News: Remaking a Cabinet

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Remaking a Cabinet

Dec 08, 2022

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION — Maura Healey remains mum on who's filling her Cabinet, but the governor-elect has dropped hints along the way of how she plans to restructure it.

Healey pledged on the campaign trail to create a Cabinet-level climate chief who would coordinate efforts between myriad state and quasi-public agencies to meet her goals, which include achieving a 100-percent clean electricity supply by 2030 and fully electrifying public transportation by 2040.

She also intends to add a housing secretary to her Cabinet, a move that effectively splits the current secretary of Housing and Economic Development role into two.

Some of Healey's proposed changes are sub-secretary-level. She's called for a new transportation safety chief and the addition of a second deputy general manager for the MBTA focused on capital planning, who would join the existing deputy general manager of operations.

Now health care advocates are suggesting another new role: a secretary of equity. The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and Manatt Health are calling for the Cabinet-level secretary and accompanying executive office of equity to help reduce racial and ethnic inequities in health care access, coverage and quality. It's part of a broader report on health care priorities for the next governor that also offers steps Healey can take to tackle workforce shortages and the youth mental health crisis, and to improve access and affordability.

Community leaders and electeds of color in Boston are also hoping Healey will add more diversity to the Cabinet that, under Gov. Charlie Baker, is largely white, the Bay State Banner's Yawu Miller reports. Those advocates, Miller writes, see signs of hope in the diversity of the policy committee co-chairs on Healey's transition team, half of whom are people of color.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The final playbooks of the year are rapidly approaching. Have any tips or scoops you've been sitting on? Now's the time to email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

TODAY — Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito join a housing roundtable at 10 a.m. at UMass Lowell's Haverhill campus. Baker participates in his final "Ask the Governor" segment on GBH's "Boston Public Radio" at noon. Baker, Polito, Healey and Treasurer Deb Goldberg participate in a Gold Star families tree dedication at 2 p.m. at the State House. Healey kicks off her AG office's "Addressing Hate in School Sports" conference at 9 a.m. at the TD Garden. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the BU Center for Computing & Data Sciences at 4 p.m.

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.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "By appointing more than half the state's judges, Baker has reshaped the judiciary from the top down," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "As [Gov. Charlie] Baker prepares to leave office, perhaps nowhere will his reach be felt longer than in the judiciary. In nearly eight years, the Republican has appointed nearly 60 percent of the state's 418 justices, installing judges who will oversee murder trials, reshape constitutional law, and unknot thorny civil litigation for years, if not decades, to come."

— "Baker issues three more pardons," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "After failing to issue a single pardon or commutation in his first seven years in office, Gov. Charlie Baker continued to use his final months in office to wield his pardon power. Baker on Wednesday recommended three more pardons, building on the eight pardons he issued in October and seven in November. He also commuted the sentences of two men convicted of first-degree murder in January 2022. The three latest pardons were all for old offenses and were recommended by the state's Advisory Board of Pardons. They still need approval by the Governor's Council before they go into effect. The pardon recipients are John Austin, Phillip Hagar, and Edmund Mulvehill. "

— "Mass. loan repayment program for health workers sees 'huge demand,' official says," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "A newly launched loan repayment program for behavioral health and primary care workers in Massachusetts generated 'huge demand' this week as an online application portal opened, according to one of the key officials administering the program. MA Repay, designed to retain exhausted and financially strained health professionals following the COVID-19 pandemic, will provide up to 2,000 awards ranging from $12,500 to $300,000. In return for the repayment awards, health care workers must stay at their current job or another eligible institution for four to five years."

— "Frustrated regulators delay vote on sports betting at MGM Springfield," by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: "Gaming regulators delayed a vote on approving a sports betting application from MGM Springfield Wednesday after they expressed frustration with how the document was intertwined with another submission from BetMGM, an online sportsbook that will provide many of the wagering services for the casino."

— "State regulators cite developers over gas violations," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "State utility regulators have fined more than a dozen real estate developers for violating state and federal laws on natural gas pipeline safety. The state Department of Public Utilities last month issued $130,000 in fines to the developers, including Townhomes of Beverly, Haverhill-based Lesley Management Inc. and Roxbury-based Cruz Companies, after they failed to respond to alleged gas pipeline violations on properties they own."

— "First Lady Lauren Baker comments on Charlie Baker's political future," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "Gov. Baker has ruled out the possibility of running for president in 2024, but his wife said a future in public office could be on the horizon. 'I think he really feels called to this work,' Lauren Baker said. 'It's not like he's driven to have another elected position, though it's the work that he really enjoys.' ... For now, the first lady forecast the outgoing governor will 'get another job, and he's going to do something different, but he really doesn't know what that is yet.'"

— Related: "More than 1,000 readers voted, they want Charlie Baker in the White House," by Zipporah Osei, Boston.com.

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FROM THE HUB

— "Parent satisfaction with Boston Public Schools is falling, new poll finds," by Diane Adame, GBH News: "A new survey released by MassINC Polling Group on Thursday found only 32% of parents said they were 'very satisfied' overall with Boston Public Schools, down 10 percentage points from last year. Seven in 10 parents also said they were concerned about frequent substitute teachers, late buses and their children's physical and emotional well-being while at school. This poll is the fifth in a series of surveys conducted by MassINC on parents' overall satisfaction with BPS. This first poll, conducted in July and August 2021, found that 42% of parents were 'very satisfied' with BPS. Since then, that number has declined to 32%."

Nearly a quarter of parents say their kids have fallen behind academically since the pandemic began, and more than a third of say the schools could do more to help students catch up. The poll of 850 BPS parents was conducted Nov. 16-28.

— "Appeals panel hears Boston parents' fight against exam school admissions policy," by Max Larkin, WBUR: "Wednesday's hearing was the latest indication of ongoing bitterness between the city and some parents in the struggle over the policy changes designed to foster diversity at the prestigious public schools."

TRANSITION TIME

— A DIFFERENT KIND OF INAUGURAL BALL: Where do a former professional basketball player and a former college basketball player hold their inaugural celebration as governor and lieutenant governor? The TD Garden, of course. Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll 's fete will follow their swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 5. The theme: "Moving the ball forward," a nod to both their baller pasts and their historic election.

— EYES EMOJI: Within days of Healey's election as attorney general in 2014, people were pitching her for governor. A little over a month since she was elected to that job, Healey is already being viewed as a potential "longer-term leader" for her party nationally, my POLITICO colleague Zach Montellaro writes in his dispatch from the Democratic Governors Association meeting in New Orleans . Healey wasn't there, but she was talked about as a face for the future along with several other newcomers and newly reelected governors.

A message from NextEra Energy:

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Buried rail car turned up in GLX excavation," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "The team that constructed the Green Line extension to Medford and Somerville encountered all sorts of obstacles over the last four years, including unexpected bedrock, contaminated soil, ground water, and, perhaps the most challenging of all, COVID. But the most unusual surprise was buried under tons of dirt near what is now the new East Somerville Station on the line from Lechmere to Tufts University in Medford. 'We encountered a buried rail car — like an old freight train flatbed,' said John Dalton, the MBTA's Green Line extension program manager."

— "Biotech workers driving more, using the T less," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Surveys of life science employees by MassBio in July 2019 and November 2022 indicate workers are now driving more and using public transportation less. The survey results mirror what the MBTA itself is finding, that many riders who stopped taking the T during the pandemic are not returning."

DAY IN COURT

— "SJC judges pose dismissal of 27,000 tainted drunk driving convictions," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "The Supreme Judicial Court on Wednesday heard arguments in a case that will decide how the courts should deal with approximately 27,000 drunk driving cases. Justices quizzed attorneys on whether they should dismiss every case or give every defendant an opportunity to seek a retrial. They questioned what should happen with the most serious cases, like motor vehicle homicide. They also analyzed the comparison with the notorious drug lab scandals, in which two chemists admitted to misconduct affecting drug evidence. … The case arises from years of litigation over the use of a particular breathalyzer test, the Alcotest 9510."

— "Former firefighter sues Boston, alleging racist handling of COVID exemption," by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: "A Muslim former firefighter in Boston has sued the city Tuesday for $8.3 million after officials rejected a religious exemption request for COVID-19 testing and vaccination policies in 2021 and placed him on unpaid administrative leave for non-compliance, according to a lawsuit filed in Suffolk County Superior Court."

— "Judge unable to drop felony charges in City Councilor's love-triangle case," by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "City Councilor Pam Laliberte's attempt to get two felony obstruction and harassment charges dropped from her criminal case were dashed, for now, after a District Court judge denied her request."

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FROM THE DELEGATION

— "Senate Democrats just won subpoena power. That includes Elizabeth Warren," by Tal Kopan and Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Senator Raphael Warnock's victory in the Georgia runoff cemented the Democrats' 51st seat in the Senate but delivers a lot more than just a one-vote cushion. The shift from a 50-seat majority to 51, while seemingly insignificant, opens up a whole range of possibilities to exercise oversight authority — especially for watchdog-minded senators such as the two Democrats from Massachusetts."

FROM THE 413

— "Monterey town clerk resigns alleging retaliation from officials after filing a whistleblower lawsuit," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "In her Nov. 30 resignation letter to the Select Board, [Town Clerk Terry] Walker said the day after a story appeared in The Eagle about her federal lawsuit, Select Board member Susan Cooper identified six 'perceived' work violations by Walker. Cooper submitted them for action against Walker by the board that could include firing."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "DOJ hammers handling of Whitey Bulger leading up to killing," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "A Department of Justice probe into notorious mobster James 'Whitey' Bulger's 2018 jailhouse slaying identified 'serious deficiencies' in the prison-transfer process, with evidence that various inmates knew the ailing crime boss was en route to a West Virginia lock-up before someone whacked him within 24 hours."

— "Some Chelsea residents got $400 a month, no strings attached. Here's what happened next," by Janelle Nanos, Boston Globe: "Chelsea Eats was crafted out of chaos. But the lessons from the city's COVID-era effort to give needy families $400 a month, no strings attached, are proving to be a boon for Harvard University researchers seeking to explore guaranteed income as a solution to poverty. … The data, [Jeffrey] Liebman said, suggest helping needy people with direct cash can have multiple benefits, from helping them eat better to having them feel more connected to the community."

— "Melrose city councilor allegedly targeted in anti-Muslim incident," by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: "Police in Melrose are investigating an incident last weekend in which a Muslim Melrose city councilor was allegedly the victim of racist harassment at a gas station in the city. The Massachusetts branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations is calling for a hate crime probe into the incident."

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

— "3rd RI man arrested for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot," by Tim White, WPRI: "William Cotton, 53, of Hopkinton, was arrested Wednesday by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force and charged with four federal counts including: entering a restricted building or ground, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building or grounds and parading, and demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building."

A message from NextEra Energy:

A Beacon Research poll of Massachusetts' voters conducted in July 2022 showed that a majority support the use of clean, low-cost, carbon-emissions free nuclear energy to fight climate change. Over 70% of informed voters support including nuclear energy to fight rising energy costs and climate change.

HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BLOCKCHAIN MELODY — Massachusetts Playbook and The Horse Race alum Stephanie Murray, now a reporter for The Block, rejoins the pod to talk hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky through the wild world of crypto. Steve Koczela shares the findings from the latest MassINC poll of BPS parents. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and SoundCloud .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Scott Ferson, founder of Liberty Square Group, Jeremy D'Aloisio of Sen. Ed Markey's office, Margaret Geller, Sophia Narrett and Honey Sharp (h/t son Daniel Lippman).

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