‘Tis the season for (policy) wish lists

Nov 30, 2022

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MAKING A LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE — By not getting into specifics about her plans come January, Gov.-elect Maura Healey has created a largely blank canvas on which advocates and activists are projecting their desires for her administration and for the next legislative session.

Labor and education advocates plan to deliver their pitch for improving access to public higher education tomorrow morning at the State House. Two of the Higher Ed for All coalition members, Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts President Beth Kontos, also have a direct line to Healey's team to parlay their priorities — they're serving on her transition's youth-focused policy committee.

Abortion-rights groups are looking to Healey to help advance a public education campaign about crisis pregnancy centers after Gov. Charlie Baker axed $1 million in funding for it from a larger economic development bill. They'll likely have an ally there — the attorney general issued a consumer advisory warning about the centers after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. She also put Reproductive Equity Now's Rebecca Hart Holder on her transition's health policy committee.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is calling for more state aid in dealing with the homelessness and substance abuse issues at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard — a plea ostensibly directed at Baker but also designed to set goals for the next governor.

Even Baker is laying the groundwork to ensure at least some of his priorities are carried forward to the next administration. He is urging lawmakers to pass his $139 million spending plan to expand the state's emergency shelter system and open a temporary intake center to help respond to the influx of migrants. If they don't, Baker told reporters Tuesday, "we'd obviously suggest to the incoming administration" to pursue a similar ask.

And a Tuesday roundtable highlighting the Baker administration's efforts in combating the opioid epidemic doubled as a venue for advocates to share their hopes for continued partnership with the next governor. Healey, who was at the event in her official attorney general capacity and as a member of Baker's 2015 opioid working group, pledged to keep the teamwork going. She also said she's looking to expand housing for vulnerable populations and tackle the workforce shortage in health care, addiction and mental health services.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It's a big day for the Bay State.

The British royals are coming to Boston for a series of events that will culminate Friday in their Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is coming north to join Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito for a technology company tour.

And Rep. Katherine Clark is poised to ascend to the No. 2 spot in House Democratic leadership with today's caucus elections .

TODAY — Baker, Polito and Raimondo tour 6K in North Andover at 3 p.m. Polito chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House; the council is expected to certify the 2022 election results. Healey, Wu, U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy and climate envoy John Kerry join the British royals for a welcome event at 4:45 p.m. at Boston's City Hall Plaza.

Tips? Scoops? Heading to see the royals? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

A message from Sense Labs:

65M smart meters will be replaced by 2027. Guidehouse reports on how next-gen smart meters can support decision-making based on actual energy use and grid conditions.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "More work to be done in fight against opioids, Baker and Healey say," by Katie Lannan, GBH News: "A month after Gov. Charlie Baker took office in 2015, he launched a task force to develop a statewide strategy to tackle opioid addiction. Almost eight years later, Baker and members of that task force — including Attorney General and Gov.-elect Maura Healey — said Massachusetts has made notable strides in supporting recovery and reducing [the] stigma of substance use disorder, but the state still has more to do. … State Department of Public Health data shows a dramatic climb in opioid overdose deaths from 2000, when 375 were recorded, to 2016, when 2,110 Massachusetts residents died of opioid overdoses. Since 2016, that number declined slightly, but it began to tick back up amid the pandemic, and hit a new high in 2021."

— "Behind the campaign to elect the first openly gay Massachusetts state legislator," by Paris Alston, GBH News: "Maura Healey made history this month, becoming the state's first openly gay or lesbian governor. But in 1974, there was another first: Elaine Noble. Noble's election to the Massachusetts House made her the state's first openly gay or lesbian elected official. … It's no secret that it takes a good campaign to win. But how do you do that when you're first? That's a question for Noble's 1974 campaign manager, Ann Maguire. An LGBTQ pioneer and activist herself, Maguire now lives in Marblehead with her longtime partner, Harriet."

— "As Baker seeks pardons in Fells Acres abuse case, those who testified as children see 'betrayal'," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker's push to pardon Gerald Amirault and his sister, Cheryl Amirault LeFave, has incensed those who maintain that they or their child was sexually abused at the Fells Acres Day School nearly 40 years ago, highlighting the complications that have long underpinned the case."

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TRANSITION TIME

— "Gov.-elect Maura Healey sidesteps specifics on tax relief pledge," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "With her inauguration just over a month away, Gov.-elect Maura Healey on Tuesday declined to provide specific details about her day-one priority of pursuing tax reform for struggling Bay Staters. 'I think that this will be the subject of continuing conversation and deliberation, and obviously, you know, that work will continue over the coming weeks,' Healey, the attorney general, told reporters Tuesday morning in Quincy."

— "Mayor mastering transition: Driscoll working dual roles as swearing-in looms," by Dustin Luca, Salem News: "[Kim] Driscoll, mayor of Salem since 2006 and now lieutenant governor-elect, said she will continue leading the city through the end of the year, anticipating her resignation as mayor to take place in January. She does so while already serving as the transition chairperson to the incoming Healey-Driscoll administration, which will be sworn in on Thursday, Jan. 5, at noon. 'It's a bit like riding a bicycle backwards while juggling. It's just a lot we're finding in terms of people who want to be part of this administration, which is exciting,' Driscoll said in a recent interview, of the state-level transition, from her corner office at City Hall in Salem."

— Related: "Neil Harrington eyeing Salem mayor job," by Matt Petry, Salem News: "Salem's former mayor, who happens to be Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington, announced Tuesday he wants his old job back. Salem will be looking for a new mayor soon after current Mayor Kim Driscoll takes the oath in early January to become the state's new lieutenant governor under Governor-elect Maura Healey. The City Council will appoint an acting mayor at that time, followed by a special election to determine who will fill the seat for the remainder of Driscoll's term, which expires in January 2026."

— "Bristol Sheriff-elect Heroux eases concerns on staffing and program changes," by Marcus Ferro, WBSM: "[Attleboro Mayor Paul] Heroux said he and [outgoing Sheriff Tom] Hodgson haven't had a conversation since the election. Heroux has spoken with Bristol County sheriff's office spokesperson Jonathan Darling and he expects that he and Hodgson will meet before Heroux is sworn in as sheriff on January 3. During his transition, Heroux hopes to tour the House of Correction in Dartmouth and the Ash Street Jail and meet with all of the department heads at the BCSO."

— More: "Heroux could submit resignation Wednesday, kicking off chain of succession events," by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "MBTA oversight should move from DPU to new agency, report says," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "Moving MBTA oversight from the DPU into a new independent agency holds the 'greatest promise' for reforming rail transit safety, but would take much longer than shifting the responsibility to an existing state entity, a new report found. A new agency, with limited appointing authority from the governor, was touted as the best solution for state safety oversight of the region's embattled subway system in a 21-page report released Monday by the MBTA Advisory Board."

— "With federal money available, East-West rail commission plans first hearing on Boston-Springfield passenger service," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican.

A message from Sense Labs:

DAY IN COURT

— "Jasiel Correia's appeal denied. Here's why judges rejected the ex-mayor's arguments," by Dan Medeiros and Jo C. Goode, Herald News: "Looks like former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II will remain behind bars until at least 2027, now that he has lost his appeal before the 1st U.S. Court of Appeals. … Correia, who reported to prison in Berlin, New Hampshire, in April to begin a six-year sentence for fraud and corruption, had his virtual day in court in late September, as federal appellate judges Sandra L. Lynch, Bruce Selya and Jeffrey R. Howard heard arguments on why he should have his convictions overturned or receive a new trial. In May 2021, Correia, once the city's youngest mayor, had been convicted of defrauding investors in his app company, SnoOwl, and shaking down marijuana vendors hoping to open up shop in Fall River."

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— "Migrant recruiter, transport company, and Fla. officials added as parties to federal lawsuit over Martha's Vineyard flights," by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: "Perla Huerta, the mysterious Army veteran who migrants said recruited and enticed them to board the flights; the Florida-based plane company Vertol Systems and its CEO; Florida's 'public safety czar'; and Governor Ron DeSantis's chief of staff were named in an 86-page amended complaint filed Tuesday as part of a lawsuit brought by Lawyers for Civil Rights in US District Court in Boston."

WARREN REPORT

— FOLLOWING THE FOLLOWERS: Elon Musk nemesis Elizabeth Warren has lost about 100,000 Twitter followers since he took over the platform, the Washington Post reports . But the senator still has about 12.8 million between her two official accounts. She's also been using Musk's name as a discount code to help sell merchandise on her website, the proceeds from which pad her Warren Democrats bank account.

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— "State energy board greenlights East Boston substation, enraging environmental justice advocates," by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: "At a Tuesday hearing, Massachusetts' Energy Facilities Siting Board announced it will grant the utility Eversource a special certificate allowing it to circumvent the 14 final state and local environmental permits needed for the project. The siting board's decision, which confirmed a preliminary one earlier this month, was nearly unanimous, with only one no vote: Crystal Johnson, an environmental planner who serves as the board's public member representing the environment. The decision outraged environmental justice advocates who have bitterly opposed the substation, arguing the facility will pose risks to a community already overburdened by pollution."

— "Maine hydro project clears another hurdle," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Massachusetts made some headway on its clean energy goals on Tuesday, but moving forward on key offshore wind and hydro-electricity projects remains an uncertain process. A Massachusetts-financed transmission line carrying hydroelectricity from Quebec into Maine cleared another legal hurdle on Tuesday as the Maine Supreme Court overturned a lower court decision that had blocked the state from leasing 32.4 acres of public land for the line."

FROM THE 413

— "North Adams city councilor files Open Meeting Law complaint about fellow councilor," by Greta Jochem, Berkshire Eagle: "Though the City Council recently set property tax rates, a complaint related to the issue remains. Councilor Marie Harpin filed an Open Meeting Law complaint with the state last week, alleging that an email Councilor Keith Bona sent to all councilors about the tax rate was a violation of the law."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Rental Cars Used By Secret Service Destroyed In Fire At Airport," by Jason Graziadei, Nantucket Current: "A large car fire involving multiple rental vehicles erupted early Monday morning at Nantucket Memorial Airport. There were no injuries, but five cars sustained significant damage and the blaze occurred just 40 feet from the airport's jet fuel tanks. The vehicles were among numerous cars that had been rented by Hertz to the Secret Service during President Biden's stay on the island for the Thanksgiving holiday, two sources told the Current. They had been returned to Hertz less than 24 hours before the fire broke out."

— "Possible national rail strike would be 'devastating,' Polar exec warns," by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: "'Devastating' is the word Chris Crowley used to describe the impact on Polar Beverages, and the overall economy, if the nation's rail workers go on strike in early December."

— "Massachusetts will give you a $75 gift card if you get vaccinated or boosted," by Madeleine Aitken, Boston.com.

A message from Sense Labs:

According to Guidehouse, one quarter of all utility smart meters in the U.S. will need to be replaced by 2030. The next generation of smart meters now act like smart phones, with apps for energy efficiency and demand response. So for the first time ever, consumers can see exactly where and how to save energy and money in their home and utilities can have powerful grid-edge computing devices at their disposal.

HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Chris Dempsey, Larry Summers and Ben Josephson. Happy belated to Kaveesh Pathak, who celebrated Tuesday.

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