| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity and Lisa Kashinsky | NOT NOT A COMPETITION — Making Massachusetts more competitive has been the name of the game since Maura Healey took office. Last year, Healey’s big endeavor was her policy-packed tax relief package. This year, the first-term governor is leaning in on climate and housing as she systematically chips away at the post-pandemic pain the state is feeling from outmigration. The latest piece of her climate push: the “Massachusetts Climate Careers Fund” she announced this morning during her keynote speech at the Vatican climate summit. Healey pitched the fund, which will provide loans to cover costs for tuition and living expenses for people enrolled in training and workforce programs for climate-related jobs, as the first of its kind in the country. It’s being led by Social Finance, a non-profit investment adviser. A spokesperson for the organization said the program will initially be funded through philanthropy. The loans won’t accrue any interest, and payments will go back into the program to help keep it running. Healey also seized her opportunity on the international stage to tout her $3.5 billion economic development bond bill that calls for more than $1 billion in investment in the state’s climate technology industry — legislation aimed at boosting Massachusetts’ economy over the next decade. But Healey said the potential boon isn’t only for the state. The new innovations bankrolled by the bill would be the ones “which will green the global economy — and return our investments today many times over,” she said, And she noted the ways that climate is connected to her other priorities, such as housing. Healey told the Vatican crowd her administration is “prioritizing the decarbonization of the building sector” — a nod to the $150 million in her hulking housing bond bill for decarbonizing the state’s public housing stock. Healey’s best laid plans, though, are now in the Legislature’s hands, and it’s yet to be seen how they’ll tweak her proposals — and, perhaps at this point more importantly, when, with the clock ticking down on formal lawmaking for the session.
|  Gov. Maura Healey speaks at the Vatican's climate summit. | Gabriella C. Marino/PAS | GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Some big wins for Boston hockey last night! TODAY — Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll hosts a STEM Summit at 12:30 p.m. at Bridgewater State University and speaks at Mount Wachusett Community College’s Commencement at 5 p.m. in Gardner. Attorney General Andrea Campbell speaks at Quincy District Court Law Day at 9:45 a.m. in Quincy. Abroad, Healey co-chairs the summit’s energy session at 6:20 p.m. CET/12:20 p.m. ET. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu meets with Mayor of Rome Roberto Gualtieri at 2:30 p.m. CET/8:30 a.m. ET. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | DATELINE, ROME — “‘How can we work together?’ On first day in Rome, Healey makes pitch to business leaders,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “Governor Maura Healey posted a video on X Tuesday afternoon, standing in front of the Vatican with a big smile to announce her arrival at a week-long summit with global leaders, framed as a mission for the fate of the climate. Hours earlier, however, she was in a sleek conference room on the eighth floor of the Rome offices of KPMG to focus on another top priority: economic competitiveness.” — “Dennis Port Democrat resigns from second job weeks after campaign finance violations,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “[Democratic state Rep. Chris Flanagan,] who was penalized earlier this year for misleading regulators about how a campaign mailer was paid for resigned from his second job last week, according to a notice sent out by his former employer that was obtained by the Herald. … The exit comes weeks after officials with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance released a report that said Flanagan created a fictitious individual and fabricated emails to conceal his financial role in the creation of a mailer sent out ahead of the 2022 election.” — “Selectman rips Healey over beach erosion issue,” by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News: “After a presentation on the continuous battle against beach erosion from the town’s environmental consultant at a Board of Selectmen meeting Monday, one selectman went off on what he considers Gov. Maura Healey’s reluctance to help. ‘Since the governor of Massachusetts can’t answer our letters, I would like to request of this board to have a meeting with her,’ Selectman Michael Colburn said. ‘Not her staff, her. Let’s see if she really cares about Salisbury.’ — “Safety-net hospital fund shortfall widening,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Lawmakers are seeking more support for the state's safety-net hospitals amid rising concerns about the fiscal health of a fund that helps cover medical costs for large numbers of uninsured and low-income patients." — “MassPort close to finding next chief executive officer with finalists due Thursday,” by Chris Van Buskirk and Peter Lucas, Boston Herald.
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — GOP Senate hopeful John Deaton is out with a new digital ad this morning highlighting his recent trip to the U.S.-Mexico border. The roughly 90-second video titled “Massachusetts: Border State” stitches together footage from Deaton’s recent trip to Yuma, Arizona, with clips from local newscasts covering the conversion of the Cass Recreational Complex in Roxbury into temporary housing for migrant and homeless families. “Thanks to the failed policies and partisanship of career politicians like Elizabeth Warren, every state is now a border state. And Massachusetts is suffering the consequences,” Deaton says in the video. The ad, which will run on YouTube and other social media, also touches on Deaton’s military service, which included three years at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma. Deaton’s campaign declined to disclose the cost of the spot. ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Attorney General Andrea Campbell endorsed Allison Cartwright for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court clerk during the longtime attorney’s official campaign kickoff event on Tuesday, CommonWealth Beacon’s Gintautas Dumcius reports. The nod from the state’s top prosecutor represents Cartwright’s highest-profile backing yet. It’s also the latest sign of how this usually obscure race is dividing Boston’s top politicians. Campbell briefly served with Cartwright’s rival for the post, Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy, a significance that Dumcius reports isn’t lost on the now-AG. But, Campbell said, backing Cartwright “was a no-brainer for me.”
| | | FROM THE HUB | | — “Former city employee reaches tentative agreement with Boston in Arroyo sexual harassment case,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “After roughly three days of pretrial motions and jury selection and more than six years of legal back and forth, attorneys reached a tentative settlement agreement Tuesday morning in a high profile sexual harassment lawsuit against the city of Boston and former city health chief Felix G. Arroyo. Hilani Morales, who filed the lawsuit in 2018, and the city reached the buzzer-beater agreement in Suffolk County Superior Court, less than an hour before the expected start of the highly anticipated jury trial, which was set to include testimony from several power players in the Boston political and legal scene, including former mayor Martin J. Walsh and sitting federal Judge Mark L. Wolf.” — "Warren, Markey, Pressley follow Boston Police review by pressing for federal probe of ShotSpotter," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “Tibbits-Nutt seems more like her old self in Chamber talk,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “After an ‘unfiltered’ speech on April 10 that got her into hot water with Gov. Maura Healey, [Transportation Secretary Monica] Tibbits-Nutt largely went silent. She attended remotely and barely spoke at an MBTA board meeting in late April. And she kept a low profile at other events since then, avoiding questions and staying out of the public eye. But on Tuesday she appeared before the Charles River Regional Chamber of Commerce in Watertown and seemed more like her old self.” — “Beset by a persistent driver shortage, BRTA is reducing service on some routes in Pittsfield and South County,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “A continued driver shortage is forcing the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority to change service levels on three of its lines next week, including two serving South County and a third providing transportation to Pittsfield’s Coltsville retail hub.” — “Are state’s 15 regional transit authorities ready for prime time?,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR | | — “At Harvard, Greater Boston’s last campus encampment folds up its tents,” by John Hilliard, Nick Stoico, Hilary Burns and Maddie Khaw, The Boston Globe: “Nearly three weeks after setting up camp inside Harvard Yard, the student coalition Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine said its members voted Monday to close down its encampment after the university agreed to continue dialogue with protesters and expedite reinstatement procedures for more than 20 suspended students.” — “UMass chancellor defends protest crackdown, arrests,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes defended the arrests of 134 people at a campus pro-Palestinian encampment last week, telling a special session of the Faculty Senate on Tuesday afternoon that the decision to break up the gathering was about keeping the campus safe and doing what is best for UMass, even as many of those present in a packed Mahar Auditorium appeared to dismiss his justifications for the response.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “House Democratic leaders urge caucus to oppose GOP's Israel bill,” by Nicholas Wu and Anthony Adragna, POLITICO: “Top House Democrats plan to oppose GOP legislation compelling the delivery to Israel of defense equipment already approved by Congress — and are actively urging a no vote in their caucus, teeing up a fight over an issue deeply dividing the party. ‘This is not a serious legislative effort. It is another partisan stunt by Extreme MAGA Republicans who are determined to hurt President Biden politically,’ Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s (D-Mass.) office said in a notice sent to Hill offices on Tuesday.” — “Mass. Rep. Pressley a finalist for Capitol Hill constituent service award,” by John L. Micek, MassLive: “U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, is one of 15 finalists for the nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation’s annual ‘Democracy Awards.’ And if she wins, she’ll take home honors for ‘Constituent Accountability and Accessibility.’”
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE | | GRANITE STATE OF MIND — President Joe Biden returns to southern New Hampshire on Tuesday for a White House event in Merrimack, WMUR reports. It’s Biden’s second trip to the swing state since skipping its presidential primary, and it comes as his campaign is sending a series of high-profile surrogates like Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) to stump on his behalf. Donald Trump’s campaign, meanwhile, is being boosted by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who visited the Granite State last month, and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) who’s speaking at a party dinner on Friday. Both are seen as potential running mate options for the former president. Biden is also set to stop in the Bay State on Tuesday for a trio of fundraisers, including one with Healey.
| | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Jennifer Benson will join AARP Massachusetts as state director effective June 24. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to J. Patrick Brown, Jay Hulings and Kevin Connor. 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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