BUTTIGIEG’s Boston swing — WYNN gets its ENCORE — WARREN’S warning signs

May 01, 2019

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy May!

BUTTIGIEG'S BOSTON SWING — Pete Buttigieg drew 850 people to a grassroots fundraiser in Somerville last night, where tickets rangedfrom $25 to $1,000 for the sold-out event.

Buttigieg criticized the White House, talked about policing, housing and gun reform, and touched on the gig economy with moderator Brandon Victor Dixon, the "Hamilton" actor who called out Vice President Mike Pence during a performance in 2016. Buttigieg could barely get each sentence out before the crowd broke into applause during the 30-minute speaking event. Earlier in the day, he drew a crowd to the Boston Public Library for his live hit on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio."

Buttigieg is no stranger to Boston. He spoke at Northeastern University at the beginning of the month, and visited Stop & Shop workers on the picket line in Malden a couple of weeks ago. And he's far from the only 2020 candidate to pop up around here.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was in the city last week , and Sen. Kamala Harris is planning her next Cambridge fundraiser for late May. Not to mention Sen. Bernie Sanders, who recently spoke with supporters in Harvard Square and lunched with state lawmakers at Carrie Nation. Joe Biden pumped up striking workers at Stop & Shop in Dorchester shortly before his launch.

Super Tuesday is almost a year down the road . But visiting the Bay State is a roundabout strategy to shore up support and get on television in neighboring New Hampshire, and raise serious cash from the city's donor network along the way.

"It's sort of a Triple Crown of political events . You can raise money in a place that has money, recruit troops in a place that's very enthusiastic about politics, and you can get media reach right into New Hampshire," Liberty Square Group founder Scott Ferson told me. Ferson advised 2020 candidate Seth Moulton's 2014 House run, but is not working with Moulton in an official capacity this cycle.

With so many people running for president , candidates will need armies of door-knockers to make a dent in the New Hampshire primary. And because the state party is not locked up for either of the Massachusetts candidates, Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Moulton, a large number of grassroots volunteers are up for grabs.

"This is not Mike Dukakis' primary. There's no such fealty to the home grown candidate," Ferson said.

There are plenty of Massachusetts Democrats hungry to try and take down President Donald Trump — they just don't know who they want to knock doors for this fall and winter in New Hampshire. And they have the whole summer to decide.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.

TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council. Rep. Katherine Clark delivers a keynote at an "Exploring Online Hate" event hosted by the New America Foundation and the Anti-Defamation League. The House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets and the Joint Committee on Public Service hold hearings. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh,Sociedad Latina and the Community Preservation Coalition celebrate Community Preservation Act funding in Mission Hill.

Attorney General Maura Healey visits Holyoke Community College. Washington Post Editor Marty Baron speaks at Suffolk University.Former ambassador to Denmark John Loeb Jr. speaks at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose speaks at the Worcester County Bar Association's Law Day breakfast. The Massachusetts Dental Societyholds a lobby day.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "James McGinn, former head of Environmental Police, plans to file whistleblower claim against state of Massachusetts," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Former Massachusetts Environment Police Col. James McGinn, who was fired last year over alleged timesheet irregularities and employee surveillance, plans to file a whistleblower claim against the state, WCVB reported on Tuesday. McGinn, who was appointed to lead the agency under Gov. Charlie Baker, told WCVB that he made the state aware that there was a "complete lack of accountability" within the department. He also said he refused to participate or accept what he believed to be "unethical and illegal" activities in the agency."

- "'Deeply troubled' Gaming Commission allows Wynn to open casino," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "WYNN RESORTS WILL need to pay a $35 million and its CEO Matt Maddox will need to pony up $500,000 under a Massachusetts Gaming Commission decision that allows the gaming giant to keep its Boston-area casino license and open its Everett resort in June. In its decision, the commission found the company suitable for the license while also requiring it to hire an independent monitor, maintain a separation between the positions of chairman and CEO for 15 years, and bring aboard an executive coach to provide training to Maddox on leadership, communication, and sensitivity."

- "COST CURVE BENDING AGAINST HIGHER EDUCATION ACCESS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Anthony Mulligan told state lawmakers Tuesday that his story is not a triumphant one. Recounting how he came to attend the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mulligan told the Higher Education Committee he was born when his mother was 15 years old. She convinced him to get good grades and participate in extracurricular activities, always telling him he would go to college, he said."

- "UNIONS PRESS LAWMAKERS TO PASS JANUS RULING RESPONSE," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "The labor community presented a unified front to lawmakers on Tuesday, hoping to convince House and Senate leaders to quickly pass a law to strengthen unions in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling last year that knocked down a union's right to charge fees to non-members. AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman told legislators that action was "long overdue" as he sat at a table surrounded by more than three dozen labor leaders to testify in front of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development."

FROM THE HUB

- "The Battle for Eastie's Soul," by Chris Sweeney, Boston Magazine: "Traffic! Crime! Construction! There are a lot of ways to size up life in East Boston today. Maggie Simeone and her husband, Derek Edwards, are as good a place to start as any. Two years ago, the couple bought a condo in Jeffries Point, just a few short blocks from the shore of Boston Harbor. Neither Simeone, a teacher, nor Edwards, a software engineer, knew much about the neighborhood when they moved in, other than that it was close to downtown and affordable."

- "Columbia Gas' New President Talks About His Vision For Leading The Company After Disaster," by Kimberly Atkins and Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: "Columbia Gas of Massachusetts is getting new leadership. The utility's pipelines started more than 100 fires and explosions in the Merrimack Valley last fall, killing one person and injuring two dozen more. The preliminary findings of a federal investigation show the faulty pipe work of one of their engineers caused their lines to over-pressurize. The company has since replaced hundreds of miles of affected pipes and paid millions of dollars in claims in an effort to restore the damage."

- RELATED: "Columbia Gas Settles With Lawrence Family Hurt In Explosions," WBUR. Link.

- "Walsh names JP vet chief of Veterans' Services," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: " Robert Santiago, a Jamaica Plain resident who served 20 years in the Navy, is being promoted from deputy commissioner of Veterans' Services to the top spot, Mayor Martin Walsh's office announced Tuesday. Santiago is the first LGBT person to hold the position."

- "Anti-Semitic incidents in Massachusetts remain high," Boston Herald. Link .

- GONE TO THE DOGS: "'Yappier Hour' back on at Liberty Hotel after dog-friendly event was canceled Monday," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "An event at a Boston hotel bar that welcomes people and their pets for after-work drinks and appetizers is back on Wednesday after briefly going to the dogs this week. The Liberty Hotel, which has hosted "Yappier Hour" for nine seasons at its private outdoor patio The Yard, said the event was scrapped Monday by city officials due to worries about having dogs and cocktails in the same place."

DAY IN COURT

- "School choice advocates go to court," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "Parents who want to send their children to private religious schools in Massachusetts and many other states are barred from using public funds to offset tuition. Advocates for expanded school choice programs say so-called Blaine amendments, which were written amid anti-Catholic fervor in the late 1800s, prohibit families from using public vouchers or tax credits to help pay for parochial schools in 38 states, including Massachusetts. This week, a Boston-based think tank signed onto a Montana lawsuit challenging those restrictions and asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene."

- "Kraft defense attorneys try to poke holes in prosecution's case," by Travis Andersen and John R. Ellement, Boston Globe:"The Florida state health inspector who inspected the spa at the center of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's misdemeanor prostitution solicitation case testified Tuesday as a hearing on Kraft's motion to suppress video evidence continued into a second day. Karen Herzog, the inspector who conducted an onsite review of the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Fla. in November at the request of law enforcement, testified Tuesday in Palm Beach County that she initially entered "N/A" for "not applicable" on a state form in response to a question about whether there were signs anyone was living at the spa."

WARREN REPORT

- "The Suffolk/Globe poll of N.H. voters has some warning signs for Elizabeth Warren," by James Pindell, Boston Globe: "The latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of likely New Hampshire primary voters may have some warning signs for Senator Elizabeth Warren's 2020 campaign. The poll, released Tuesday, shows Warren in fourth place with 8 percent support, behind former vice president Joe Biden with 20 percent, Senator Bernie Sanders at 12 percent, and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a little less than 12 percent of support. Let's recap: Warren visits New Hampshire often. She is well known as a candidate. Her positions are in line with the party's faithful. She has experienced staff on the ground in New Hampshire. Indeed, in a Suffolk poll of state Democrats released almost a year ago, Warren was the front-runner."

- "In 'Essence' op-ed, Elizabeth Warren addresses black women maternal mortality," by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren says racism is to blame for why black women are more likely to die in childbirth, but she has also offered a possible solution. In an op-ed for Essence, a magazine geared toward black women, the 2020 presidential candidate noted that work is already being done to increase survival rates, but that she also wants to "hold health systems accountable for protecting black moms." Roughly 700 women die during pregnancy or from complications of giving birth each year, Warren wrote."

FROM THE DELEGATION

- "Nancy Pelosi to visit Massachusetts to talk about child care," Associated Press: "U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning to visit Massachusetts to talk about child care. The California Democrat will join members of the state's all-Democratic congressional delegation Friday to tour the Eliot-Pearson Children's School at Tufts University in Medford and learn about the school's approach to early childhood education research. U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark, Lori Trahan and Ayanna Pressley will join Pelosi to meet with early education advocates and discuss the need for affordable child care and policies aimed at increasing child care accessibility."

- "Neal attends White House meeting on $2 trillion infrastructure bill," by Ray Kelly, Springfield Republican: "House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal joined a group of Congressional leaders Tuesday at the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump regarding a $2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Springfield Democrat was accompanied by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer."

- "Angela Davis, Ayanna Pressley lead rally in support of Ilhan Omar," by Zack Budryk, The Hill: "Activist Angela Davis and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) joined numerous other black women activists and members of Congress in a rally Tuesday to support Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). Davis and Barbara Ransby, a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and adviser to the Movement for Black Lives, told Democracy Now they planned the event, called Black Women in Defense of Ilhan Omar, in response to escalating attacks against the freshman Democrat, who said death threats against her spiked after conservatives accused her of minimizing the 9/11 attacks and President Trump tweeted a video interspersing her words with images from the attacks."

- "Democrats paper over rifts at 'Medicare for All' hearing," by Adam Cancryn and Alice Miranda Ollstein, POLITICO: "House Democrats on Tuesday turned a potentially divisive "Medicare for All" hearing into a high-profile show of solidarity, making a forceful case for universal health care and casting Republicans as the main obstacle to improving the nation's medical system. The Rules Committee session, the first to examine single-payer health care in a decade, skirted the Democrats' deep divisions over how far left to veer in pursuit of guaranteed health coverage."

ALL ABOARD

- "For The T, There's A Board For Every Season — And Reason," by Robin Washington, WGBH News: "If you have a concern about the T, you've got plenty of places to take it. From state agencies to grassroots groups, there's a plethora of boards and organizations whose main activity revolves around the T. One of these groups is the MBTA Advisory Board. Created by the legislature, the board represents the 176 cities and towns in the MBTA's district that contribute to the T financially. But it's not the main body overseeing the transit agency, and its powers, including budget oversight, have been diminished in recent years. Paul Regan, a longtime T watcher and the MBTA Advisory Board's executive director, easily rattles off the names of other groups, some with competing interests."

EYE ON 2020

- "Despite praise for Weld, Collins and Romney won't say if they'll back Trump primary foe," by Manu Raju and Ted Barrett, CNN:"Two Republican senators who have been vocal supporters of former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld won't say If they are open to backing his insurgent run for the Republican presidential nomination against President Donald Trump. The silence by Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah is an indication of the political tight rope GOP critics of the President must walk as he runs for re-election next year. They must decide to back his campaign and satisfy Trump supporters in their states or oppose the President and potentially draw his anger and their electoral wrath. For now, Collins and Romney are exercising a third option: Staying mum."

MOULTON MATTERS

- "Few In Nevada Noticed, But Seth Moulton Matters," by David S. Bernstein, WGBH News: "A couple dozen political journalists were here Saturday, taking notes as six Democratic candidates for President addressed a large room full of union workers. A seventh candidate was in town the same day, making his first campaign appearances in Nevada, which will vote fourth in next year's nominating process. None of those scribes ventured across town to see Seth Moulton, however, save this lone exception on assignment from the Congressman's home state of Massachusetts."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "NOW FOR THE ENCORE" — Globe: ""

FROM THE 413

- "'It's much easier to look them in the eye': Hampshire professors say new plan has them telling students college has a future," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Keeping Hampshire College's faculty local — even if they are no longer full-time and working for Smith, Mount Holyoke or UMass — is key to Hampshire's survival, according to faculty members. A series of moves announced Tuesday does just that, with 26 faculty members from Hampshire taking leaves of absence and taking temporary jobs at the other four schools in the Five College Consortium."

- "In visit, Polito lauds Williamstown for its affordable housing efforts," by Scott Stafford, Berkshire Eagle: "When it comes to affordable housing, Williamstown is setting a good example. That was the message from Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on Tuesday, during a visit designed to promote the state's proposed Act to Promote Housing Choices. "We're here to spotlight what your community is doing to address those housing needs," Polito said, congratulating town officials for their efforts to expand the types of housing available for working families."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "SET UP TO FAIL -- Housing crisis makes traffic worse in Massachusetts," by Eli Sherman, WickedLocal: "Sarah MacDonald works in Cambridge, but she can't afford to live there. Instead, she commutes from Weymouth, and because public transportation is inconvenient to her schedule, she drives each day. "I drive into the city, park at a meter and move it every two hours because parking also isn't affordable," she wrote in an email. Within the last four months, however, her travel time has nearly doubled to over an hour on some days, a trend realized across the state as more people are choosing to drive instead of using public transportation, according to a recent state report."

- HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? "Decision by Wellfleet voters called 'the best thing,'" by Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times:"When it was created nearly 20 years ago, the HDYLTA Realty Trust name was an in-your-face response to a lawsuit claiming Indian Neck waterfront property owners also owned the beach and tidal flats, and could either evict or charge rent to existing aquaculture farms. But research by an attorney hired by four aquaculturists revealed that 255 acres of tidal flats and beach were not included on upland deeds. The shellfishermen bought the property, and secured their future, for $25,000. With a vote at town meeting last week and another one at the town election Monday, the town has now agreed to buy the land from How Do You Like Them Apples trust for $2 million, with half that amount coming from an anonymous donor."

- MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: "New Hampshire is closer to abolishing the death penalty than advocates have seen in a generation," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "Welch's change of heart is among the factors that have brought New Hampshire to the cusp of abolishing the death penalty — closer than advocates for repeal have gotten in a generation. The state has not executed anyone since 1939, although the convicted killer of Michael Briggs, a Manchester police officer who was shot to death in 2006, is on death row. Earlier this year, both chambers of the state Legislature approved identical bills that change "the penalty for capital murder to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole." But unlike in the past, the state House and Senate did so this time by margins wide enough to override a planned veto by Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican."

MEDIA MATTERS

- Advocacy group Restore Public Trust placed an ad in the Harvard Crimson pushing the university to reject Trump administration officials connected to family separations at the southern U.S. border. The ad lists former officials including Jeff Sessions and Kirstjen Nielsen, and a red Trump campaign-style hat that reads "PUT KIDS IN CAGES" in white letters. Link.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Worcester state Rep. Daniel Donahue, Gimlet Media's Abbie Ruzicka, and Gary Uter, project manager at Boston Planning and Development Agency.

DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Red Sox beat the Athletics 5-1. The Bucks beat the Celtics 123-102. The Blue Jackets beat the Bruins 2-1.

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