Monday, November 2, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Sara Brown
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Today: Treasurer to discuss fantasy sports; substance abuse hearing
Treasurer Deb Goldberg chairs a meeting of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, which will feature a discussion about daily fantasy sports, One Ashburton Place, 12th Floor, West Conference Room, Boston, 10:30am.
Joint Committees on Mental Health and Substance Abuse and Public Health hold informational hearing on substance abuse. It will be chaired by Rep. Elizabeth Malia, Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, Rep. Kate Hogan and Sen. Jason Lewis, Room A-1, 1:00pm.
Tomorrow: All eyes on Brockton area Senate race...
With voters in 59 communities going to the polls Tuesday, Stephanie Ebbert of the Globe takes a close look at the fiercely contested special election for a state senate seat on the South Shore, calling it a "high-stakes showdown." Democratic Rep. Michael D. Brady will face Republican Rep. Geoffrey G. Diehl in the only legislative contest on ballots tomorrow and the Globe notes that the race has brought Senate President Stan Rosenberg and Gov. Baker, among others, to the South Shore in recent days to campaign. http://bit.ly/1XJv8AI
...And District 4 race, it's a door-to-door finish
In an otherwise sleepy Boston election, District 4's race, pitting longtime incumbent Councilor Charles Yancey against challenger Andrea Campbell, has been where the action is. "We haveknocked on thousands of doors since Sept. 8 with one message, and that is we can't afford to stay home on Election Day," Yancey said told the Herald's Jack Encarnacao. Campbell also has been busy talking to voters, saying she has knocked on over 23,000 doors and made over 16,000 calls.
Who leaked the DeLeo transcript?
Speaker Bob DeLeo is trying to mount some offense following the unexpected return on the Probation Department scandal to his front door. He originally misdirected his wrath over last week's Boston Globe story about his 2010 testimony concerning the Probation Department, in which he claimed to be unaware of the system of patronage in hiring for the Probation Department. He blamed the messenger, the Globe, which, despite DeLeo's claims that the story was "complete distortion," appears to have accurately, and with reasonable context, published portions of his testimony.
A more valid complaint: The source of the leak distributed documents impounded under a court order. DeLeo followed up Friday evening with a letter to Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants asking for an investigation into how his testimony was leaked, saying the court has both the power and the obligation to protect "the integrity of the judicial system."
The leaked transcript has again conjured up the John O'Brien Probation Department trial well after a year it concluded, in which DeLeo was named an unindicted co-conspirator. Who's trying to embarrass, in not sabotage, DeLeo? It may be impossible to find out. Other than the US Attorney's office, several other agencies received the documents, including the Attorney General, the Inspector General, and the Office of the Bar Counsel of the Board of Bar Overseers. The timing of the leak coincides with reports of a grand jury hearing more testimony from John O'Brien, who along with two associates was convicted last year in the probation case. They are appealing the convictions. Although the odds of finding the source of the leak are slim, Gants has an obligation to take DeLeo's request seriously. Can anyone violate a court's impoundment order with impunity? This is a story that the Globe itself likely won't pursue.
Meanwhile, the AG's office announced it won't investigate DeLeo's testimony, with a spokesperson saying: "Based on the evidence, our office is not investigating."http://bit.ly/20nkcLv
Bangor and a warning of a coming gambling glut
Bangor ain't Boston, but there may be a cautionary tale in the steady decline of the casino there. A second casino in western Maine opened afterwards, denting revenue, and now the casino owners are seeking a property tax break from the city. Here's a fascinating prediction: "I can't imagine the casinos in Massachusetts not asking for tax breaks after they're up and running," said Rev. Richard McGowan, a professor and casino expert at Boston College. Sean Murphy of the Globe traveled to Bangor to get this story: http://bit.ly/1MsLvtr
Pay-to-play driving test system exposed by NECIR
New England Center for Investigative Reporting reports on pay-to-play system for road tests -- pay extra, often $100 to a driving school, to secure a convenient test slot. While road test revenue for the Commonwealth has doubled in the past five years, those who won't or can't pay the fee face the prospects of waiting months and taking the test far away, where slots are more available. Beth Daley exposes a two-tier system that often leaves the average road test taker smelling someone else's exhaust fumes.
Walsh to IndyCar: Two weeks to finalize plans
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is suddenly taking a tough stance with the organizers who want to bring Indy Car racing to South Boston next year, telling them in a letter obtained by the Herald that they have two weeks to get necessary agreements with state agencies in place. Walsh green-lighted the controversial race, scheduled for next Labor Day, earlier this year, but the letter, signed by Chief of Operations Patrick Brophy suggested in the letter that could change. "Mayor Walsh feels strongly that overall community 'buy-in' and timely resolution of all financial terms for this proposed event are paramount to his final approval," Brophy wrote, according to the Herald.
Getting environmental voters to the polls
The Environmental Voter Project is working to get more voters who say the environment is a top issue for them to the polls, regardless of who they intend to vote for, the Globe reports. The project is responding to data showing that voters who rank the environment as a top concern turning out in low numbers in recent elections: One survey found that some 277,000 environmentalists stayed home during the last gubernatorial election, a contest decided by about 40,000 votes. http://bit.ly/1Q1BNEW
MGC has a new member
Attorney General Maura Healey has appointed a retired judge to fill a vacancy on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Globe reports. Healey tapped D. Lloyd Macdonald, a recently retired superior court judge, to fill the vacancy left by the departure of James McHugh. Healey said Macdonald's law enforcement experience -- he served as chief of the public corruption union of the U.S.attorneys office before assuming a seat on the bench -- and his "passion for the law and integrity" will make him a strong addition to the five-member commission. http://bit.ly/1k396e6
Unions still wield (some) voting power in Lowell
Even with numbers down and donations to candidates slipping, unions still wield power in local elections in Lowell, the Sun reported Sunday. Local observers expect the United Teachers of Lowell union to turn out in numbers on Tuesday amid ongoing contract talks. http://bit.ly/1MBAbkQ
Lawmakers want to speed up route 20 improvements
Lawmakers are frustrated by the pace of Route 20 improvements in Oxford and Charlton. Local, state, and federal lawmakers had a closed door session meeting about Route 20 and how to speed up improvements. "Everyone in the room agreed that waiting until 2025 for the real project is too long of a wait," Oxford Town Manager Brian M. Palaia said about the meeting. "I was pleasantly surprised that MassDOT seemed to take the leadership role at the meeting." Three days before the meeting, there was a fatal accident on Route 20 that claimed the lives of a mother and baby. http://bit.ly/1KT3DLX
Baker: DCF accountability coming
On WBZ's Keller At Large program yesterday, Gov. Baker defended the lack of firings at the Department of Children and Families in the wake of bureaucratic failings at the agency: "For us to turn around and say to the front line worker 'you're fired' when in fact the leadership has not done the heavy lifting associated with actually creating the playbook that you can hold people accountable for, which had not happened for years -- it's just not the right way to do this," Baker said. "And so we are putting in place those... bricks one at a time and to get to the point where by mid-November we will have standing policies in place and best practices in place on each of these and at that point people will be held accountable." Host Jon Keller also explored a range of other issues, including gambling and bipartisanship, in his interview with the governor. http://cbsloc.al/1XJqXow
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