PROGRESSIVES build their BENCH — Will BAKER go for a hat trick? — The UMASS math problem

Jun 07, 2019

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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

NEW: PROGRESSIVES BUILD THEIR BENCH — A network of Democratic activists are building a coalition to recruit like-minded candidates to run for local, state and federal office and change what they call the "broken culture" on Beacon Hill.

Progressive Lab aims to assemble a roster of progressive candidates at the local level, and they plan to target key players in the legislature, too. The activists say they are frustrated with the way some planks of the state Democratic Party platform are handled. They are pushing for more action on issues including education funding, immigration reform, abortion access and transparency in the legislative process.

"We're very angry at the way politics are being done on Beacon HIll, and are actively recruiting and mentoring primary candidates for legislators that are within House Speaker Robert DeLeo's inner circle," Progressive Lab member Michael Bakshi wrote in the Progressive Lab Facebook group, according to a screenshot shared with POLITICO. The group is also advising Ihssane Leckey, a Democratic socialist who is running against Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Bakshi wrote.

Progressive Lab includes volunteers from the 2018 campaigns of Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and state Rep. Nika Elugardo, among others. Some members of the Progressive Lab group belong to the Democratic Socialists of America, and others are from Our Revolution Massachusetts, the spinoff group from Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential run.

Most of the group's office-seekers plan to run for municipal office, three women plan to run for legislature seats, and two more are looking at Rep. Seth Moulton's seat in the 6th Congressional District, according to Progressive Lab member Solomon Steen, of Somerville. Many are playing the long game and are "interested in electing more people like Rachael Rollins" years down the road, Steen told me.

Progressive Lab members are working with one woman who plans to run against House Minority Leader Brad Jones, but they are not not just focused on knocking out Republicans. Members are encouraging progressives to run against DeLeo's allies, and against "Baker Democrats" who supported Gov. Charlie Baker's 2018 reelection campaign against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez.

Democratic support for Baker has been source of tension for some members of the party. For example, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, a Democrat, is not invited to speak at the Massachusetts Democratic State Convention when it comes to his city in September, partly because he endorsed Baker in a television ad. Sarno challenger Yolanda Cancel is a member of the Progressive Lab private Facebook group. Some members of the group shared a list of more than a dozen "Baker Democrats" in an online document, which includes Ways and Means chair state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, Rep. Lori Trahan and state Rep. David Nangle.

Steen stressed that Progressive Lab won't formally endorse candidates. Instead, the group aims to connect like-minded Democrats with one another and with training opportunities. "We have a lot of institutional memory as activists. We see promising progressives candidates, young women and people of color, who try to run," Steen said. "They're not getting this benefit of years of experience."

"A lot of progressive candidates often have issues with committing to doing the fundraising necessary to do a viable campaign. We really want to make sure people understand the logistical challenges in doing that and are getting networked with people who have experience working on campaigns," Steen added.

BLOOMBERG INVESTS $500M IN CLIMATE CAMPAIGN — Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg will announce a $500 million investment in his new Beyond Carbon campaign during his commencement address at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology today.

That's the largest philanthropic contribution ever made to fight climate change in the United States, according to Bloomberg's organization. Beyond Carbon's goal is to put the U.S. on track toward a 100 percent clean energy economy. The campaign will work to pass climate and clean energy policy at the state and local levels, expand grassroots organizations focused on climate issues, retire coal-fueled power plants by 2030, and support state and local candidates who are "willing to lead on climate."

"We're in a race against time with climate change, and yet there is virtually no hope of bold federal action on this issue for at least another two years. Mother Nature is not waiting on our political calendar, and neither can we," Bloomberg said in a statement. "Beyond Carbon will respond to this crisis with the urgency and ambition that it requires, by taking the fight to the states and turbo-charging current on-the-ground efforts."

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

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker is the commencement speaker at the Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Rep. Ayanna Pressley attend the ribbon cutting for Treadmark, a transit-oriented housing development in Dorchester. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III hold a press conference with LGBTQ+ leaders on federal legislation banning gay and trans panic defenses. Markey and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone attend DEMO Day at Greentown Labs.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "Baker quietly puts political team together as he considers 3rd term," by Frank Phillips, Boston Globe: "Acknowledging he may seek a groundbreaking third term, Governor Charlie Baker is quietly putting together a robust staff of political aides, proven fund-raisers, and seasoned consultants who worked on his previous two victorious campaigns, including last year's landslide reelection. Baker and his advisers said they are keeping his political organization intact to allow him to consider a third consecutive four-year term in 2022 — something no Massachusetts incumbent governor has ever done — but that no decision has been made. The 62-year-old Republican said his love of the job and his determination to complete major initiatives that will extend past this term have prompted him to consider it."

- "Massachusetts Senate passes bill, moving state one step closer to banning handheld cellphone use while driving," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts Sen. Joseph Boncore, a Winthrop Democrat, said that using a cellphone while driving at 55 miles per hour is equivalent to making that trip across the length of a football field while wearing a blindfold. State senators took one step closer to getting rid of that blindfold on Thursday when they unanimously passed a bill banning handheld cellphone use while driving. "Distracted driving has become an epidemic on our roadways, particularly smart phones. It has presented a tempting distraction behind the wheel," Boncore said Thursday before the vote."

CHARLIE BAKER FAIL! AND THE CORPORATE MEDIA WILL CONTINUE TO IGNORE CHARLIE BAKER'S FAILURES!

- "DCR's lax oversight of leases causing problems," by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION'S lax oversight of Department of Conservation and Recreation property is costing the state money and wreaking havoc on one leaseholder trying to keep a carousel running in Hull. The agency's failure to keep leases and permits current has been a problem for years, but two instances highlight how bad the situation has gotten. The Friends of the Paragon Carousel owns a carousel built in 1928 and the building that houses it, but the nonprofit group leases from DCR the land on which the carousel sits and the Clock Tower Building next door that houses an ice cream shop, a museum, and office space."

EXCERPT: The MBTA, which says it is the state’s second-largest landholder, has also been criticized for failing to maximize the value of its real estate assets. But the T is moving to address the problem. Its real estate staff is expanding and just this week the transit authority hired Richard Henderson, the top real estate official at MassDevelopment, to be its chief real estate officer.

- "Few benefit from state's new expungement law," by Christian M. Wade, The Daily News: "A new law allows people to wipe clean their criminal histories, but only a handful of requests to do so have been approved, according to a review of state data. The law, part of a criminal justice bill signed last year by Gov. Charlie Baker, allows juvenile records and some adult crimes to be permanently removed from a person's criminal record. But records from the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, which administers the law, show only a handful of petitions have been approved. The probation office has received 173 expungement requests since January, but only a dozen were ultimately accepted, according to agency data obtained through a public records request."

- "For Baker, Scott Lively just won't go away — and he has a $190,000 legal bill to prove it," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Last year, Scott Lively cost Governor Charlie Baker delegates, votes, and maybe a few political headaches. This year? It's more like $190,000. Baker has dipped into his campaign account to hire two law firms, plus pay his longtime campaign counsel, to fight a $7 million civil lawsuit that Lively, Baker's 2018 GOP primary opponent, filed against the governor and the state Republican Party amid last year's campaign. Lively, best known for his antigay statements, claims the state GOP violated its neutrality rules last year when it ran signature petition drives for Baker. He also alleges the party went back on its word when, after its work for Baker was exposed by the Globe, its executive committee voted to change its rules so it could endorse the governor for a second term. It's a process that's supposed to be in the hands of the 2,400 delegates at the April endorsing convention."

- "Health panel wants to open 'black box' of drug brokers," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "A QUASI-INDEPENDENT state agency tasked with monitoring the health care marketplace has made a foray into the debate over pharmacy benefits managers, calling for more transparency about the role the companies play in setting the cost of drugs. Pharmacy benefits managers act as a broker between insurers or government on the one side, and drug manufacturers on the other. The insurance industry sees them as a crucial check on the pharmaceutical industry, using their market clout and expertise to negotiate cheaper drug prices and facilitate their delivery. Independent pharmacists and the drug makers themselves contend that pharmacy benefits managers - or PBMs - add little value and a lot of cost, which is mostly borne by patients."

2020 WATCH

- "Is a Marty Walsh endorsement in Biden's future?" by Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe: "Joe Biden created a minor stir in Boston this week, generating a small crowd of selfie-seekers and surprised lunch-break strollers as he toured a few blocks of the Seaport with Mayor Marty Walsh. Having sneakily positioned myself inside press-cleared Martin's Park — to the great and perhaps ever-lasting consternation of the former vice president's press team — I asked the Democratic presidential front-runner if he thought he could land Walsh's endorsement."

- "Boston Labor Attorney Wants To Ride Wave Of Voter Discontent Past Markey And Into Senate," by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: "In Shannon Liss-Riordan's Back Bay office, there's a sledgehammer leaning against the wall by her desk, a memento from the case she says she's most proud of: when she took on American Airlines on behalf of the skycaps at Logan Airport and won. Among the ways the skycaps were paid was through passenger tips — usually $2 a bag. So a lot of cash was changing hands on the curb, and the airline went after it."

FROM THE HUB

- "Math problem: Faculty, experts question UMass online plans," by Hilary Burns, Boston Business Journal: "Higher education is facing an existential threat, and New England is ground zero for the challenges ahead. That's what Martin Meehan, president of the University of Massachusetts, told a crowd at the UMass Club in Boston three months ago in justifying the need to launch a new online college that would "ensure a healthy and prosperous" future for the UMass system. News of the plan to vastly expand the university's online offerings was splashed across regional and national news outlets in the days following. But in the intervening months, few details have been released to explain how the five-campus university system plans to roll out the new program. Reviews of internal university documents and interviews with senior UMass officials, faculty members and outside experts suggest that the university system's yet-to-be-named online plans remain amorphous, lacking critical details."

- "Openly Gay & First Latinx Woman Runs For Boston City Council At-Large Seat," by Chris Gilmore, The Rainbow Times: "If there is something that the mid-term elections have taught Americans is that the political arena is shifting because voters are more interested in people who bring them results, not just promises, who share similar backgrounds and intersectionalities. Those elections resulted in the highest number of LGBT people ever holding public office, including women and people of color—from various races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In Boston, Alejandra St. Guillen, isn't just another candidate. If elected, she will make history as the first Latinx woman to take a seat on the Boston City Council. Not only is she a Latina, but she meets at the intersections of many marginalized struggles and identities, which places her in a position to understand and reach more people than the average person."

- "From college accreditor, a new tool to help avoid sudden Mass. college closures," by Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: "The New England higher education accreditor announced Thursday that it will pilot a new early-warning dashboard to gauge the financial health of colleges and help avoid sudden school closures. All 72 private colleges and universities in Massachusetts, from Hampshire College to Harvard University, will participate in the one-year pilot that will probably launch in December, according to the New England Commission of Higher Education. Two for-profit Massachusetts schools will also participate. Since the abrupt collapse of Mount Ida College last year and the closings of several other small colleges in New England, the commission has been under increased pressure to more closely monitor the financial well-being of these institutions."

- "A push for political gains at Amplify conference," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "Speaking before several hundred activists gathered for the Amplify Latinx conference at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute Saturday, U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley spoke about a transformation of politics at the national level. "This transformation is being led by women of color," she said. "This transformation has nothing to do with magic or waves. If there is a wave, it's not a wave we're riding, it's a wave we're creating." Pressley's messages, that representation matters and "identity is power," echoed throughout the conference. Republican strategist Ana Navarro-Cárdenas echoed the theme of representation during her remarks at the close of the conference."

- "City Council, activists seek changes to Boston affordable housing rules," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "A City Council meeting on Monday will focus on toughening Boston's policies that require developers to build affordable housing.A hearing at 5 p.m. prompted by Councilors Michael Flaherty and Ed Flynn will focus on what's called the Inclusionary Development Policy, Boston's requirements on residential developers to provide some affordable housing with most projects. "Affordable housing is one of the biggest issues facing our city," Flynn told the Herald. The councilors said the hearing will look at making sure the policy is strictly enforced, so developers can't get around the rules."

- "Boston mayor: city can't stop 'Straight Pride Parade' over its values," by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY: "The City of Boston can't stop a much-debated "Straight Pride Parade" from taking place this summer just because people disagree with the organizers' cause, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said Thursday. In a series of tweets on the heavily criticized "Straight Pride" parade, Walsh said permits to host a public event are granted based on "operational feasibility, not based on values or endorsements of beliefs." "The City of Boston cannot deny a permit based on an organization's values," he said. Walsh, a Democrat elected in 2013, said the organizers of the 'Straight Pride Parade" don't have a permit yet, but are "working to amend their application" for permits to host a public event. He did not say what those amendments entail."

DAY IN COURT

- "Ropes, Nixon, other firms face potential disqualification in college bribery case," by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal:"Federal prosecutors are asking a judge to examine whether more than half a dozen law firms — including ones with a large Boston presence like Ropes & Gray LLP, Nixon Peabody LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP — should be disqualified from representing their clients in the massive college bribery criminal case in Boston. In a filing Thursday, the prosecutors said those law firms may have conflicts of interest with their clients. While some of those conflicts may not ultimately pose a problem, others could require the disqualification of the firms, they said, asking for a hearing into the matter."

- "Mass. State Police OT scandal: These are the troopers charged and the sentences they received; Some getting one day in prison," by Scott J. Croteau, MassLive.com: "They took an oath to uphold the law, but authorities said a group of Massachusetts State Police troopers violated the public's trust and broke the law by stealing overtime money. A total of 10 troopers were charged either in state or federal court in the state police overtime investigation. Many of those troopers have been sentenced, some receiving just one day in prison - although the time was already considered committed by the judges issuing the sentences."

- "Lawyers for indicted Newton judge want to know if promises were made to defense attorney, undocumented immigrant," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Lawyers for the Newton District Court judge and a now-retired state court officer who were indicted on obstruction of justice charges for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant escape federal detention want to know if authorities made promises to the immigrant or his defense attorney, documents show. A federal grand jury indicted Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph and Wesley MacGregor, the now-retired state court officer in late April. On Thursday, lawyers for Joseph and MacGregor made discovery evidence requests of the government."

WARREN REPORT

- "Watching Elizabeth Warren Come Alive," by Dahlia Lithwick, Slate: "The photos were all over the internet on election night of 2016. They went viral in the bad way, and they all looked something like this: Women, standing in a crowd of other women, hands over their mouths, tears on their cheeks, as they realized that Hillary Clinton had lost to Donald Trump, the man who bragged about treating women like garbage. Those photos had come immediately on the heels of the other photos, also inescapable, taken earlier that day: Women posed outside of public schools, and churches, and rec centers, wearing pantsuits and beaming into the camera with elated looks that said, I just voted for the first woman to be president of the United States! That whiplash? That immense distance between the two sets of photos, between the historic, thrilling high of the morning and the gut punch of the night that followed? It's a feeling millions of women have been processing ever since."

DATELINE D.C.

- "'It will pass the House': U.S. Rep. Richard Neal says he'll introduce resolution to stop President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexico," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Rep. Richard Neal pushed back Thursday on President Donald J. Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexican imports, calling the plan an "overreach" and vowing to introduce a resolution to stop the tariffs. "The President's proposed tariffs would hurt American workers, businesses, and consumers," Neal said in a statement. "Commandeering U.S. trade policy to influence border security is an abuse of power. If the President does declare a national emergency and attempt to put these tariffs into place, I will introduce a resolution of disapproval to stop his overreach." Neal, a Springfield Democrat and chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, delivered a keynote address at the annual meeting of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council."

- "What's Up with Chairman Richard Neal and Trump's Taxes?" by Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo: "In recent days we've been talking about the pace and strategy of Democratic investigations of President Trump. Impeach or not to impeach has taken up a lot of the discussion. We've also discussed the need to dramatically up the pace and the aggressiveness of the push, quite apart from whether or not it's labeled an impeachment inquiry. As I've been at pains to explain, when you have a recalcitrant, indeed a law-defying President, most of this quickly ends up in the courts. There the logic of legal strategy usually fits at best uneasily with the logic of politics. No one's going to be satisfied with the pace. Keeping the substance and the optics and the strategy in alignment is a complicated task."

MOULTON MATTERS

- "'F*** it': Seth Moulton explained why he revealed struggling with PTSD," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Rep. Seth Moulton says that revealing his own struggles with post-traumatic stress was a "political risk." Dating back nearly half a century, there's a well-documented history of mental health issues and rumors dogging previous presidential candidates. But in a Vice News segment Thursday shedding light on everything from Moulton's town hall preparation to his coffee habit (exactly three cups a week), the Massachusetts congressman explained why he felt it was a risk worth taking."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "JAW-DROPPER," — Globe: "Decades after murders, faceless victims no more," "GUTS, BUT NO GLORY."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Social media campaign gets respectful ear from Y officials," by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: "Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito was at the YMCA of the North Shore Thursday to introduce a new state social media-driven campaign meant to boost healthy relationships among smartphone toting kids. The RESPECTfully public awareness campaign was paid for with $500,000 in the fiscal 2019 state budget. It's a collaboration between the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence and the state Department of Public Health. RESPECTfully, which launched May 26 on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube, aims to teach kids whose social lives revolve around social media the value of trust, mutual respect, honesty, compromise and other healthy ways of interacting through a series of short videos."

- "Worcester school board cuts $20K from legal budget," by Scott O'Connell, Telegram & Gazette: "With several School Committee members promising "aggressive" cuts meant to free up money for teacher recruitment and other needs on the first day of budget deliberations Thursday afternoon, the School Committee only ended up trimming $20,000 from the proposed $421 million fiscal 2020 spending plan for the district. That amount comes out of the school department's legal consultation and settlements line item on a motion by member Brian O'Connell, who expressed concern over the category's steady climb in cost over the past few years, culminating in a $496,000 recommendation for next year."

- "Great white sharks are making their return to Cape Cod as beaches prepare emergency equipment," by Tim Jones, MassLive.com: "As the warmer weather kicks into gear, sharks have begun their migration back to the Massachusetts coast, where officials are preparing beachgoers following a fatal shark attack last year. Towns on Cape Cod have been on alert for sharks, especially great white sharks, following the death of Revere man Arthur Medici, who was attacked and killed by a shark off the Newcomb Hollow Beach shore on Sept. 15, 2018. It had been the first time anyone in Massachusetts was killed by a shark since 1936, when a swimmer was killed off Buzzards Bay in an unprovoked attack."

MEDIA MATTERS

- "NEPR staff question independence in new WGBH partnership," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "When New England Public Radio and WGBY public television announced in April that they were partnering to create a new multimedia organization, New England Public Media, both stations said it would be an "independently run organization." But the organizations recently filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to transfer of control of a station licensee, and the term sheet included in that filing has some questioning the level of control that the Boston-based WGBH — which holds the broadcast license for WGBY — will have over the new partnership."

TRANSITIONS - Boston Mayor Marty Walsh tapped William Christopher to serve as special adviser, Dion Irish as commissioner of Inspectional Services, Eneida Tavares as interim commissioner for the Elections Department, Gregory Rooney as interim commissioner of the Boston Transportation Department, and Indira Alvarez as interim commissioner for the Property Management Department.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Cambridge City Councilor Tim Toomey and Kevin Sprague .

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND - to Bill Douvris and freelance photog Joseph Prezioso, who celebrate Saturday; and state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, Kelsey Perkins, district director for Rep. Katherine Clark; and 90 West's Harry Shipps, who all celebrate Sunday.

DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Red Sox beat the Royals 7-5. The Blues beat the Bruins 2-1.

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