternoon that Mariano is 'eager to safely' reopen the building to the public — but she stopped short of providing a precise timetable."

— "Baker, Healey, and DAs say wiretapping law needs update to fight crime. If history is any guide, lawmakers will disagree," by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey, and the state's 11 elected district attorneys are trying yet again to persuade legislators to update the law in a so-far quixotic effort that has now spanned generations. But today's political environment, more suspicious of amplifying police power, has made such efforts less likely to succeed, experts say."

— "Gov. Baker pushes again for dangerousness law change after Danvers alleged child porn case," by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: "In the wake of a sordid case involving a Danvers psychologist allegedly being found to have a secret room filled with child pornography, Gov. Charlie Baker pushed again for the passage of laws that would help to protect victims."

— "Concerned for rural schools, Berkshires lawmakers prep for education funding debate in state budget," by Sophie Moritz, BU Statehouse Program/Berkshire Eagle: "While Berkshire County lawmakers have celebrated the funding increase, state aid continues to fall short for many rural districts, where residents often pay disproportionately more in property taxes to fund schools."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— "Mass. refuses to excuse most workers from COVID vaccine mandate," by Ally Jarmanning and Todd Wallack, WBUR: "[T]he state has approved just 256 of the more than 2,300 requests it received for medical or religious waivers to rules requiring workers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19."

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

— "'We messed up': Boston 'accidentally' emailed workers' positive coronavirus test info and vaccination status to group," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The city 'messed up' and the 'wrong button got pushed,' blasting out information about employees' positive coronavirus tests and lack of vaccination to about 100 people, prompting frustration and an apology. 'Unintentionally and accidentally, we messed up,' the city's HR department wrote in a subsequent email to workers whose information had just been sent out to others."

— "Boston calling remote city workers back for in-person work with omicron on retreat," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "'In consultation with public health officials, the City has decided to end the temporary remote policy which allowed some City workers to work remotely beginning January 4 in response to the Omicron surge,' a spokesperson said in a statement to the Herald."

— "Council President Flynn assumes acting mayor duties," by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: "Boston City Council President Ed Flynn assumed the duties of acting mayor after Michelle Wu left the city Friday for a family funeral. … Flynn taking on the title comes with a unique historical note: The South Boston city councillor is the son of former mayor Ray Flynn."

— "Boston's city workforce became slightly more diverse over the past year," by Danny McDonald and Andrew Ryan, Boston Globe: "The two snapshots of the city government's labor force were taken from January 2021, when Martin J. Walsh was in the fifth-floor corner office, and January 2022, with Mayor Michelle Wu at the city's helm. Together, they show that the percentages of both Asian and Black employees ticked upward slightly."

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

FROM THE HUB

— HARVARD BOUND: Former Boston acting mayor Kim Janey has shipped off to Cambridge. "I moved to Cambridge last week to begin my work in academia at the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School," Janey, one of the IOP's spring fellows, tweeted on Friday . "Come visit me across the river! Just don't parhk your cahr in Harvard Yarhd! Sorry, I couldn't resist!"

— "COVID-19 numbers could improve enough to lift Boston's indoor vaccine requirement 'in the coming weeks,' public health commissioner says," by Danny McDonald and Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "Boston's top public health official is optimistic about COVID-19 trends in the city, saying she expects all three thresholds that will trigger lifting the proof-of-vaccine requirement for certain indoor spaces to be met in coming weeks. ... Union representatives used [Friday's] hearing as an opportunity to again charge that Wu ignored collective bargaining agreements Acting Mayor Kim Janey reached with the unions last year."

— "A month after the tents were cleared in Mass. and Cass, signs of tumult, and hope," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "These days — one month since Mayor Michelle Wu's administration finished clearing out the encampments — [Tim] Galligan is working, and has warm housing. He sweeps and cleans the neighborhood a few hours a day for the Newmarket Business Association, and he also works a few hours a week at a local warehouse. After city crews cleared the tents, he helped sweep up the leftover trash. At night, he has a meal and a room at the Roundhouse Hotel."

— "MassDOT retrieves traffic cones thrown onto frozen Charles River," by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: "The cones were set up to create a buffer between cars and cyclists, but already the state has had to replace them three times after vandals tossed roughly 100 to 150 of them onto the icy Charles, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 'They were obviously not easy to retrieve,' MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said in an interview."

ON THE STUMP

— ENDORSEMENT RECAP: State Sen. Diana DiZoglio picked up six more endorsements in her bid for state auditor, including Rep. Lori Trahan, and state Sens. John Cronin, Barry Finegold, Anne Gobi, Edward Kennedy and Michael Moore, her campaign said.

— OPEIU Local 453, the second-largest MBTA union, has endorsed Gabriela Coletta for Boston City Council District 1.

— GETTING IN: State Rep. Carol Doherty will seek reelection in her redrawn 3rd Bristol District, which includes portions of Taunton and Easton. The Democrat first won her seat in a 2020 special election and was reelected later that year.

— "GOP Candidate For Governor Chris Doughty Says COVID Policy Should Make People 'Feel Safe, But Not Controlled'," by Jon Keller, WBZ: "'I think we have to be understanding, and compassionate and watch the data to figure out what is the best path,' Doughty said. … Doughty said he does not support vaccine mandates similar to the one in place in Boston."

DAY IN COURT

— "Ex-Fall River mayor granted another extension on prison surrender — March 4 this time," by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: "[Jasiel] Correia, 30, was scheduled to report to a prison in New Hampshire on Monday. But that date has now been extended to 'no later than noon' on March 4, court filings show."

— "Former district court judge Thomas Estes settles lawsuit, but sides still dispute whether an affair was consensual," by Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: "The former Pittsfield drug court judge who lost his job over what he terms a consensual sexual affair has settled a lawsuit against him, seeking 'to close this ugly chapter in my life and to focus on the future.'"

FROM THE DELEGATION

— "McGovern sponsors new bill to expand access to school breakfasts nationwide," by Amy Phillips, WWLP: "U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA), and Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced the The Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act on Friday."

FROM THE 413

— "Short-term rentals are a cash cow for Great Barrington, but some residents want stricter regulations — even if that means less revenue," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "Supporters of a bylaw limiting short-term rentals to 90 days a year say the cons outweigh the pros, and he loss of some future tax revenue from regulations is worth it. Others say the town needs all the revenue it can get."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Everett superintendent found surveillance cameras in her office, her lawyer says," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "In the latest cinematic twist in a gateway city showdown, the Everett schools superintendent who accused Mayor Carlo DeMaria of racist and sexist acts of discrimination and retaliation last month found surveillance cameras hidden in her office less than two weeks later, her lawyer said. … The superintendent did not respond to Globe requests for an interview about how she discovered the cameras, which were first reported by the Everett Leader Herald."

— "City says weeks of antisemitic attacks directed at Board of Health, staff," by Dustin Luca, Salem News: "City officials revealed Friday that members of Salem's Board of Health and health department staff have been subjected to weeks of targeted harassment and threats, particularly toward those who would appear Jewish by their names."

— "Worcester to revote on city mask mandate after procedural flub," by Sam Turken, GBH News: "During a meeting Monday, the city's Board of Health voted 3-2 to end the requirement, effective Feb. 18. However, city officials now say board member Gary Rosen — who supported dropping the mandate — had not taken his oath of office prior to the meeting, meaning he was ineligible to participate in the vote and a majority did not approve the proposal."

— "Quincy city pension investment manager lost $3.5 million in an email phishing scam," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: "More than $3 million is missing from the city's pension fund after an investment manager fell victim to an email phishing scheme, state officials said. The money has not been recovered."

— "Meet Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Newly elected Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne represents a major change in style. Ballantyne, 59, is steeped in the minutiae of urban policy, with a deep understanding of topics like affordable housing and workforce development. Ask Ballantyne about her stance on the controversial topic of municipal COVID vaccine mandates, and she'll answer the question. Then she'll pivot to a topic she's more comfortable talking about: urban rats."

— "Book: Donald Trump said Bill Belichick 'chickened out' in rejecting Freedom medal and they later made up at a golf course," by Charles Robinson, Yahoo News: "A forthcoming book chronicling a turbulent 18-month snapshot of American politics will claim some new details surrounding one of the higher-profile rejections that former President Donald Trump experienced during his time in office: the refusal of the Presidential Medal of Freedom by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick."

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "Sununu says communication breakdown between states led to lax oversight of Harmony Montgomery," by Laura Crimaldi and Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: "New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu last month was unequivocal: A Massachusetts judge's decision to grant custody of Harmony Montgomery to her 'monstrous' father had set the stage for the girl's disappearance. But as hope dwindles in the search for the 7-year-old, Sununu has now cast wider blame on the child welfare net that stretches between the states, suggesting that a communication breakdown contributed to Harmony's tumble through the cracks of the system."

— AS SEEN ON TV: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told WCVB's "On the Record" that she's "very confident" in fellow Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan's chances against the Republicans vying to unseat her this fall and said the GOP could be "very divided" in both the Senate and gubernatorial contests, particularly if former President Donald Trump gets involved. Shaheen predicted abortion access would be a major issue as GOP Gov. Chris Sununu seeks reelection rather than challenging Hassan. And Shaheen brushed off the lack of Democrats running against Sununu, saying, "it's still early."

TRANSITIONS — Mandy Smithberger is now a defense policy adviser to Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Rahsaan Hall has hired Jessica Laverty, a Sen. Ed Markey campaign alum who's active in Plymouth County Democratic groups, as campaign manager for his run for Plymouth County district attorney.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Rep. Richard Neal, Hayley Johnson and Diana Felber.

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS — Eric Lesser paid $24,000 for his poll of the lieutenant governor's race. His campaign was unclear with Playbook about the reason multiple payments were listed in OCPF.

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