JUST RECEIVED TODAY...POSSIBLY DUE TO POWER OUTAGES ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH

CAMPBELL heads to IOWA — The new SUPER PAC in town — MCGOVERN’s impeachment role

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CAMPBELL HEADS TO IOWA — Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell is headed to Iowa.

Campbell is hitting the campaign trail for 2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris. The pair will attend the Liberty and Justice Celebration in Des Moines today. And then on Saturday, Campbell will head back to Boston to get out the vote before Boston voters head to the polls on Tuesday.

Campbell introduced Harris at a fundraiser in Boston earlier this fall, and then endorsed the California Senator ahead of the September debate.

"I'm proud to head to Iowa to support Kamala Harris," Campbell said in a statement. "It is not easy being a woman, especially a black woman, running for president or any office for that matter. I know this because I have lived it. "

Campbell is among several Bay State Democrats to appear on the presidential campaign trail this cycle. Attorney General Maura Healey has gone on the road in support of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for example.

One elected official who has yet to endorse is Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who has a relationship with former Vice President Joe Biden, but has also said he likes Harris and Warren. Biden is planning a visit to Massachusetts on Nov. 7, and just tapped a former Walsh aide to run his Bay State campaign operation.

FOR YOUR RADAR - I'm sitting down with Rep. Seth Moulton and former New York Rep. Chris Gibson at Northeastern University next week to talk about their military service ahead of Veterans Day. I hope you'll join us on Monday, Nov. 4 at 3:30 p.m. RSVP.

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, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Sen. Ed Markey attend a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Akamai Technologies new global headquarters in Cambridge. First Lady Lauren Baker and Rep. Seth Moulton attend the Massachusetts AmeriCorps opening day.

Rep. Joe Kennedy III attends a symposium focused on accelerating the Southeastern Massachusetts Marine Science and Technology Corridor in Dartmouth. Kennedy visits Pollard Middle School in Needham. Rep. Stephen Lynch talks impeachment and his bid to become chair of the House Intelligence Committee on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "PAC with ties to Baker getting active," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "A NEW SUPER PAC closely tied to Gov. Charlie Baker and funded by a familiar ensemble of well-heeled GOP donors has been spending heavily this fall in local elections, backing both Democrats and Republicans. The Massachusetts Majority super PAC has reported spending $267,429 to support candidates in mayor and city council races and is being led by a prominent Leominster developer, who also happens to be a major donor of the governor's."

- "Attorney General Maura Healey On Impeachment, Vaping, And The Opioid Crisis," WBUR. Link.

- "Senate chair knocks House handling of tax break," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "AT A STANDSTILL over a corporate tax break, the Legislature on Thursday recessed for the remainder of the week without completing work on a bill wrapping up budgetary matters for the fiscal year that ended in June. An arcane tax policy has become a divisive policy issue, in part because of the potential cost of the tax relief but also because debate in the House over the matter ruffled some feathers. A handful of progressive lawmakers complained that House leadership treated them shabbily as they tried to raise objections. Senate leaders are saying more debate would be worthwhile."

- "Mass. Lawmakers Weigh Ban On Menthol Cigarettes," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "As Massachusetts is putting together new regulations for the vape industry, Beacon Hill is renewing a years-old conversation about a permanent ban on all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes and vape products.Public health advocates and some lawmakers are pushing hard for new rules on vape products to include a full-out ban on menthol — vapes and combustible cigarettes — which are most popular in communities of color, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

- "'They've blurred the lines': Local retailers urge officials not to ban flavored tobacco products because of vaping illnesses," by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "Amid the onslaught of illnesses that has inspired many states to ban flavored vapes, convenience store owners across Massachusetts are pleading with local officials to not treat proposed bans on flavored cigarettes as part of the same epidemic. A bill proposed in the Massachusetts House would prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including flavored nicotine electronic cigarettes that are believed to be partially at fault for an outbreak of illnesses caused by vaping nationwide."

- "RMV's Merit Rating Board considers onboarding more staff for backlog," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "As a backlog remains of more than 12,000 work queues that could result in even more license suspensions at the RMV, the Merit Rating Board is considering bringing in more manpower to get it done. "If it can be done accurately, we want to get through the backlog as quickly as we can," Attorney General Maura Healey's appointee to the board, Glenn Kaplan, said. The Merit Rating Board, the obscure RMV division last tasked with processing out-of-state license suspensions that led to the ongoing records scandal, met Wednesday with updates on their collaboration with the Office of the Inspector General, their search for a permanent director and quality control work on the queues."

- "Mass. picks lowest-price offshore wind option," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION announced Mayflower Wind as the winner of the state's second offshore wind farm procurement, praising a proposal that the company said offered the lowest price and the least onshore investment of its three major offerings. Few details about the price or the onshore investment were revealed, but Mayflower said in its original bid that the price would be "the lowest cost offshore wind energy ever in the US." Mayflower is a joint venture of Shell New Energies and EDP Renewables."

ON THE STUMP

- "A Voter's Guide To Boston's 2019 City Council Elections," by Gabrielle Emanuel and Isaiah Thompson, WGBH News: "On Tuesday Nov. 5, Boston voters will head to the polls to elect a new class of city councilors. We've interviewed each candidate running for a challenged seat and created a voter guide to take a closer look at each competitive race. WGBH News reporters asked the candidates a series of consistent questions and compiled a summary of the issues each person highlighted as important."

- "In District 5, a debate about how to address housing issues," by Simon Rios, Dorchester Reporter: "Inside the Hyde Park campaign headquarters of Maria Esdale Farrell, supporter Dan O'Connor says there's no one better qualified than her to sit on the Boston City Council. "This is the person," O'Connor says. "Mother; children have gone to the Boston Public School system.... And that's why I want her for the next councillor." Esdale Farrell, 49, is a mother of six and an education adviser for the outgoing city councillor she's hoping to replace. But on the campaign trail, she has learned that the No. 1 issue for voters is something other than education."

FROM THE HUB

- "Echo Chamber: Boston School Committee voted unanimously on 111 agenda items," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "The Boston School Committee voted unanimously on 111 agenda items in the past year — every bit of business before the board with the sole exception of a 5-2 vote on the new superintendent, a Herald review has found. The lockstep voting pattern is prompting advocates to question whether the seven-member board is just a rubber stamp for Mayor Martin Walsh. It has also resurrected calls for the School Committee to be elected instead of appointed."

- "Out Of Town News In Harvard Square Closing For Good," CBS: "It's the end of an era in Harvard Square. Out Of Town News is closing up shop this week for good. The kiosk in Cambridge will close down Thursday. It's been in that location since 1954. Loyal customers stopped by the newsstand Tuesday to say goodbye."

- "Event guru Bryan Rafanelli reveals how he thwarted these White House party mishaps," by Olivia Vanni, Boston Herald: "Celebrity event planner Bryan Rafanelli knows how to pull off the perfect party. But to throw these seemingly effortless soirees, he confesses he's had to master the art of curtailing chaos. The Rafanelli Events maestro, who's recently released the book "A Great Party: Designing the Perfect Celebration," revealed he's prevented his fair share of crises that could have made a party not great — including a couple from his days of working at the White House for the Obamas."

PRIMARY SOURCES

- "Elizabeth Warren lauds People's Pledge as Markey stalls," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "Senator Edward J. Markey still hasn't said whether he will accept his top rival's month-old proposal to sign a so-called People's Pledge to limit outside political spending in the primary race. His colleague, Elizabeth Warren, whose endorsement Markey has loudly trumpeted, sure seems to think he should. Warren has been a big proponent of the pledge, a version of which she agreed to in her heated 2012 race with former senator Scott Brown. Asked by the Globe Wednesday whether she thinks Markey should agree to a similar pledge proposed by Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III on Sept. 25, Warren didn't straight out say yes — but she did stress how important she thinks it is."

- "Former Representative Frank Smizik & Leading Education Advocate Julie Johnson Endorse Jesse Mermell," from the Mermell campaign: "Former State Representative Frank Smizik and his wife, Julie Johnson, a longtime public education advocate, today endorsed Jesse Mermell for Congress. "Jesse has been a fierce advocate for all the progressive policies we hold dear and will be a progressive champion for the entire Fourth District in Congress," said Smizik, who served as the Brookline Representative for 18 years before retiring in January and formerly served on the Brookline School Committee and Brookline Housing Authority."

DAY IN COURT

- "State Police commander clears trooper who was forced to falsify records in 'Troopergate' scandal," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: "The leader of the State Police has formally cleared a trooper who said he was forced to falsify records to protect a judge's daughter in 2017, the first in a series of scandals that have rocked Massachusetts' largest law enforcement agency. Colonel Kerry Gilpin wrote to Trooper Ryan Sceviour that he "acted appropriately at all times during the arrest and investigation" of Alli Bibaud on charges of drunken driving and driving under the influence of drugs. Her father, Timothy Bibaud, is the first justice of Dudley District Court."

WARREN REPORT

- "Leon Cooperman Says Elizabeth Warren Ignores Charity Efforts in Vilifying Rich," by Katia Porzecanski and Bill Allison, Bloomberg: "Leon Cooperman called out Elizabeth Warren for ignoring the charitable and societal contributions made by America's wealthiest entrepreneurs, escalating his war of words with the Democratic presidential candidate. "However much it resonates with your base, your vilification of the rich is misguided, ignoring, among other things, the sources of their wealth and the substantial contributions to society which they already, unprompted by you, make," Cooperman, the son of an immigrant plumber, said in an open letter dated Oct. 30."

MOULTON MATTERS

- "The Rise and Fall of Seth Moulton's Witch Hunt Joke," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Two years ago, Seth Moulton had what was arguably the single most unambiguously clout-boosting moment of his political career, at least as such things are tallied these days, when he and/or his social media team unleashed a banger of a tweet. Here was the tweet, which came as the president was loudly dismissing the then-ongoing Mueller inquiry as a "witch hunt." "As the Representative of Salem, MA, I can confirm that this is false," he wrote.

THE PRESSLEY PARTY

- "A Conversation with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley," All Rev'd Up, WGBH News: "Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley shares her thoughts with hosts Reverend Irene Monroe and Reverend Emmett G. Price III about reparations, impeachment proceedings in DC, racial inequity, and the importance of legislating with an intersectional lens."

- "Ayanna Pressley tweets support for Katie Hill after farewell speech," by Christina Prignano, Boston Globe: "Representative Ayanna Pressley is tweeting her support of California Democrat Katie Hill, who resigned from the House of Representatives this week after explicit photos were published online without her consent and she subsequently acknowledged a relationship with a campaign staffer. Pressley tweeted encouraging words to Hill on Thursday, writing that her farewell speech was a comfort to those who have been similarly violated."

TRUMPACHUSETTS

- "Jim McGovern Opens Impeachment Vote: 'This Is a Sad Day for Our Country'" by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Before the House's big vote to formally launch a public impeachment inquiry, Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern kicked things off on a solemn note. "Madam Speaker, this is a sad day for our country," the Democrat from Worcester, who heads the House Rules Committee, said Thursday morning before a vote on a resolution setting the rules for the process for holding open hearings."

- "Mass. Delegation Helps Approve Impeachment Resolution," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "Worcester Congressman James McGovern on Thursday introduced the rules that will govern the U.S. House's impeachment inquiry, telling representatives that "there is serious evidence that President Trump may have violated our Constitution." The U.S. House voted 232-196 mostly along party lines to adopt the resolution, putting the complete House on the record regarding impeachment for the first time and marking the start of a new phase of the Democrat-led investigations into President Donald Trump."

THE CLARK CAUCUS

- "House Dem says vote will be 'solemn and sober,'" MSNBC: "Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass., is the Vice Chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus, and she discusses the first floor vote in the Trump impeachment inquiry."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

- "Massachusetts communities press Gov. Baker to make bigger share of solar, clean energy programs available to low income and working class families," State House News Service: "Saying that "significant portions" of their communities have not shared the benefits of solar and other clean energy programs, municipal officials from 27 communities are asking Gov. Charlie Baker and lawmakers to help meet the needs of their constituents. The 40 officials wrote a letter on Wednesday to Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka, flagging actions the Beacon Hill leaders can take to address their concerns."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "ECHO CHAMBER," — Globe: "An extra hour is no sleep solution," "A House divided."

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

- "Sudden Boston council pot push thwarted," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The lead sponsor of the city's proposed pot ordinance made an unsuccessful, last-minute push Wednesday for a hasty vote on a sweeping overhaul of Boston's stalled marijuana business — then backtracked. City Councilor Kim Janey, who's the author of the ordinance that would overhaul the city's regulatory restructure around pot and create an outside board to deal with licensing, sent out a news release less than two hours before the start of Wednesday's council meeting, reading "Janey Brings Cannabis Equity Ordinance to Vote," in which she called for action on her proposal."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Police: Quincy mayoral candidate threw eggs at neighbor's home," by Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger: "A Quincy woman looking to unseat Mayor Thomas Koch in next week's election was summoned to court earlier this year after police accused her of throwing eggs at two homes on her street, according to court records. Brenda Ryan, an author and researcher who is making her first run for elected office, was charged with defacing property following the incident and is due back in court for a pretrial hearing in December, according to the records. Asked Wednesday about the case, Ryan said the charge is just an "accusation" and declined to comment further."

- "Mitchell on defense after NAACP asks whether campaign racist," by Kiernan Dunlop, SouthCoast Today: "Race and issues facing black and brown communities were a focus at Tuesday's candidates night at Sgt. William Carney Academy. LaSella Hall, president of the New Bedford branch of the NAACP, saved for the end of the mayoral debate a question not often asked in New Bedford politics. "Do you believe that race and racism has played a part in this political season with regard to running for mayor?" he asked, going to challenger Tyson Moultrie, who is black, first."

- "Hoye bids farewell, expects to resign as Taunton's mayor in next couple of weeks," by Charles Winokoor, Taunton Gazette: "Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr. has not yet officially passed the torch of leadership, but on Tuesday night he made what amounted to his farewell speech to the city as its chief executive. The 50-year-old Hoye will soon be stepping down after serving nearly four two-year terms as Taunton's 49th mayor. He announced in early August that he had accepted an offer from the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker to be interim Bristol County probate court register."

Middleboro Review

Saturday, November 2, 2019

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: CAMPBELL heads to IOWA — The new SUPER PAC in town — MCGOVERN’s impeachment role

CAMPBELL heads to IOWA — The new SUPER PAC in town — MCGOVERN’s impeachment role

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