News : Healey’s Beacon Hill rendezvous

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Healey’s Beacon Hill rendezvous

Nov 29, 2022

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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS — Six days after he was elected governor in 2014, Republican Charlie Baker joined Democratic legislative leaders at the State House for a series of private meetings followed by a public show of cross-party unity before the press.

His successor, Democrat Maura Healey, has now held similar meetings. But she did so without alerting the press, raising early questions about how transparent her administration will be in its dealings with a notoriously opaque Legislature as Democrats take full control on Beacon Hill.

Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll met with Senate President Karen Spilka before Thanksgiving and House Speaker Ron Mariano early Monday afternoon at the State House. Their transition team confirmed both meetings later Monday afternoon. But aides to the incoming governor and the Democratic leaders declined to share what was discussed at either one.

Baker and top Democrats have held leadership meetings followed by joint press availabilities throughout most of his two-term tenure in a key show of bipartisanship. The pandemic paused the in-person gatherings, and they've become less frequent since they resumed. But they continue to provide reporters — and, therefore, Beacon Hill denizens and observers — crucial access and insight into the workings of the big three, even when the big three don't feel like divulging their discussions.

Healey's transition team said she's committed to continuing the leadership meetings and joint media sessions once she takes office. The scrums will serve as an early tell of how open Healey — who's faced criticism for being light on details in her campaign and vague on her plans during her transition — will be about her priorities and deliberations with the Legislature as Democrats navigate the opportunities and obstacles of one-party rule. FWIW, aides to Mariano and Spilka say they both intend to keep in regular contact with each other and the next governor.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The details of Healey and Driscoll's Beacon Hill meetings may be fuzzy, but their transition team came into full focus yesterday.

The attorney general and Salem mayor have loaded up their policy committees with familiar faces, a mix of one-time rivals, longtime supporters, union heads and community leaders all tasked with shaping the incoming governor and lieutenant governor's priorities. The 100-plus names also offer a menu of potential Healey-Driscoll administration hires.

Among the notables: Former governor hopefuls Danielle Allen and former state Sen. Ben Downing sit on committees related to jobs and climate, respectively. Outgoing state Sen. Eric Lesser, a key advocate for East-West rail who fell short in his lieutenant governor bid, is on the transportation committee. Former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and former state Treasurer Steve Grossman are on the jobs committee.

Former Boston City Councilor Matt O'Malley, a longtime Healey supporter who now works for Vicinity Energy, is also on the climate committee. Reproductive Equity Now Executive Director Rebecca Hart Holder is on the committee for "safe and healthy communities for all ages." And the heads of the state's two largest teachers unions are on a committee focused on "thriving youth and young adults."

TODAY — Baker, Healey, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders participate in a roundtable on the opioid epidemic at 10 a.m. at A New Way Peer Recovery Center in Quincy. The event, which will include other members of the governor's 2015 opioid working group, is meant to reflect on the administration's efforts to expand prevention, treatment and recovery programs over the past eight years. Driscoll addresses a Student Pathways to Success virtual event at 1 p.m.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "In-person Election Day voting boosted turnout to 2.5m," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "There were 2.5 million Massachusetts residents who cast ballots in the November 8 midterm election, and despite the availability of vote-by-mail, more than half of them returned to the tried-and-true method of in-person voting on Election Day. With 2,508,298 ballots cast, voter turnout was the second highest it has been for a midterm election, after 2018. But that also reflects a dismal voter turnout rate of 51.4 percent, the second lowest turnout rate in a modern election, second only to 2014. In part, the low turnout rate can be traced to automatic voter registration and a growing population, resulting in 4.88 million registered voters, the highest level ever."

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FROM THE HUB

— "It's been a year since the vote. Where is Boston's elected School Committee?" by Julian E.J. Sorapuru, Boston Globe: "On the campaign trail last year, Mayor Michelle Wu said she'd be open to turning a majority of the Boston School Committee's seats into elected positions. And on the same day she was elected, voters went even further, signaling overwhelming support for a transition back to a fully elected committee. But now Wu is indicating she has no immediate appetite for remaking the School Committee as the district works to meet the requirements of a state-mandated improvement plan."

— "Boston to weigh teenagers voting in local elections," by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: "Boston City Council is set to weigh legislation that, if approved, would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in local elections for mayor, City Council and city-specific ballot questions. The measure comes before the council as the issue of lowered voting age gains national steam, mostly through the efforts of progressive Democrats. The council, which has become increasingly left-leaning in recent years, is likely to pass the measure this week. But even if the council passes the measure, it has to also be approved at higher levels of government before taking effect."

— "Ed Flynn reinstating Ricardo Arroyo's chairmanship, but not vice presidency," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Ricardo Arroyo will receive an important council chairmanship back — but won't be the body's vice president. Arroyo, the district councilor from Hyde Park, officially will resume his seat at the head of the powerful government operations committee following this week's council meeting, per a filing from City Council President Ed Flynn made public Monday."

— "Wu: Communities Must Be Ready For Migrant Arrivals," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): "Massachusetts communities will 'need to be ahead of the curve' to absorb an influx of asylum-seekers and other migrants expected to continue in the coming months, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Monday. Boston has welcomed hundreds of new arrivals recently, Wu said, adding that many advocates warn the steady flow of migrants will continue for the next few months. She praised the state's response as 'great and amazing,' describing a 'real acceleration' in standing up housing."

Wu also told WBUR's "Radio Boston" that she and Gov.-elect Maura Healey have yet to meet post-election but that "we have had a lot of messages back and forth. ... We were aiming for this week, so we'll see. There's a lot happening this week across the city" with the British royals visiting.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "T looks to double shuttle bus use. Is another shutdown looming?" by Dan Atkinson, Dig Boston: "The MBTA is planning to double the amount of shuttle bus service in the next five years at a cost of tens of millions of dollars, with the possibility of another complete rail line shutdown in the works — and a transit advocate thinks the Red Line could be next to be taken offline. New shutdowns may be underway already, with the T asking bus companies to submit proposals during the Thanksgiving holiday to be considered for 'near-term projects.'"

— "Mass. regional buses will be free for the rest of the year," by Ryan Mancini, MassLive.

A message from Sense Labs:

HEALEY WATCH

— "'I wanted to learn from the best,' Healey says of her early years of private law practice," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: "Years before Democrat Maura Healey embarked on a public service career that resulted in her becoming the first woman and the first openly gay person elected Massachusetts governor, she was a junior attorney in the litigation department of WilmerHale in Boston helping to represent a variety of the firm's private clients. It was a job for hard workers, team players, and people eager to learn, but didn't come with the spotlight, power, and influence Healey inherited when she was elected attorney general. … Still, Healey said in an interview, the private legal work proved to be a training ground for her future as a leading deputy in the attorney general's office and ultimately the state's top lawyer."

— "Healey settles with Google and iHeartMedia over deceptive ad campaign," by Ross Cristantiello, Boston.com.

BIDEN TIME

— RUNNING ON DUNKIN: President Joe Biden will return to Boston for a Friday political fundraiser where he will join Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey in support of Democrats' efforts in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff, according to an invitation obtained by the Boston Globe's James Pindell. Biden just left Massachusetts after spending the Thanksgiving holiday on Nantucket with his family shopping and taking selfies with some very excited kids and apparently, according to the president, not talking about his 2024 intentions .

— "'No path' forward: Biden calls on Congress to avert rail strike," by Tanya Snyder, POLITICO: "President Joe Biden on Monday asked Congress to intervene to prevent an economically crippling freight rail strike, even though it means delivering a defeat to his allies in the labor movement. … The development came two months after Labor Secretary Marty Walsh held an all-night bargaining session at his agency's headquarters that produced a tentative deal, temporarily defusing the strike threat. But since then, members of three of the 12 unions voted to reject the agreement."

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MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— "Dairy farmers losing out in O'Brien pot licensing flap," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "A month ago, the Cannabis Control Commission deferred consideration of a license for a marijuana farm that Cannabis Control Commission chair Shannon O'Brien was previously involved with, to avoid concerns about a conflict of interest. But the farmers at the center of the high-profile dispute say they did everything regulators asked for — and the bureaucratic snafu at the regulatory agency is causing them economic hardship."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "More employees depart Twitter's Boston office," by Lucia Maffei, Boston Business Journal: "In a public document, Twitter Inc. told Massachusetts officials last Friday that 18 employees at the office on the third floor of 2 Center Plaza have 'voluntarily resigned.' That's on top of 55 local employees that Twitter said it was laying off earlier this month. … The latest notice, obtained by the Business Journal on Monday, says that the affected employees were notified via email on Nov. 18 and that their employment is set to end Jan. 20 next year. The majority of the workers Twitter said have voluntarily opted out are software engineers, plus a group program manager, a learning consultant and a research analyst."

— "In a 1st for Massachusetts, some correction officers at this max security prison wear body cameras," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "Fifty officers of the 450-member correctional staff at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster have been outfitted with the devices for the first phase of a $1 million program designed to increase transparency and improve safety in the prison."

MEDIA MATTERS

— "'We're trying to seize the future': How local news is changing in Massachusetts," by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com.

A message from Sense Labs:

According to Guidehouse, one quarter of all utility smart meters in the U.S. will need to be replaced by 2030. The next generation of smart meters now act like smart phones, with apps for energy efficiency and demand response. So for the first time ever, consumers can see exactly where and how to save energy and money in their home and utilities can have powerful grid-edge computing devices at their disposal.

HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SPOTTED — Former Massachusetts governor and current Sen. Mitt Romney with a beard.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks with reporters.

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol Nov. 28, 2022. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

TRANSITIONS — Liz Amster is starting as Rep. Jake Auchincloss' new chief of staff; she previously was chief of staff to Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Joe Valente of Auchincloss' office, Seth Gitell, Katherine Forde, Dominique Manuel, Trent Spiner and Maddie Kilgannon.

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