Ballot battles brewing for 2024

Lisa Kashinsky's must-read rundown of what's up on Beacon Hill and beyond.

Aug 02, 2023 View in browser   By Lisa Kashinsky BEGGING THE QUESTIONS — Voters could get to weigh in on issues ranging from high school graduation requirements to the power of the auditor’s office next year if the ballot measures being set in motion today make it all the way. Supporters of ending MCAS as a graduation requirement plan to file a question for the 2024 ballot that would ask voters to replace the standardized tests with school certifications of students' academic skills. The Massachusetts Teachers Association is backing the measure, and the union's board of directors will vote Sunday on a campaign to support its passage, according to a person familiar with the plans. Those hoping to move away from the compulsory exams are turning to voters for support as Beacon Hill leaders show little immediate appetite for eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement. A Lexington high schooler’s mom similarly filed a ballot petition to do away with the prerequisite. Supporters of Diana DiZoglio’s attempt to audit the Legislature are also turning to the ballot to back up her authority to review the House and Senate’s practices and procedures. DiZoglio maintains she already has the power to conduct the review, both through state statute and the past precedent of 113 audits of the Legislature since the mid-1800s. But House and Senate leaders have refused to open their books, citing the state Constitution’s “separation of powers” clause. DiZoglio is now trying to break the stalemate by moving to sue lawmakers into compliance. But backers of her effort can’t wait to see whether Attorney General Andrea Campbell clears DiZoglio to proceed. Campbell has an indefinite amount of time to decide whether DiZoglio’s intended lawsuit passes legal muster. But the deadline to submit initiative petitions for the 2024 ballot is 5 p.m. today. And so DiZoglio’s supporters intend to file a ballot question that would make clear that the Legislature is subject to the same audit authority as other state agencies, according to a person familiar with their plans. Northwind Strategies’ Doug Rubin, who advised DiZoglio’s campaign for auditor, set the stage for the potential ballot campaign by filing paperwork last month to create a “Committee for Transparent Democracy." But it’s also up to the attorney general to decide which ballot questions proceed. Petitioners who do earn Campbell’s certification on Sept. 6 will then have to go through two more rounds of signature collections, reviews by the secretary of state’s office and the Legislature, and potential court challenges to get their questions before voters. The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work appears to be gearing up to give that arduous process another go. Rideshare and delivery drivers affiliated with the coalition that's been pushing to classify app-based drivers as independent contractors are launching a new ballot initiative at 10:30 a.m. on the Boston Common. The tech-backed group also filed a ballot campaign committee with state campaign finance regulators yesterday. They’ll likely be met with continued resistance from labor groups. Unions stood up their own coalition to oppose the independent contractor push last year, before the state’s top court upended the multimillion-dollar ballot battle by rejecting the Uber-and-Lyft-backed petition on a technicality. Unions have also been pushing competing legislation on Beacon Hill that would classify app-based drivers as employees under state law. “This is an attack on our wage and hour system and it’s much broader than people think,” Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman, whose union was part of the Massachusetts is Not For Sale coalition, told Playbook. “I hope Massachusetts voters will also see through Big Tech’s attempt to buy a law that benefits nobody.” GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. One group that's not going ahead with a 2024 ballot question: Raise Up Massachusetts. The coalition that successfully pushed for a $15 minimum wage and the millionaires surtax said it’s passing on pursuing a ballot question for another wage hike and is instead focusing on its legislative efforts TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey announces a new labor agreement with the MBTA and Boston Carmen’s unions at 9:45 a.m. at Cabot Yard and is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. and visits Franklin Park Zoo at noon. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference on green hospitals at 11 a.m. at Baystate Medical Center and surveys flood damage at Natural Roots Farm in Conway at 1 p.m. and Deerfield at 2:30 p.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren visits Yawkey Housing Resource Center in Quincy at noon and the New Bedford Port Authority at 2:30 p.m. Tips? Scoops? Filing a ballot question? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.   A NEW PODCAST FROM POLITICO: Our new POLITICO Tech podcast is your daily download on the disruption that technology is bringing to politics and policy around the world. From AI and the metaverse to disinformation and cybersecurity, POLITICO Tech explores how today’s technology is shaping our world — and driving the policy decisions, innovations and industries that will matter tomorrow. SUBSCRIBE AND START LISTENING TODAY.     TRUMPACHUSETTS — INDICTED AGAIN: Bay State Democrats are seizing on the new federal charges former President Donald Trump faces in connection with his far-reaching efforts to overturn the 2020 election, casting them as both a measure of accountability for the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and as a reason to vote blue in 2024. “This on the same day we learn that Trump & President Biden are virtually tied in the polls,” Rep. Seth Moulton tweeted. “This is dangerous and it's no time for complacency. VOTE to preserve our democracy. VOTE to protect our institutions. VOTE to keep Trump far away from holding any power.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley called the four felony charges “an important step toward … much-needed accountability.” But MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale predicted that Trump’s third indictment will have little reverberation in Massachusetts, where the former president continues to hold onto a faction of the GOP base despite being resoundingly rejected by the general electorate. “President Trump has long been a target for prosecutors so this latest indictment comes as little surprise,” Carnevale said in a statement to Playbook. “At this point, the legal process will have to play itself out and in the meantime, Trump has the opportunity to continue to make his case directly to the American public.” — "Key revelations, groundbreaking strategies and notable omissions in the new Trump indictment," by Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, POLITICO. DATELINE BEACON HILL — COMMITTEE CONTROVERSY: The feuding over joint committee rules that started as a spat between the House and Senate chairs of the telecommunications committee is spreading. Senators are sounding alarms after the House chairs of four joint committees initiated votes on a handful of bills without the approval of their counterparts, CommonWealth Magazine’s Bruce Mohl reports. The bills already had committee hearings and were in some cases sponsored by senators on those panels. But state Sen. Becca Rausch told Mohl the House chairs are showing “flagrant disregard” for Beacon Hill norms. — DEPARTURE LOUNGE: Eileen Duff is eyeing her exit from the Governor’s Council. Duff said Tuesday that she intends to run for Southern Essex register of deeds next year with Registrar John O’Brien not seeking reelection. Duff briefly ran for state auditor last cycle but ended her campaign early due to a family matter. VAX-ACHUSETTS — “COVID hospitalizations in Mass. see first upticks since January,” by Emma Obregón Dominguez, Boston Globe: “Hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 have risen about 30 percent in Massachusetts since hitting a low point on July 13, marking the end of a long downward trend that began in January.”   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     FROM THE HUB — “Boston Ballot Commission dismisses residency challenge against Councilor Kendra Lara,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The Boston Ballot Law Commission dismissed a residency challenge against City Councilor Kendra Lara, finding that the four objectors failed to prove that she lives outside of the district she represents.” — “Judge rules Boston City Council doesn't have to let Satanists give an invocation if it doesn't want to,” by Adam Gaffin, Universal Hub: “A federal judge [on Monday] dismissed a lawsuit by the Satanic Temple of Salem against the Boston City Council over the way [councilors invite] clergy members to start meetings with an invocation, concluding that councilors were recognizing the good work done in the city by the clergy, not because they're pushing a particular religious viewpoint.” — “Former Gov. Deval Patrick looks to Boston's future with optimism following NAACP Convention,” by Shealagh Sullivan, GBH News: “Patrick said the persistent economic disparities and right-wing extremism are not a recipe to simply give up — rather, he argued it was necessary for Democrats to continue to play ‘the long game.’" — "Still in Senate limbo, acting US Labor Secretary Su says she’s ‘embedding equity in everything we do’," by Tori Bedford, GBH News: "She spoke at the national NAACP convention in Boston’s Seaport Tuesday, alongside her predecessor (and former mayor of Boston) Marty Walsh, at a panel focused on labor. [Julie] Su, who started in the role in March, has been serving in an 'acting' capacity with the support of the Biden administration without confirmation from Senate. FROM THE 413 — “Amherst Superintendent Morris unveils LGBTQ protection plan,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Enhanced professional development for school employees and adjustments to school policies and student learning, along with a series of other measures, are part of an effort unveiled to the community Tuesday afternoon by Superintendent Michael Morris to make the Amherst, Pelham and regional schools safe and welcoming for all students [after the recent academic year ended] in a cloud over the reported mistreatment of LGBTQ students at the regional middle school and allegations of gender-based bullying not being stopped.” — Related: “Amherst Assistant Superintendent Cunningham files discrimination complaint,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Doreen Cunningham, the assistant superintendent for diversity, equity and human resources, made the complaint against the district, Superintendent Michael Morris and Douglas Slaughter, the temporary superintendent and finance director, on June 30." — “Chicopee elections: More than half candidates will run unopposed; no preliminary race will be needed,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican. THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Impasse declared in talks over Mass. correction officers wearing body cameras,” by Deborah Becker, WBUR: “An impasse has been declared in negotiations with the correction officers' union over the rules for using the cameras. Despite the impasse, the state will move forward with making technological improvements for all officers to begin wearing the cameras by next year.” — “USDA declares disaster in seven Massachusetts counties after heavy rains, floods,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Federal agriculture officials declared a natural disaster in seven Massachusetts counties where farmers are still recovering from heavy rains and floods last month that caused at least $15 million in damages across 2,700 acres, the Healey administration said Tuesday afternoon. The declaration from the U.S. Department of Agriculture immediately opens up low-interest loans and the option to refinance existing loans for farmers.” MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — “New ads in N.H. knock both Biden and Trump,” by Steven Porter, Boston Globe: “The digital advertisements, which include short commercials on video streaming services, are part of a four-state $1 million ad buy by Americans for Prosperity Action, a group that has signaled plans to endorse someone other than Trump for the GOP’s 2024 presidential primary.” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Alvin Buyinza is now a state house reporter for MassLive. — Former Arlington town manager and Boston Green Ribbon Commission deputy director Adam Chapdelaine will succeed Geoff Beckwith as executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. Beckwith retires Sept. 8. — Althea Wong-Achorn and Brendan Kearney are now co-executive directors of WalkMassachusetts. CONGRATS — to Deb Touhey on her retirement from Sen. Ed Markey’s office after 20 years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Gigi Kellett and Caitlin Teeley. 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 Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   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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