Is MARKEY’s seat up for grabs? — A reckoning at the RMV — No BUDGET, no problem

Jul 02, 2019

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

THE LEFT TARGETS ED MARKEY — For decades, a job as a member of Congress from Massachusetts was one of the safest around.

But in the wake of Rep. Ayanna Pressley's shock primary victoryhere in 2018, restive progressives are besieging the state's Democratic establishment, forcing a handful of veteran incumbents to keep a close eye on their left flank.

None of them are getting pressed as hard as Sen. Ed Markey , who was first elected to Congress in 1976 — when Pressley was two years old — and won his Senate seat in a 2013 special election. In an increasingly youthful and diverse party, Markey already has two lesser-known challengers — and there's speculation that there could be more.

"Given the political environment we're in, especially in Massachusetts, it makes every race a dangerous race. Some more than others, for sure. But if the people who get into the Senate race against Markey turn out to be real candidates, Markey's got a real problem," said Mary Anne Marsh, a political analyst at Dewey Square Group.

Recent polling shows Markey's support among Massachusetts Democratic and unenrolled voters is a little shakier than he would like. He has support among 44 percent of voters, but about as many voters say they are undecided about who they would vote for in a primary, according to a recent Boston Globe and Suffolk University poll.

The senator's favorability rating is an anemic 38 percent, with 25 percent of voters expressing an unfavorable view of him. More than a third of voters are either undecided (22 percent) or have never heard of him (14 percent), a bad omen for a pol who's been in Congress for more than 40 years.

"You look at that, and the fact is basically that's a Senate seat waiting for someone to take it. If a name candidate got in today, whether it's Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Attorney General Maura Healey or Mayor Marty Walsh, anybody, Ed Markey would have the race of his life in a presidential year," Marsh said.

Walsh, the mayor of Boston, says he hasn't given much thought to his next political move. Healey says she's focused on the job she has. But neither Democrat has completely ruled out a Senate run, either.

Markey isn't the only incumbent in the state's all-Democratic delegation looking over his shoulder. The well of pent-up progressive talent is also generating a handful of House primary challenges, including to longtime Reps. Richard Neal and Stephen Lynch, and four-term Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Read the rest of the story.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish on Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5. The next Massachusetts Playbook newsletter will publish on Monday, July 8.

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GROUNDBREAKING FOR CHARLIE'S BRAIN FART!

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, state Rep. Bill Straus, state Rep. Paul Schmid, state Rep. Carole Fiola, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak attend a groundbreaking for the South Coast Rail project. Baker attends a press conference on the 2019 Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Baker and Polito attend a groundbreaking for the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall in Fall River. Rep. Lori Trahan is a guest on WGBH's "Morning Edition." The Joint Committee on Education holds a hearing. Rep. Katherine Clark visits the Homestead migrant detention facility in Florida. Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigns in Nevada.

POLITICO's The Agenda: The New Moon Race issue, presented by Leidos, has landed. America is heading back to the moon, but so is everyone else. This special report brings together POLITICO's growing space expertise with pivotal industry players, including NASA chief Jim Bridenstine, to explore the stakes of the new moon race. Read the full issue now.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

HOW MANY MORE SCANDALS ON CHARLIE BAKER'S WATCH WILL MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS IGNORE?

- "In wake of deadly crash, Mass. suspends more than 500 licenses," by Matt Stout and Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "For at least 15 months, Registry of Motor Vehicles officials ignored tens of thousands of alerts that Massachusetts-licensed motorists had broken driving laws in other states — including for drunken driving and other serious infractions — and instead stuffed them, apparently unread, into mail bins inside a Quincy office building. As a result, at least 540 drivers who should have had their Massachusetts licenses suspended for driving under the influence elsewhere were allowed to stay on the road, and officials still don't know the total number of notifications that were ultimately missed, according to a still-unfolding review into the bureaucratic failures within the RMV."

- "Mass. State Leaders Unfazed By Missing July 1 Budget Deadline," by Katie Lannan and Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Massachusetts, one of just two states where the legislature has not yet finalized an annual spending plan, rang in fiscal year 2020 on Monday operating under a temporary budget while lawmakers continued negotiations. The fact that Democrats missed their July 1 deadline didn't bother Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who said extra time at the negotiating table can ultimately result in a better budget."

- "NEW TAXES TAKING EFFECT ON SHORT-TERM RENTALS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "The new tax on short-term rentals in Massachusetts kicked in on Monday, part of a 2018 law regulating lodging offered through platforms like Airbnb. The law, which Gov. Charlie Baker signed in December, extends state and local room occupancy taxes, like those levied on hotel stays, to units rented on a short-term basis, or for 31 or fewer consecutive days. While the new taxes are likely to directly affect consumer prices, units rented for 14 days or fewer in a calendar year are exempt, and the tax is not required to be collected if the total rent is less than $15 per day."

- "State looks to double cremation 'view fee,'" by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The state's chief medical examiner's office wants to double the fee it charges next of kin for it to examine a body before it's cremated, providing a potential budget boon that funeral directors worry comes on the backs of grieving loved ones. The proposal, which officials expect to put in place by August, would hike from $100 to $200 the fee the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner charges to visually inspect every body set to be cremated."

FROM THE HUB

- "MBTA Fare Hikes Ripped As Paying More For Less," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: ""Tired of paying more to get to work late?" That's how volunteer Max German pitched passersby on the Boston Common, flyers in hand protesting fare hikes for the MBTA's rail and ferry services that went into effect Monday. He was one of dozens of advocates and elected officials who fanned out across the T system during the morning commute, using the first day of the fare hikes to draw attention to their call for new forms of transportation revenue and relief for riders. The effort, spearheaded by Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu under the hashtag "#UnfairHikes," aimed to tap into frustration among commuters who on Monday began paying more for public transit despite frequent service disruptions and what T officials themselves forecast to be a summer full of delays on the Red Line because of significant damage caused by a derailment last month."

- RELATED: "Wu Calls For Overhaul To MBTA Oversight Board," by Kaitlyn Locke, WGBH News: "Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu called for more dedicated seats for municipal leaders on the MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) during an interview with Greater Boston on Monday, while reiterating her disapproval with the T fare hikes that just went into effect. Wu has been vocal in her criticism of public transit price increases since they were first proposed earlier this year, and on Monday morning she led a group of activists in protesting the fare hikes at different stations along the subway network and several commuter rail stations."

- "As Partners HealthCare rethinks its strategy, it's considering whether to change its name," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: "The name Partners HealthCare is emblazoned on buildings and vehicles, medical bills and patient records, e-mail addresses and websites. But is it the right moniker for the state's largest health care provider? As part of a corporate soul-searching process, executives at Boston-based Partners are considering ditching the name the system has used for 25 years and choosing one that they believe would better reflect the company's greatest assets — its renowned academic medical centers. One possibility, according to people with knowledge of the discussions, is Mass General Brigham Health."

- "For Many, Rick Snyder Is The Man Who Poisoned Flint. Harvard Believes He Has Lessons To Teach." by Max Larkin, WBUR: "Rick Snyder — the two-term former governor of Michigan who oversaw the emergence of the water crisis in Flint — is joining Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government as a senior fellow. But hours after the appointment was widely announced, dozens of scholars, activists and alumni pushed back online under the hashtag, "#NoSnyderFellowship" — citing the governor's oversight role as that crisis began."

- "Boston Straight Pride Parade will 'very much' go on as planned after suspicious packages were sent to organizers," by Hayley Johnson, MassLive.com: "Members of the group organizing a "Straight Pride" parade in Boston in August say they received suspicious packages at their homes in Woburn, Malden and Salisbury on Monday. Samson Racioppi, grassroots organizer with Super Happy Fun America, said he retrieved a white envelope with what felt like sand from the mail at his home in Salisbury around 1:30 p.m. He said additional envelopes were sent to the group's president, John Hugo, and vice president, Mark Sahady."

- "Learning to love the world's ugliest building," by Anthony Flint, Boston Globe Magazine: "Earlier this year, Boston City Hall was bathed in lights colored Celtic green, marking the passing of hoops impresario John Havlicek. The building was a natural choice for this glowing tribute, just as it serves so well as the terminus of championship Duck Boat parades. By day, however, the view of the building is partially blocked by the new glass-and-steel Government Center MBTA headhouse, standing nearly 40 feet tall, like someone wearing a top hat in the front row of a theater. And a recently unveiled plan to plant 100 trees on the plaza out front suggests a further impulse to somehow hide the iconic and controversial structure — as if to say this manifestation of 20th-century modern architecture, routinely placed on lists of the ugliest buildings in the world, deserves to be obscured."

- "Bigger bite at Boston's parking meters," by Taylor Pettaway, Boston Herald: "Several Boston neighborhoods saw the price at parking meters hit nearly $4 an hour Monday as the city attempts to increase parking availability, decrease congestion and raise money for transportation infrastructure. Areas affected include Back Bay and the South Boston waterfront, where it will now cost $3.75 per hour at city meters. Parking at the Fenway/Kenmore neighborhood, D Street in South Boston and Bulfinch Triangle jumps to $2.50 per hour."

- "Barbara Lee champions equality for women," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "Barbara Lee has been dubbed the Paul Revere of women, Massachusetts' noisy heralder of women's long-anticipated arrival in politics. Twenty years ago, Lee formed her eponymous Barbara Lee Family Foundation to channel her formidable energy and sizable resources into advancing women's equality in American politics (and contemporary art). Since then, her foundation has studied every female candidates' campaigns for governor, produced guides offering practical tips to women candidates, and hired pollsters and analysts to offer real-time feedback on how women candidates are doing. Now, that they're taking off, she's basking inwomen's electoral successes and leading celebrations of the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage."

ON THE STUMP

- "Hélène Vincent Endorsed by Prominent National LGBTQ+ Rights Organization," from the Vincent campaign: "Hélène Vincent Endorsed by Prominent National LGBTQ+ Rights Organization Hélène Vincent, a candidate for Boston City Council in District 8, was endorsed by Victory Fund on Tuesday. Victory Fund is the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office. "We have historic opportunities to elect LGBTQ city council candidates in Memphis, Boston and other cities across the country this cycle." said Mayor Annise Parker, President and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, in announcing their new slate of endorsees."

DAY IN COURT

- "Judge dismisses Scott Lively lawsuit against Gov. Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Republican Party," State House News Service: "A lawsuit brought by conservative Springfield pastor Scott Lively against Gov. Charlie Baker, the state Republican Party and others has been dismissed in Superior Court, resolving allegations that the party violated its neutrality rules by helping Baker during the 2018 primary. Superior Court Judge Susan Sullivan last week dismissed all claims brought by Lively, who challenged Baker for the GOP's nomination for governor last year and sued over what he saw as a violation of his rights as a candidate."

FROM THE DELEGATION

- "House delegation, including Kennedy, Pressley, Trahan, visiting migrant detention centers," by John Wagner and Mike DeBonis, Washington Post: "More than a dozen House members were visiting migrant detention centers in Texas on Monday following concerns about deplorable conditions at some facilities and a news report that Border Patrol agents made vile posts that threatened lawmakers in a secret Facebook group. The trip, organized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was scheduled to include stops in El Paso and Clint, Texas. Conditions at the Border Patrol station in Clint prompted an outcry last month after lawyers who visited the facility described scenes of sick and dirty children without their parents and inconsolable toddlers in the care of other children."

ALL ABOARD

- "Why Red Line commute is taking longer," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "YOUR RED LINE COMMUTE is taking up to 20 minutes longer these days because a team of roughly 50 MBTA employees are filling in for automatic switches and signals severely damaged during a derailment June 11 at the JFK/UMass Station. The fairly expensive human workaround runs from Fields Corner to Broadway on the Ashmont branch of the Red Line and from just north of North Quincy to Broadway on the Braintree branch of the line. Even though the workaround is confined to those stretches, the 20-minute delays there tend to ripple up and down the line."

- "Kicking the tires on transpo politics," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "IN A WIDE-RANGING discussion about the Bay State's transportation problems, former congressman Mike Capuano and Kendall Square Association CEO C.A. Webb made their case for new revenue and bold new investments in transit, while Steve Baddour, a lobbyist who previously served as Senate chair of the Transportation Committee, highlighted the plight of car commuters. In the most recent episode of the Codcast, those three, who have played a vocal role in transportation policy over the years, batted around some other proposed solutions to get people where they are going faster."

MOULTON MATTERS

- "First round debates over, Moulton says he's not out," by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: "The fact that he didn't make the cut for the Democratic National Committee's first round of presidential debates last week has not deterred U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, in his bid for the Oval Office. Moulton, a Marblehead native and Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, won't be in town for the Fourth of July holiday as he plans to make his third trip to Nevada to meet with veterans groups and continue his grassroots campaign, while also taking in the fireworks of the Henderson, Nevada, Fourth of July Celebration."

- "2020 Candidate Seth Moulton Calls Out Trump on Iran," NowThis. Link.

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "RMV FAIL," — Globe: "Partners HealthCare playing the name game," "Registry ignored thousands of alerts."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Workers begin removal of smokestack struck by lightning," by Rachel DeBerardinis, Eagle-Tribune: "Workers carefully began disassembling the old L.H. Hamel Leather Co. smokestack brick-by-brick. Meanwhile, residents of the Hamel Mill Lofts below remain displaced for fear the more than 100-foot-tall structure may topple. Bright sun beat down upon the site Monday, a contrast to the storm clouds Sunday when lightning struck the smokestack, sending a shower of brick fragments on the plaza below."

REMEMBERING DAVID STARR ... from MassLive.com: "David Starr, a nationally known editor and publisher and the longest-serving news executive in the Advance Publications Inc. newspaper group, has died. He was 96. Starr, the youngest of eight children of immigrants from Poland, was the longtime publisher and then president of The Republican. He also was the senior editor of Advance newspapers from 1966 onward and was a behind-the-scenes player in Advance Publications, which, in addition to newspapers, owns Conde Nast magazines, the American City Business Journals and other publications." Link.

SPOTTED: Sen. Ed Markey exiting an SUV near North Station and walking to the One Canal apartment building yesterday evening. Pic.

TRANSITIONS - The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund taps Clare Kelly as its new executive director.

- Heather Gamache joins Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster as a director in the firm's litigation practice.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Melwood Global's David Guarino, Josh Cahan, and U.S. Army Captain Chuck Nadd (h/t Brandt Anderson).

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