| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky | TWO OF A KIND — And then there were two state representative seats opening up in Boston. Ed Coppinger is resigning from the House on Tuesday to lead government affairs for MassBio. He’ll focus on state and federal policy issues in the newly created position. Coppinger is the latest lawmaker to head to the trade group, at a time when its relationships with some in the Legislature are frayed over former state Sen. Joe Boncore’s unceremonious departure as CEO. Playbook first reported Coppinger was in talks with MassBio and, after he was tellingly left off the House’s committee assignment list last week, his resignation. The representative’s exit tees up another special election in Boston, after Gov. Maura Healey tapped state Rep. Jon Santiago as her new veterans services secretary. Both men start their new jobs March 1. Plenty of people are already eyeing their seats. Bill MacGregor, who was chief of staff to former Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley, told Playbook he’s running for Coppinger’s West Roxbury-based 10th Suffolk seat. Rob Orthman, a deputy general counsel at the state Department of Early Education and Care, said he’s also looking at it. West Roxbury Democrats David Giordano, an attorney, and Brian Gaillardetz had filed paperwork to run for the seat before Coppinger submitted his resignation. Other names being floated include Paul Sullivan, a community liaison for Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty. Then there’s Santiago’s South End-anchored 9th Suffolk seat. John Moran, an associate director at Biogen who is on Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson’s district advisory council, told Playbook he’s “strongly considering” running. And Brian Kearney, a Dorchester Democrat, has filed paperwork to run. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Sometimes it pays to have a former mayor as lieutenant governor. Healey is looking to boost local aid by more than 8 percent as part of her first budget, which will be released in full next week. Her Thursday preview — which proposes a nearly 10 percent bump in Chapter 70 school aid, a 2 percent increase in general government aid and more money for rural schools and student transportation — shows Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll’s influence. Mayors have been looking for Driscoll to deliver the same level of partnership they had with the Baker administration, if not more, given her longstanding relationships with many of them from her time leading Salem. “There’s a significant amount of pressure on her. All the local people are looking at her saying ‘you’re going to carry our water now, right?’” Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo, the president of the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association, told Playbook. “These local aid numbers are definitely an important first step.” Mayors were particularly pleased by Healey and Driscoll’s commitment to more school aid. Revere would see a 14 percent bump under their proposal, which is likely to see tweaks during the budget process. New Bedford would see a 12 percent increase, Mayor Jon Mitchell said. But they were left wanting on general government aid. While mayors praised the Healey administration for proposing a higher amount than last month’s consensus revenue forecast, Arrigo and Mitchell both told Playbook they were hoping for more as their cities grapple with rising costs. Still, Mitchell said, “if you were to ask me what my priority is between education aid and unrestricted [general government] aid, it’s education.” TODAY — Rep. Stephen Lynch and Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey announce federal funding at 11 a.m. at Brockton City Hall. Lynch announces federal funding at 1:30 p.m. at Quincy City Hall. Markey visits Bridgewater State University at 1:30 p.m. Rep. Jake Auchincloss is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. THIS WEEKEND — Boston City Council President Ed Flynn is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Rep. Bill Keating is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Thinking of running for 9th or 10th Suffolk state rep? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.
| | | | JOIN POLITICO ON 3/1 TO DISCUSS AMERICAN PRIVACY LAWS: Americans have fewer privacy rights than Europeans, and companies continue to face a minefield of competing state and foreign legislation. There is strong bipartisan support for a federal privacy bill, but it has yet to materialize. Join POLITICO on 3/1 to discuss what it will take to get a federal privacy law on the books, potential designs for how this type of legislation could protect consumers and innovators, and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS | | — “Boston-area COVID wastewater data falling, Massachusetts virus cases drop 14%,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “On Thursday, the state Department of Public Health reported 3,850 virus cases over the last week. The daily average of 550 COVID cases from the last week was down 14% from the daily rate of 639 virus infections during the previous week.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME: Gov. Maura Healey said part of her mission in going to Washington, D.C., earlier this month was to strengthen her collaboration with the Biden administration. Well, now she’s one of the Democratic governors cutting videos promoting the president’s economic agenda. See if that translates to any more infrastructure money for Massachusetts. — “More illegal bets on Boston College women’s basketball reported at Encore Boston Harbor,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “Encore Boston Harbor officials have stopped all betting on NCAA women’s college basketball after patrons were able to place illegal wagers on a Boston College women’s basketball game for the second time this month, officials and regulators said Thursday. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s new inquiry into bets placed on instate collegiate sporting events — which are prohibited under Massachusetts law — is at least the fourth of its kind since in-person sports betting launched on Jan. 31.” — More: “More than $1,200 in illegal college wagers placed at MGM Springfield, regulators say,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive. — “Postpartum depression is the focus for several Mass. bills following Clancy case,” by Gabriella Aponte, BU Statehouse Program/MetroWest Daily News: “A recent bill addressing such matters is a revised version of one filed last legislative session by Rep. Jim O’Day, D-West Boylston, that would require criminal defendants who gave birth within a year of their alleged crime to be screened for postpartum depression and psychosis. … Another related bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Danielle Gregoire, D-Marlborough, would require MassHealth to cover postpartum depression screenings for up to one year after childbirth during pediatrician visits.” — "How Beacon Hill could expand abortion care for pregnant teens in Mass.," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "Jamie Sabino, co-chair of a panel of lawyers that helps minors navigate the judicial bypass process, said there’s heightened urgency to reform what she says is a fraught system that punishes a small fraction of Bay Staters who are younger than 16 and desperately want an abortion. ... A proposal from state Sen. Becca Rausch, embedded into a broader abortion access bill from the Needham Democrat, would nix the parental consent and bypass requirements altogether — should it advance amid a flurry of other pending reproductive equity and maternal health care legislation filed this session."
| | FROM THE HUB | | — OPEN AND CLOSED: Good news first. MassDOT is shortening the Sumner Tunnel closure this summer to just two months, from July 5 to Aug. 31. The bad news: the tunnel will now close for two months in 2024 to complete the work. — “On-street dining remains banned in the North End despite shorter Sumner Tunnel closure,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “On-street outdoor dining in the North End will remain off-limits this year despite a revised schedule for the Sumner Tunnel restoration project. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has cut the Sumner Tunnel’s full closure in half from four to two months, but a city spokesman said officials maintain their stance that congestion from the project and the nearby bridge replacement on North Washington Street will prove too problematic for North End on-street dining to proceed.”
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “Lawmakers, advocates call for faster rollout on local fossil fuel bans,” by Hannah Reale, GBH News: “Last year, Massachusetts legislators approved a pilot program to let 10 cities and towns ban fossil fuels in new buildings. Now, lawmakers and advocates are urging the state to streamline how municipalities participate and let them start doing it — soon. … Under DOER’s proposed regulations, municipalities that have already asked the state for permission to ban fossil fuels in new construction, via a home-rule petition sent to Beacon Hill, would need to wait until early 2024 at the earliest to implement their bans.”
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — “Nation’s 1st topless cannabis dispensary? Strip club owners float new idea in Western Mass.,” by Will Katcher, MassLive: “Nicholas Spagnola and Julius Sokol, co-owners of Club Castaway in Whately, want to turn their strip joint into what could be the nation’s first topless cannabis dispensary. … Club Castaway as a strip club ‘would be no more,’ Spagnola said. Instead, he pictures the business operating as a dispensary — but with topless budtenders on hand to assist customers as they purchase prerolls, cannabis flower, edibles and the other products found at pot shops across the state.”
| | WARREN REPORT | | — “Sen. Elizabeth Warren says new role on Armed Services panel focuses on people, families; decision ‘imminent’ on new jets for Westfield Guard base,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The senator, a longtime member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said her recent appointment as chair of the committee’s Personnel Subcommittee, places her in a position to ‘better work to try and drive funding for Home Base and similar programs.’ … ‘If we are going to have a strong military, then we have to treat our people better,’ she said.”
| | FROM THE 413 | | — LIGHTS OUT: Remember that school where the lights wouldn’t shut off? The one that became a bit on "Saturday Night Live"? Well, tens of thousands of dollars in repairs are underway at Minnechaug Regional High School to turn them off after nearly two years, 22News’ Alanna Flood reports. — “Melissa Mazzeo wants a defamation suit against her tossed. Mayor Tyer's husband, who brought the case, wants a jury to decide,” by Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Berkshire Eagle: “Melissa Mazzeo, a former city councilor and one-time mayoral candidate, is asking a Berkshire Superior Court judge to dismiss a defamation case filed against her by Barry Clairmont, the husband of Mayor Linda Tyer. Lawyers for Mazzeo and Clairmont appeared at a virtual hearing with Judge John Agostini on Thursday — some three years after the election at the center of the case.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Why Dr. Anthony Fauci, recently retired, will never retire,” by Neil Swidey, Boston Globe: “[Q:] President Biden has declared the end of the coronavirus public health emergency as of this May. Would you have advised him to do that? [A:] ‘Ultimately, we’re going to have to get out of the emergency mode to really get to some degree of normality. I know it’s a controversial thing. I think, on balance, it was the right decision. As long as we don’t forget that we have to figure out something for the uninsured, because you can’t leave them in the lurch. You’ve got to get them to have essentially equal access to the interventions — [COVID treatment drug] Paxlovid and the vaccines.’”
| | MEDIA MATTERS | | — “Boston Globe Media, moving into TV, will launch weekday news show with NESN,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Justin Babineaux has joined Beacon Communities as associate general counsel of property management. — East Boston Neighborhood Health Center has appointed Dr. Ryan Boxill as executive VP and COO. — Alison Hillegeist is now director of corporate affairs at Venti Technologies. She most recently was associate director of the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former acting Gov. Jane Swift; Sarah Groh, chief of staff to Rep. Ayanna Pressley; Boston Business Journal’s Benjamin Kail, Vicki DiLorenzo and Boston Ward 5 Democrats Chair Sharon Durkan. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Jack Dew, who celebrates Saturday, and to Sunday birthday-ers Harold Hubschman, Cathey Park, Laura Oggeri, Adam Bass and Jill Webb. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: MASS. EXODUS — Hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky wonder why everyone's leaving Massachusetts. The Boston Globe's Samantha J. Gross joins to talk about the Healey administration's mixed record on public records. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. 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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