| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky | | | EXECUTIVE SESSION — Gov.-elect Maura Healey's much-hyped post-election sitdown and subsequent press conference with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was light on details and heavy on headlines about the lack of specifics . That's par for the course with Healey, who continues to be more notable for what she doesn't say with less than one month until she's sworn in. The mayor and incoming governor discussed climate resiliency, housing, transportation, workforce development and substance use disorder. But pressed for particulars, like what more the state could be doing to help Boston deal with the addiction and homelessness crises at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, Healey said that's "the subject of an ongoing discussion." Would Healey sign a home-rule petition allowing Boston to revive rent control? "It's impossible to say are you for this or that without looking at the specifics of it," Wu answered for her, in an echo of outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker's oft-repeated refrain that he won't comment on legislation until it reaches his desk. What about giving Boston a seat on the MBTA oversight board, another priority of Wu's? Reporters didn't even get a chance to ask the question. The whole affair lasted less than 10 minutes — though aides to both Democrats had warned that the public portion of the otherwise closed-door confab would be "brief."
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Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu meet at City Hall on Dec. 6, 2022. | John Wilcox/City of Boston courtesy photo | As the top executives of the state and its largest city, Healey and Wu's relationship will be closely watched. Baker and Marty Walsh's renowned "bromance" led to chummy late-night phone calls but didn't always result in policy wins for the former mayor. Wu said Baker's been "responsive" to the city during their relatively brief time working together, but the two have also publicly sparred over the state's response to Mass and Cass. Healey and Wu publicly pledged partnership despite their political and policy differences. The progressive mayor ran on calls to free the T and restore rent control, for instance, while the progressive prosecutor who ran a more moderate campaign for governor has stopped short of offering full-throated support for either goal. Wu, who needs buy-in from Beacon Hill to advance some of her biggest priorities, said she expects "some amazing, amazing progress" under the Healey administration. Given the opportunity to address the narrative that she's the more progressive of the two pols — via a question lobbed as aides whisked the two Democrats back behind closed doors — Wu paused, smiled and walked away . GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Policy wishlists? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com . TODAY — Baker joins Treasurer Deb Goldberg in New York City to visit credit rating agencies. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a Governor's Council meeting at 2 p.m. at the State House. Wu speaks at the West Fenway Tree Lighting at 6:15 p.m.
| | A message from NextEra Energy: Affordable, carbon-emissions free, reliable electricity from nuclear energy. Seabrook Station lowers consumer energy costs in Massachusetts and New England by providing a year-round, low-cost, baseload energy supply. And American-made nuclear energy supports hundreds of jobs across New England. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — LAST PLACE: Deep-blue Massachusetts has the least conservative state legislature in the country, according to a new ranking from the CPAC Foundation and the American Conservative Union Foundation. That's likely to continue after Democrats strengthened their supermajority in the House this election and maintained their advantage in the Senate. — "Baker Pushing Ahead With Migrant Response Plans," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): "The Baker administration 'just can't wait' for lawmakers to take up a spending bill and will instead tap into already-available funds to help manage a ballooning emergency shelter crisis, a top official said Tuesday. … While the administration will ultimately need legislative authorization, Administration and Finance Undersecretary Catharine Hornby said the executive branch will use some available funds to kickstart its response, including the launch of an intake center in Devens and an expansion of emergency shelter capacity." — "Mass. Gaming Commission raises red flags over Barstool Sports' ties to sports betting applicant," by Esteban Bustillos, GBH News: "Members of the commission questioned representatives of Penn Entertainment, the parent company of Plainridge Park, about its relationship with Barstool Sports to help promote sports betting. Penn bought initial stakes of Barstool in 2020 and recently moved to fully acquire the company for $387 million. The deal is set to be completed early next year. Through the partnership, Barstool has gotten its own sports-betting app and gotten branding inside Penn casinos. But the company was also the subject of a recent New York Times story highlighting the personal gambling issues of Barstool founder David Portnoy, who has previously reported accusations of sexual misconduct against him. The brand's push to appeal to a younger demographic has become a concern for state regulators."
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | | | MASK-ACHUSETTS | | — "Salem company funneled more than $3 million in Massachusetts taxpayer funds to owners: Maura Healey," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "A Salem company and its owners are accused of funneling millions of taxpayer dollars to themselves after failing to deliver masks to the state during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Attorney General's Office in a new lawsuit against the business."
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | — JUST PEACHY: The 2022 elections came to a close Tuesday with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) projected by The Associated Press to win reelection over Republican Herschel Walker in a race that had gone to a runoff election that drew national attention. "Woo-hoo," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who fundraised and phone banked for Warnock with Sen. Ed Markey and President Joe Biden in Boston last week, tweeted . Rep. Seth Moulton — who raised more than half a million dollars for Warnock this cycle, according to a spokesperson — tweeted that he "can't wait" to see Warnock back in Washington, D.C. Warnock's win gives Democrats a 51-49 Senate majority with Republicans set to take control of the House in January. My POLITICO colleagues have more on what that means .
| | | | A message from NextEra Energy:   | | | | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL | | — "Thousands of mail ballots rejected in midterms," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "More than 2.5 million ballots were cast in the Nov. 8 elections, when a gubernatorial race and several contested statewide contests drove turnout, according to Secretary of State Bill Galvin's office. That included 937,669 mail ballots, or about 37.4% of the votes cast. But 11,693 of the ballots sent through the mail or dropped off at local city and town halls were rejected, accounting for only about 1.2% of those cast. A majority of those, or 3,471, were rejected because they arrived 'too late' to be counted, according to Galvin's office. Others were rejected because of voters' mistakes, such as failing to sign the ballot, or votes missing the required envelope. ... State election officials point out that the percentage of rejected mail ballots was 1.2% — lower than the 2.3% rejection rate from the Sept. 6 state primary."
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — "Heroux and Hodgson Break Bread, Begin Sheriff's Office Transition," by Marcus Ferro, WBSM: "After a hotly contested and often acrimonious election for Bristol County Sheriff that saw Democrat Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux narrowly defeat longtime Republican Sheriff Tom Hodgson, the two met for the first time in person as outgoing sheriff and sheriff-elect to begin the transition of power. Heroux and Hodgson met Tuesday morning on Heroux's home turf of Attleboro for a breakfast which, according to both men, lasted approximately two hours. … Bristol County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Jonathan Darling told WBSM that the topics that were discussed between Heroux and Hodgson were their shared experiences in corrections, managing staff in their respective current offices as mayor and sheriff, and the transition." — "Region's new legislators eager to get started: Mark, Oliveira, Saunders join big class of new lawmakers," by Emily Thurlow, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Paul Mark, Jake Oliveira and Aaron Saunders … are no strangers to Beacon Hill. One comes to the House having spent several years supporting a state senator and two are sitting representatives who are moving across the hall next session to join the Senate. The three legislators shared their vision just weeks before they officially assume their new positions." — SPOTTED: Members of the Healey-Driscoll transition team, including Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll, getting settled in their temporary State House workspace (h/t State House News Service's Sam Doran).
| | | | POLITICO AT CES 2023 : We are bringing a special edition of our Digital Future Daily newsletter to Las Vegas to cover CES 2023. The newsletter will take you inside the largest and most influential technology event on the planet, featuring every major and emerging industry in the technology ecosystem gathered in one place. The newsletter runs from Jan. 5-7 and will focus on the public policy related aspects of the event. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage of CES 2023. | | | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — "Lori Trahan elected to Democratic Steering and Policy Committee," by Jacob Vitali, Lowell Sun: "U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan is entering her third term representing the 3rd Congressional District this January and the local lawmaker is doing so with an important seat at the table. On Tuesday, Trahan was elected by her congressional peers [in] New England to serve as the region's representative on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. … Seen as an extension of House Democratic leadership, Trahan will be one of 25 voices on the committee considering candidates for committee leadership and committee assignments, while also making vote recommendations to the full Democratic caucus." — "Elizabeth Warren Unveils Sweeping Plan To Address 'Broken Promises' To Tribes," by Jennifer Bendery, HuffPost: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Monday unveiled a sweeping, first-of-its-kind bill aimed at addressing the U.S. government's broken promises to Native American tribes, providing a legislative framework to Congress for living up to its legal and financial responsibilities laid out in centuries of treaties."
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — "'It's finally real': Somerville to host two events to celebrate opening of Green Line Extension into Medford," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "Even Somerville officials can't believe it's actually happening. The city will host a series of events next week to celebrate the long-awaited (and long-delayed) opening of the next section of the Green Line extension, which after years of setbacks will take riders all the way into Medford."
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — "Mass. still tops Northeast energy efficiency," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Massachusetts has retained its ranking as one of the most energy-efficient states in the nation, but has yet to reclaim the No. 1 spot. That's according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's annual report, released Wednesday, which reaffirmed the Bay State's No. 2 position for the second year in row. Massachusetts placed 2nd to California, which clinched the top spot for the second year in a row." — "New England winters are getting much warmer, data show," by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: "Thanks to climate change, winters are getting warmer across the country, but a new analysis of federal temperature data shows the trend is particularly strong in parts of the northeast."
| | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — "In major policy shift, Massachusetts clears marijuana growers to use certain pesticides," by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: "Licensed marijuana growers in Massachusetts will now be allowed to apply certain pesticides to their crops, after state agricultural officials repealed a longstanding ban on the practice that the cannabis industry had long derided as unnecessarily strict."
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — "Nantucket Topless Beaches Bylaw Approved By Attorney General," by Jason Graziadei, Nantucket Current: "Nantucket's bylaw to allow anyone to go topless on island beaches was approved on Tuesday by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. … The bylaw was approved by island residents back in May on a 327 to 242 vote, and was among the most closely watched proposals during Nantucket's 2022 Annual Town Meeting, garnering national attention. It was spearheaded by island resident Dorothy Stover to seek 'equality for all genders on all island beaches.' On Tuesday, Stover said she was 'excited and relieved' to hear the news that it had earned the approval of the attorney general." — "Caroline Ellison, math whiz and Newton native, was bound for success. Then she got into crypto," by Anissa Gardizy, Boston Globe: "[T]hose who knew the 28-year-old from Massachusetts wonder how she got involved in the Wild West of the crypto industry in the first place. A child of two members of the faculty at MIT, Ellison sailed through high school, won accolades for her excellence in math, attended Stanford University, and worked on Wall Street." — "Quincy promises city-owned building, new statue, curriculum changes to Massachusett Tribe," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: "A new statue to honor the Three Sisters, changes to the history curriculum of Quincy Public Schools and use of a city-owned building at Squaw Rock are among a host of promises made by Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch to the Massachusett Tribe." — "King Philip school district phasing out Native American logo," by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle. — "Starting salary of $275,000: City Council signs deal with Eric Batista, city manager," by Cyrus Moulton, Worcester Telegram & Gazette. — "Lack of road safety laws in Mass. is 'dangerous,' analysts say," by Susannah Sudborough, Boston.com.
| | A message from NextEra Energy: Seabrook Station has provided Massachusetts with low-cost, clean, reliable energy for over 30 years, reducing carbon emissions regionally by approximately 4 million tons per year. Nuclear energy is Massachusetts' most cost-effective and essential tool to combat climate change. | | | | | HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Matthew J. Connolly has rejoined Nutter as a partner in its real estate department. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Candy Glazer, chair emeritus of the Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee and a longtime activist; Jerry Berger, Rick Pozniak, Noam Chomsky and Chris Moran. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com . | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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