Friday, February 5, 2016
By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) and Keith Regan
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Today: Suffolk trustees meet. Have the people prevailed?
It would appear the faction on the Suffolk Board of Trustees that wants president Margaret McKenna removed has been routed. The board meets today to hear the outcome of yesterday's meeting between McKenna and board chair Andrew Meyer, in which some sort of agreement was hammered out that appears to keep McKenna in place.
In trying to remove her, some trustees inadvertently transformed a good college president into a near-martyr and hero. Students, faculty, alumni, Mayor Walsh, and business leaders have backed McKenna. Several board members not part of the coup scheme appear to be upset and looking for answers. Attorney General Maura Healey's office yesterday announced it wants to explore why the Suffolk board apparently did not follow through on instructions from an academic accrediting agency to improve its governance. The Globe's Laura Krantz and Mark Arsenault have been covering the higher ed soap opera this week. http://bit.ly/1nKwuhF
Also today: Snow test for the T
Boston is expected to receive upwards of 8 inches of snow this morning, smack dab in the a.m. commute, a weather event that will no doubt be used as a litmus test for the MBTA's winter readiness.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at "Politics & Eggs." Doors open to the press at 9 am. Executive Court Banquet Facility, 1199 South Mammoth Rd., Manchester, N.H., 10:00 am.
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan is a scheduled guest on Boston Public Radio. Co-hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan will broadcast from the Granite State, WGBH-FM 89.7, 1 pm.
He jumps into the fray: Baker for Christie
Gov. Charlie Baker will abandon his noncommittal approach to presidential politics tomorrow and endorse Chris Christie for president, Jim O'Sullivan of the Globe reports. "Baker will appear with Christie at a rally Saturday morning in New Hampshire and then return to Massachusetts, the adviser said. Baker is also willing to make television appearances for Christie to explain his support," O'Sullivan reports. http://bit.ly/1nKwuhF
Northern exposure for MA pols this weekend
While Baker will make a rare appearance in New Hampshire for Christie, Massachusetts Democrats are crisscrossing the state in support of Hillary Clinton, an underdog in Tuesday's primary. The Globe's O'Sullivan writes that the campaigning is a contest of political mettle among Massachusetts' most prominent political figures. "Longtime Democratic watchers say the New Hampshire primary has become the new battleground to see who can lay claim to the Massachusetts party's leadership mantle and fine-tune their own campaign organizations." http://bit.ly/1TItzTa
Fingerprinting for drivers: Big Uber sticking point
As the Legislature weighs regulations for the ride-sharing industry, a fingerprinting requirement for drivers being considered here has caused Uber to pull out of several other markets, Jack Sullivan of CommonWealth magazine reports. "Last year, officials in Florida's Broward County passed a regulation requiring fingerprints, similar to what's required of cab and livery drivers. Uber pulled out in protest, but returned in the fall when the county commissioners reversed themselves after a flood of protests from Uber users," Sullivan reports. http://bit.ly/1PmIQUx
Public records reform law clears Senate
The Senate unanimously passed a public records reform bill, setting the stage for a conference committee with the House to iron out differences in their respective bills. The Senate bill is considered tougher in several respects, especially in the awarding of court fees for those who sue for access to records. More here from the State House News Service reporters Katie Lannan and Colin A. Young.http://bit.ly/1L2biZK
One result of the public records reform bill passed by the state senate would be to force the MBTA Retirement Board to open the books on the pension funds it manages, Erin Smith of the Herald reports. Insiders have raised questions about the health of the fund and a private review of the pension's performance is under way. http://bit.ly/1PnxwYa
Baker will appoint a majority of the SJC, thanks to mandatory retirement
Supreme Judicial Court Justice Robert Cordy's announcement that he will retire later this year is just one of several SJC retirements to occur during Gov. Baker's term, writes blogger HesterPrynne. In fact, he will end up appointing a majority of the SJC before 2018, owing to an age 70 mandatory retirement law. Prynne peppers readers with SJC facts and figures here: http://bit.ly/1obE2ue
Life Sciences Center adviser resigns citing 'dwindling' support from Baker
A prominent scientist has resigned from a Massachusetts Life Sciences Center advisory panel, claiming Gov. Baker's support for the center and a capital fund the center managers is "dwindling." "The resignation later submitted to the Life Sciences Center board and others by scientific advisory board chair Harvey Lodish called into question Gov. Charlie Baker's commitment to the center, which became one of his predecessor Deval Patrick's signature accomplishments when he signed in 2008 a $1 billion, 10-year commitment to bolstering the industry," the State House New Service's Matt Murphy reports.http://bit.ly/23MMbFT (paywall)
Why developers are leaving out the 4th and 44th floors
One Dalton, the 61-story skyscraper planned for the Back Bay, will not number either the fourth or 44thfloors, in deference to Chinese superstition. As Beth Healy of the Globe reports, Chinese buyers are expected to be a significant percentage of the foreign contingent who purchase units in the building -- and the number four is considered unlucky in Asia. http://bit.ly/1NTRdEX
Taunton residents sue to stop tribal casino
A group of Taunton residents has filed a federal lawsuit in the hopes of stopping the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe from building a casino, Sean Murphy of the Globe reports. The challenge -- which Murphy reports is being funded in part by Neil Bluhm, who hopes to build a casino in Brockton -- argues that federal officials erred when they allowed the tribe to take land in Taunton into a trust. http://bit.ly/1mhOqiF
MGC endorses Wynn-Walsh 'treaty'
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday endorsed the agreement reached between the city of Boston and Wynn Resorts, Bruce Mohl of CommonWealth magazine reports. Boston Corporation Counsel Eugene O'Flaherty declined to call the legal actions the city took to force Wynn to the negotiating table -- which ran up a bill of over $2 million in legal fees -- a mistake. http://bit.ly/1R9bq09
UMass Boston to get dorms in 2019
The Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts system will open its first student housing in 2018, when a 1,000-bed, $120 million dormitory is expected to open, David Harris of the Boston Business Journal reports. The project will be built through a public-private partnership, with Capstone Development winning the right to develop and manage the housing. http://bit.ly/1T2fH6S
Judge blasts I-93 protestors
Ten Black Lives Matters protestors received probation and were ordered to perform community service after pleading guilty to charges in connection with the disruption of traffic on I-93 more than year ago, the Patriot Ledger's Lane Lambert reports. The sentences were handed down after the daughter of a man whose ambulance had to diverted because of the traffic read a victim impact statement. http://bit.ly/1L2IPTS
Audit says artwork mishandled
Portraits, sculptures and other pieces of art obtained for display at the State House have not been properly appraised and their values recorded, the state auditor's office has found, according to the Globe's Astead W. Herndon. http://bit.ly/1PWVLf4
Barbara Bush stumps for Jeb
"Jeb is the nicest, wisest, most [caring,] loyal, disciplined . . . But he's not a bragger. We don't allow that. He's everything we need in a president." - 90-year-old Barbara Bush, campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday. Story by Akilah Johnson
Sunday public affairs TV
Chief Executives Club of Boston, NECN, 1 pm and 8 pm. Speaker: Target Corp. CEO Brian Cornell.
This Week in Business, NECN, 12:30 pm and 7:30 pm. MullenLowe U.S. Senior Vice President David Swaebe talks Super Bowl 50 ads; Rob Weisberg, Invaluable CEO, talks about the booming on-line auction business.
CEO Corner, NECN, 8:30 pm. Southern New Hampshire University President Paul LeBlanc
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