Cape Cod Today, SHNS: Weekly roundup - A family feud? Even good friends can have a row every once in awhile

Weekly roundup - A family feud?

Even good friends can have a row every once in awhile

ARTICLE | POLITICS | FEBRUARY 14, 2016 06:00 AM | BY MATT MURPHY, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

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Even good friends can have a row every once in awhile.

Maybe you forgot to call on their birthday, or said you'd help them move only to be too busy when it came time to load the U-Haul. Either way, it was probably only a matter of time before Gov. Charlie Baker's carefully cultivated partnership with local officials would hit a pothole, and it seemed to come this week.

King Phillip Regional School Committee member Patrick Francomano used his time with the governor on Tuesday to take issue with the administration's proposed funding in the fiscal 2017 budget for local education aid, a somewhat meager 1.6 percent increase.

"The administration's public focus is overwhelmingly on charter schools, and while our excellent vocational schools have also received your attention, the majority of public school students are not significantly helped by this budget," Francomano told Baker, continuing to suggest that some constituents are starting to consider the administration's professed commitment to public education "disingenuous."

Needless to say, Baker didn't take too kindly to the criticism, telling the group of assembled local officials that he "flat out rejected" the notion that his budget signaled a lack of interest in supporting traditional public school systems.

"I heard the word failing in there, which bothered me a bit," Baker would later tell reporters.

Democrats looking for an issue that could splinter some of the governor's rock-solid approval ratings sensed an opening. Emails sent out by the Democratic Party keyed off the comments made during the meeting as party leaders sought to drum up support for special election candidates and signatures for a petition calling for more education funding.

Officials already disappointed with the governor's proposed investment in public schools could not have been feeling any better by Friday when the governor's request for local road and bridge repair funding come through.

Baker on Friday filed a bill requesting $200 million for the annual Chapter 90 road repair program after municipal officials urged him to seek $300 million for the unmet needs they see in their communities every day. He also failed to follow through on something he said had committed to just three days prior.

The local leaders had asked the governor to fight for a multi-year road funding bill so they could better plan and execute larger projects, and even though Baker told them the Legislature was not interested in a multi-year authorization, he told reporters on Tuesday he would file a multi-year bill anyway.

He didn't.

The dust-up, however, is unlikely a harbinger of harder feelings to come. Consider that many municipals officials actually left the meeting with the governor on Tuesday to go testifying before a legislative committee hearing a portion of Baker's Christmas tree of a municipal governance improvement bill.

The governor also requested an additional $50 million on top of the Chapter 90 ask for a new program to help towns fix the 1,300 very small bridges that sit on municipally-owned roads and aren't eligible for federal assistance.

Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Geoff Beckwith said the MMA "in no way" questions Baker's support for public education. But that won't stop the MMA from lobbying lawmakers to do a little better for schools and roads this spring.

Speaking of spring, warmer days seemed a distant dream this week as snow forced the first shutdown of government offices on Monday and a bitter cold settled into the state ahead of the long-weekend that could put a chill on Valentine's Day this Sunday.

The snow-day led straight into the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday where Donald Trump trumped the competition and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered a drubbing to Hillary Clinton, the favorite of elected leaders in Massachusetts who flocked north of the border in the days leading up to voting, but could not stop the landslide.

Baker's endorsement of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie four days prior and his appearance on the stump last Saturday didn't help much either. Christie finished a disappointing sixth, and ended his campaign the next day leaving the governor once again without a horse in the race.

"I'm going to focus on my job," he said, when asked what he'll do now with the Massachusetts primary looming in three weeks. "I don't think there's going to be a second endorsement."

One might ask Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, a Clinton-backer, the same question after the Amherst Democrat sounded almost like he was having a bit of buyer's remorse this week.

After crediting Sanders with "touching a nerve" in New Hampshire that Hillary couldn't pinch because she sounded like a "traditional politician," Rosenberg joked on a local radio station that he might start unbuttoning his suit jacket, pulling his tie askew and messing up the little hair he still claims to reach the millennials.

"Here we got Bernie talking about income inequality and bringing large corporations under control and we've got Trump building walls and telling Muslims, 'Go away,' and they both have a landslide victory. What does that mean?" Rosenberg wondered aloud.

Baker's distaste for the stylings of Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz - now the frontrunners for the Republican presidential nomination - could have a little something to do with Baker wanting to renegotiate the state's federal Medicaid waiver before President Barack Obama leaves office.

Former Gov. Deval Patrick secured a new five-year deal in 2014, but that agreement worth $41.4 billion did not fund the state's safety net care pool in the final two years of the deal.

The governor's budget chief Kristen Lepore told lawmakers last week that the state's would start losing $1 billion a year in federal support starting July 1, 2017, but Baker doesn't want to wait that long and hopes to have a new deal in place by summer.

The run from the Supreme Judicial Court continued this week as justice Nan Duffly announced that she would follow her colleagues Francis Spina and Robert Cordy into retirement this summer. With two more justices approaching the mandatory retirement age next year, Baker will now have five vacancies to fill, a startling turnover at the highest court where judges enjoy lifetime appointments.

Applications will be accepted by a new, special vetting panel led by the governor's chief legal counsel Lon Povich and Judicial Nominating Commission Chair Paul Dacier through March 18, and Baker said he's looking for not just the brightest jurists, but an ethnically and geographically diverse pool of nominees.

STORY OF THE WEEK: Turnover at the SJC will give Baker a unique opportunity few saw coming so early in his term.

About the Author  »

Matt Murphy, State House News Service

Matt Murphy covers major media, lobbying firms, government agencies, political junkies as well as towns Statewide. He likes to cover politics and campaigns.

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Cape Cod Today, SHNS: What's ahead in state government this week 2/20 is New England Cheese Day

What's ahead in state government this week

2/20 is New England Cheese Day

ARTICLE | POLITICS | FEBRUARY 13, 2016 06:00 AM | BY STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

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The Legislature appears to be sticking with its annual approach to school vacation week, which is to stay away from Beacon Hill. The House and Senate have pushed four major bills into conference committees and await resolutions on all of those issues. Supporters of a solar energy bill say the industry is suffering due to the impasse over that legislation, which on Thursday will mark its third month in closed conference talks. Set back by a snowstorm this week, legislators will also restart their formal review of Gov. Charlie Baker's $39.55 billion fiscal 2017 budget proposal, with a hearing on health and human services issues and spending on Tuesday in Springfield. The House and Senate plan informal sessions only and few hearings, which will clear the way for "in the district" time for lawmakers. It also affords time for politics and campaigning. The March 1 Bay State presidential primaries are less than three weeks away, but candidates are focused on Nevada and South Carolina presently. When they shift their attention to Super Tuesday, Massachusetts may not be the first state on their travel plans. The other states holding presidential primary voting that day are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Governors will flock to Washington, D.C. next weekend where presidential politics are sure to make for good bar chatter. The winter meetings of the National Governors Association coincides with separate gatherings of the Republican and Democratic Governors Associations. Baker staff couldn't immediately say whether the governor planned to attend.

SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 2016

NINTH GOP PREZ DEBATE: Republicans presidential candidates jockeying for their party's nomination will gather for their ninth debate in the state that will hold the third contest on the road to the GOP convention. The debate, hosted by CBS News, is the first to follow the New Hampshire Primary. CBS News "Face the Nation" anchor John Dickerson will moderate the debate and will be joined by CBS News White House Correspondent Major Garrett and The Wall Street Journal's Kimberly Strassel as panelists. (Saturday, 9 p.m., Peace Center, Greenville, South Carolina)

MOULTON IN IPSWICH: Congressman Seth Moulton will hold a "Congress on Your Corner" district event at Ipswich Town Hall. Moulton and his staff will talk with constituents. (Saturday, 10 a.m., Meeting Room C, 25 Green St., Ipswich)

MOULTON IN NEWBURYPORT: Seth Moulton continues his district tour with a "Congress on Your Corner" event at Caffe Di Siena in Newburyport. The freshman congressman and his staff will take constituent questions. (Saturday, 11:30 a.m., 33 Pleasant St., Newburyport)

MOULTON IN NORTH ANDOVER: Congressman Seth Moulton rounds out his Saturday "Congress on Your Corner" tour with a stop at the North Andover Senior Center. Constituents will have the opportunity to talk with Moulton and his staff about issues with federal agencies. (Saturday, 1 p.m., 120 Main St., North Andover)

SUNDAY, FEB. 14, 2016

ANALYZING THE N.H. PRIMARY ON "KELLER": WBZ's Jon Keller welcomes back Charley Manning and Joanna Weiss on his program "Keller at Large" to discuss the results of the New Hampshire primary and it's impact on the state of the race. (Sunday, 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV Ch. 4)

PALEOLOGOS GOES "ON THE RECORD": WCVB's Ed Harding and State House Reporter Janet Wu welcome David Paleologos, director of political research at Suffolk University, on "On the Record." Paleologos will analyze the New Hampshire primary results and explain what it means for the candidates in the weeks ahead, including when Massachusetts goes to vote on Super Tuesday on March 1. (Sunday, 11 a.m., WCVB-TV Ch. 5)

MONDAY, FEB. 15, 2016

PRESIDENTS DAY: School vacation week kicks off with the joint celebration of George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays. Technically Washington's Birthday, Congress enacted it as a federal holiday in 1879. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 moved observances from Feb. 22 to the third Monday of the month. Massachusetts state law calls the day Washington's Day and provides separately for a Lincoln Day proclamation on Feb. 12. Under the Mass. General Laws, "Presidents Day" is May 29 -- John F. Kennedy's birthday -- and is set aside to the memory of the four Bay State presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Calvin Coolidge, and JFK. (Monday)

DEMS DAY OF ACTION: The Massachusetts Democratic Party is seeking to drum up support for two Democratic candidates for state representative facing Republican challengers on March 1. The party, in an email to supporters, said it needs to activate its grassroots network "if we are going to fight back against Gov. (Charlie) Baker and outside spending from his Republican allies." The party is asking supporters to volunteer to either knock on doors or make phone calls Mondayfor candidates Tom Walsh (running for the 12th Essex District seat vacated by former Rep. Leah Cole) and Stephen Hay (running for the 3rd Worcester District seat vacated by now-Fitchburg Mayor Stephen DiNatale). More information is available at www.MassDems.Org. (Monday)

PRESIDENTS DAY AT THE JFK LIBRARY: The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum hosts a Presidents Day festival with actors portraying Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson and John and Abigail Adams. The event will close out with a performance by the Harvard Din & Tonics, featuring Kennedy campaign songs. (Monday, 10 a.m., John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Columbia Point, Boston)

BUMP ON THE RADIO: Auditor Suzanne Bump is a scheduled guest on "Monday Night Talk" with Kevin Tocci and Joe Rossi. (Monday, 6:20 p.m., WATD 95.9 FM)

TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 2016

HOUSE AND SENATE: Both branches meet in informal sessions at 11 a.m.

POLITO RALLIES FOR GOP STATE COMMITTEE CANDIDATES: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and other elected officials will participate in a pre-election rally for Republican State Committee candidates Reed Hillman and Lindsay Valanzola. Hillman, a former candidate for lieutenant governor, and Valanzola, a founding member of the Wales Republican Town Committee, are among the candidates Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito have endorsed for state committee. Hillman and Valanzola are running for state committee seats in the Worcester Hampden, Hampshire Middlesex Senate district. Stephanie Fattman, Jennie Caissie, Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, Rep. Susannah Whipps-Lee, Rep. Todd Smola, Rep. Donnie Berthiaume, Rep. Paul Frost, Rep. Kim Ferguson, and Rep. Sheila Harrington are also scheduled to participate. State committee elections will take place March 1 and coincide with the Massachusetts presidential primary. (Tuesday, 4:30, Oliver Wight Tavern, Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge)

NATIONAL GRID PRESIDENT ON THE RADIO: National Grid President Marcy Reed is scheduled to talk with Dan Rea on "NightSide." (Tuesday, 9 p.m., WBZ NewsRadio 1030)

WAYS AND MEANS BUDGET HEARING: The Department of Children and Families, a focus of recent budgets including Gov. Charlie Baker's House 2, will be among the agencies under review by the House and Senate Ways and Means committees. Impeded by last week's snow, the budget-writing committees will hold their first hearing on the annual spending bill outside the State House when they visit Springfield Technical Community College. Other agencies scheduled to testify are the Office of Refugees, the Commission for the Blind, the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Rehabilitation Commission, the Department of Transitional Assistance and the Department of Youth Services. House Ways and Means Assistant Vice Chairman Benjamin Swan, of Springfield, and Sen. Benjamin Downing will chair the hearing - one of five scheduled for outside the State House. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., Springfield Technical Community College, Scibelli Hall, seventh floor, Springfield)

DISPENSARY RIBBON CUTTING: Patriot Care opens its Lowell medical marijuana dispensary, the fifth to open in Massachusetts, with a ribbon cutting. The same company plans to open dispensaries in Greenfield and Boston later this year. (Tuesday, 11 a.m., 70 Industrial Ave. East, Lowell)

EXPANDED RECYCLING BRIEFING: Sen. Michael Moore and Rep. Mark Cusack will host a seminar on a bill (H 646) they filed which seeks to expand recycling in Massachusetts by making money available to cities and towns to upgrade their recycling infrastructure, and by creating a private sector-subsidized recycling fund. Mike Parkowski from the Delaware Solid Waste Authority will present results from Delaware's implementation of a similar law. Kevin Dietly from Northbridge Environmental Management Consultants will also address attendees. (Tuesday, 11 a.m., House Members Lounge)

RESPIRATORY CARE BOARD: The Board of Respiratory Care meets with an agenda that includes discussion of draft policies on unlicensed practice and its probation practices. The board will also meet in an executive session to "evaluate the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of licensee(s)" who are requesting a change in license status. (Tuesday, 1 p.m., 239 Causeway St., 4th floor, Room 417, Boston)

WESTBOROUGH DEMOCRATS HOLD "CONVERSATION ON THE MUSLIM ISSUE": The Westborough Democratic Committee will host a meeting where they will discuss the effect of recent "anti-Muslim, anti-immigration, and anti-minority" discourse. The discussion titled "Conversation on the Muslim Issue," will be led by Nazda Alam, Chair of the Muslim Voter Registration Project. Alam was Congresswoman Katherine Clark's guest at President Barack Obama's State of the Union address in January. (Tuesday, 7 p.m., Tatnuck Bookseller, 18 Lyman Street, Westborough)

CONGRESSMAN MOULTON RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF: Congressman Seth Moulton kicks off his 2016 reelection campaign with an event at Finz Seafood in Salem. According to the invitation, the event will feature special guests, giveaways as well as appetizers and refreshments. The event is free. | RSVP and Event Information | For questions contact Jake Grader: jake@sethmoulton.com or at 781-910-4010 (Tuesday, 6 p.m., Finz Seafood and Grill, 76 Wharf Street, Salem)

HEALEY PARTICIPATES IN WINTER BASKETBALL CLINIC: Attorney General Maura Healey will play basketball with elementary and middle school students at an annual winter basketball clinic hosted by Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey. (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m., Stoughton High School Gymnasium, 232 Pearl St., Stoughton)

HEALEY GOES TO COURT IN SOMERVILLE: Attorney General Maura Healey will play basketball with female students in fourth through seventh grade at a clinic sponsored by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the Somerville Recreation Department. (Tuesday, 6 p.m., Somerville High School gymnasium, 81 Highland St., Somerville)

GREEN COMMUNITIES GRANTS: Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton, Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson and Green Communities Director Dan Knapik will join Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito to award Green Communities designation grants to central Massachusetts cities and towns. (Tuesday, 3 p.m., Holliston Town Hall, 703 Washington St., Holliston)

ROSENBERG ON MERRIMACK VALLEY AIRWAVES: Senate President Stanley Rosenberg will call in to WCAP Radio 980 AM in Lowell for an interview. (Tuesday, 7:45 a.m., 980 AM)

SENATE PRESIDENT ON HERALD RADIO: Senate President Stanley Rosenberg sits down in studio with Hillary Chabot and Jaclyn Cashman for a live interview on Boston Herald Radio. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., 70 Fargo St., Boston)

BAKER AT POZEN PRIZE CHARTER EVENT: Gov. Charlie Baker joins Secretary of Education Jim Peyser to attend the announcement of the Boston Foundation's Pozen Prize for Charter Schools finalists - Match Charter School in Boston and the Community Charter of Cambridge. The Pozen Prize, named for philanthropist Robert Pozen, is an annual award to recognize a Boston-area charter school "for sustained academic excellence," according to the Boston Foundation. The $80,000 prize will be awarded in June. (Tuesday, 12 p.m., Grand Staircase)

AUBURN COMMUNITY COMPACT: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito meets with local officials in Auburn and signs a community compact with the town. (Tuesday, 10:30 a.m., Auburn City Hall, 104 Central St., Auburn)

FRAMINGHAM AND HOLLISTON COMMUNITY COMPACTS: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito meets with local officials and signs community compacts with Framingham and Holliston. (Tuesday, 11:30 a.m., City Hall, 475 Union Ave., Framingham)

MEDFIELD COMMUNITY COMPACT SIGNING: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito meets with local officials and signs a community compact with Medfield. (Tuesday, 1:30 p.m., Town House, 459 Main St., Medfield)

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 2016

HEARING FOR OUIMET-ROOKE: The Governor's Council meets to consider the confirmation of Michele Ouimet-Rooke, Gov. Charlie Baker's nominee for a judgeship at Springfield District Court. Ouimet-Rooke, who works as a litigation attorney at the Springfield law firm Doherty, Wallace, Pillsbury & Murphy, began her legal career in 1989 as a victim/witness advocate in the Hampden County district attorney's office, a job she held for 10 years, according to her resume. She later was promoted to assistant district attorney working at Springfield District Court and then as chief prosecutor in Chicopee District Court. The eight-person elected Governor's Council will likely vote on Ouimet-Rooke's confirmation the following week. (Wednesday, 11 a.m., Room 360)

DYSLEXIA LEGISLATION BRIEFING: Decoding Dyslexia Massachusetts will hold a briefing on dyslexia legislation during its lobbying day at the State House. Rep. Alice Peisch, co-chair of the Education Committee, and Sen. Barbara L'Italien will speak. Peisch last year filed a bill (H 463) "to ensure that each student enrolled in a school district is screened for potential indicators of dyslexia or other reading disabilities." L'Italien is the sponsor of another bill (S 312) regarding children with dyslexia. Both bills have remained in the Education Committee since a hearing last June. Other speakers will include Dr. Nadine Gaab, associate professor of pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital and the Harvard Medical School and a faculty member at the Harvard Education School; and Dr. Roberto Olivardia, instructor in psychology at McLean Hospital. (Wednesday, 11 a.m., House Members' Lounge)

ROLE OF RELIGION IN POLITICS: Host Dan Rea poses the question, "What is the role of religion in politics?" on NightSide. (Wednesday, 8 p.m., WBZ NewsRadio 1030)

IS GOVERNING POSSIBLE?: Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker leads a talk titled "Is Governing Possible?" Parker, who served three terms, will discuss the interplay between governing and politics and her theory that governing is "the oldest profession." Parker will also discuss her own career arc from "lesbian activist" to a power broker. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Littauer Center, Kennedy School, Cambridge)

VETERANS SMALL BUSINESS WORKSHOP: The New England Veterans Business Outreach Center will host a pilot workshop for veterans and military spouses interested in starting their own business. Registration (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Roxbury Innovation Center, Venture Cafe, 2300 Washington St. - 2nd floor, Roxbury)

DRAPER LABS GROUNDBREAKING: Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash attends the groundbreaking ceremony for the Draper Laboratory atrium. (Wednesday, 11 a.m., Draper Laboratory, 555 Technology Sq., Cambridge)

GLOBAL BUSINESS ALLIANCE: Assistant Secretary of Business Development Nam Pham provides opening remarks at the Global Business Alliance of New England's 22nd annual International Networking Evening and Business Forum. The event will also feature a panel of 10 consuls general discussing international business trends and opportunities, and Michael Goodman, chair of UMass Dartmouth's Department of Public Policy, will give an economic outlook. (Wednesday, 6 p.m., 1 Federal St., Boston)

POLITO AT LGBT EVENT: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito offers remarks at a LGBT Business Builder Program event hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. (Wednesday, 8:15 a.m., U.S. Small Business Administration district office, 10 Causeway St., Boston)

GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council. (Wednesday, 12 p.m., Room 360)

PUBLIC EDUCATION RALLY: As part of a national day of action, students, parents and teachers organized by the Boston Education Justice Alliance will rally in front of City Hall and march to the State House to protest cuts to public education funding. The group plans to present city officials with a petition urging them to stop budget cuts in the Boston Public Schools. (Wednesday, 10 a.m., Boston City Hall)

WYNN-SUFFOLK TRADE PARTNER INFO SESSION: Wynn Everett and Suffolk Construction will hold a mandatory information event for potential project bidders on the casino-resort project. Interested trade partners will be able to ask questions of Wynn and Suffolk representatives and learn how to get pre-qualified.Registration required by end of Monday (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Everett High School, 100 Elm St., Everett)

BUMP ON 'MORNING MEETING'| Auditor Suzanne Bump talks with Hillary Chabot and Jaclyn Cashman on Boston Herald Radio's "Morning Meeting." (Wednesday, 9:30 a.m., 70 Fargo St., Boston)

ENERGY EFFICIENCY ADVISORY COUNCIL: Department of Energy Resources Commissioner Judith Judson chairs the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council. (Wednesday, 1 p.m., 100 Cambridge St., 2nd floor, Rooms B & C, Boston)

BERKSHIRE GAS HEARING: The Department of Public Utilities will hold a public hearing on the petition of The Berkshire Gas Company for approval of four-year agreement for firm liquefied natural gas service with GDF Suez Gas NA LLC. (Wednesday, 2 p.m., One South Station, 5th floor, HR C, Boston)

THURSDAY, FEB. 18, 2016

HOUSE AND SENATE: Both branches meet in informal sessions at 11 a.m.

HEALEY VISITS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER: Attorney General Maura Healey will tour Lynn Community Health Center and speak with staff about the opiate epidemic. (Thursday, 3 p.m., Lynn Community Health Center, 269 Union St., Lynn)

HEALEY KEYNOTES LGBT EVENT: Attorney General Maura Healey will deliver the keynote address at the annual North Shore Pride LGBT Professional Networking event. Healey is expected to focus her remarks on LGBT owned businesses, according to the state Democratic party. | RSVP | More Information | (Thursday, 5:45 p.m., Davensport Yacht Club Ballroom, 161 Elliot St., Danvers)

IN-HOUSE COUNSEL SEMINAR ON CHAPTER 93A: Michael Gilleran, author of "The Law of Chapter 93A," will present at a "93A University" in-house counsel seminar hosted by Burns & Levinson. The program will cover drafting of contracts to limit 93A risks. According to event organizers, Gilleran's book is "frequently cited and followed by Massachusetts courts." Registration (Thursday, 7 a.m., 125 Summer St. - 8th floor, Boston)

CONGRESSMAN LYNCH ON GREATER BOSTON: Congressman Stephen Lynch is a scheduled guest on Greater Boston with host Jim Braude. (Thursday, 7 p.m., WGBH-TV Ch. 2)

BAKER HITS THE AIRWAVES: Gov. Charlie Baker will join Boston Public Radio co-hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan as a guest for their "Ask the Governor" series. (Thursday, 12 p.m., WGBH-TV Ch. 2)

MEDWAY POWER GENERATION FACILITY HEARING: The Department of Public Utilities will hold a hearing on the petition of Exelon West Medway LLC and Exelon West Medway II LLC to construct and operate a 200-megawatt generating facility on Summer Street in Medway. (Thursday, 10 a.m., One South Station, 5th floor, HR A, Boston)

POLITO DEDHAM & NEWTON COMMUNITY COMPACT: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will attend a community compact signing for the town of Dedham and city of Newton. (Thursday, 9 a.m., 1000 Commonwealth Avenue, City Hall, Newton Centre)

POLITO COMMUNITY COMPACT SIGNING IN BRAINTREE: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will attend a community compact signing for the city of Braintree. (Thursday, 10:15 a.m., 1 John F. Kennedy Memorial Drive, Braintree)

POLITO AT COMMUNITY COMPACT SIGNING IN FOXBOROUGH AND EASTON: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends a community compact signing for the towns of Foxborough and Easton. (Thursday, 11:30 a.m., 40 South Street #1, Town Hall, Foxborough)

POLITO AT COMMUNITY COMPACT SIGNING IN ROCHESTER: Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will attend a community compact signing event in the town of Rochester. (Thursday, 2:45 p.m., Constitution Way, Town Hall, Rochester)

FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 2016

IWO JIMA COMMEMORATION: Those who survived the carnage of the Battle of Iwo Jima more than 70 years ago will be honored at a State House ceremony. The event is being hosted by the Marine Corps League Metrowest Detachment 1037. After fighting across the Pacific Ocean, the United States military wrenched the island away from Japanese forces over 36 days of a battle that killed 6,800 American and 19,000 Japanese fighters, according to the U.S. Marine Corps History Division. Iwo Jima provided the U.S. airstrips to launch attacks against Japan. A collation with lunch and refreshments in the Great Hall will follow the ceremony. (Friday, 11 a.m., Memorial Hall)

SCHOOL GARDENS CONFERENCE: The Mass. Horticultural Society will hold a "Cultivating Community in School Gardens" conference at its Elm Bank headquarters. Workshops will cover best practices for planning a school garden in the region to "endure seasons and administration changes." Other emphasized benefits will include educational value and subsequent healthy produce for schoolchildren. Schedule | Registration (Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., The Gardens at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley)

ROSENBERG ON W. MASS. TV: Senate President Stanley Rosenberg joins host Chris Collins for an interview on Frontier Community Access. (Friday, 2 p.m., 8 COnway St., South Deerfield)

ROSENBERG 'FROM THE STATE HOUSE': Senate President Stanley Rosenberg tapes an episode of "From the State House" on Greenfield Community Television. The episode is expected to air on GCTV on Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. and again on Feb. 26 at 4 p.m., according to Rosenberg's office. (Friday, 3:30 p.m., 393 Main St., Greenfield)

TRANSMISSION LINE HEARING: The Department of Public Utilities will hold a hearing on the petition for approval to construct and operate two new underground 115-kV transmission lines and new substations in the cities of Boston, Everett and Chelsea. (Friday, 10 a.m., One South Station, 5th floor, HR A, Boston)

SATURDAY, FEB. 20, 2016

GOP SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY: Republican presidential candidates will see if their impact following New Hampshire's contest and their ability to woo primary voters in South Carolina pays off Saturday. Businessman Donald Trump, the winner of the New Hampshire primary, still commands a lead in the polls and has so-called establishment candidates jockeying hard for second or third place win to help carry them into subsequent contests. The field of candidates has significantly trimmed down since the Iowa and New Hampshire contests, with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina as the latest to suspend their campaigns. Polls in South Carolina are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, according to the state's election commission. (Saturday Feb. 20th, South Carolina)

NEW ENGLAND CHEESE DAY: Local cheesemakers will gather at Russell's Garden Center for New England Cheese Day to sell their wares and offer samples. (Saturday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m., 397 Boston Post Rd., Wayland)

DEMOCRATIC NEVADA CAUCUS: While Republican presidential candidates await results in the South Carolina Primary, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will be awaiting a critical vote count of their own in the Nevada caucuses. Sen. Sanders is hoping for turnout levels like that in New Hampshire,
which helped catapult him to victory. Coming off an overwhelming loss in New Hampshire, Clinton is aiming to fend off another defeat in a state where she narrowly won the popular vote in 2008 against then Sen. Barack Obama. (Saturday Feb. 20, Nevada)

TALKING FISHING AT THE BIG E: Department of Fish and Game Commissioner George Peterson will participate in a panel discussion about the department's programs and outdoor recreational opportunities at the Springfield Sportsmen's Show at the Big E. (Saturday, Feb. 20, 2 p.m., 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield)

About the Author  »

State House News Service

The State House News Service has covered Massachusetts government news since 1911.

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Cape Cod Today, SHNS: Weekly roundup: Loyalty Trumps Baker breaks his silence, no Trump

Weekly roundup: Loyalty Trumps

Baker breaks his silence, no Trump

ARTICLE | POLITICS | FEBRUARY 7, 2016 06:00 AM | BY MATT MURPHY, STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

- See more at: http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2016/02/07/227960-Weekly-roundup-Loyalty-Trumps#sthash.YQFG1mfE.dpuf

The sidelines of history can be a lonely place.

The longer Gov. Charlie Baker insisted he cared little about national politics and was solely focused on Massachusetts, the stronger the whispers started to grow. Does the governor not care who the next president of the United of States will be?

Apparently the thought of sitting in his office about a year from now watching Donald Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz take the oath of the office was enough to get Baker off the sidelines. Baker on Friday broke his silence and endorsed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, forced by the growing concern he felt for his party after Cruz and Trump walked out of Iowa on Monday the leaders in the clubhouse.

"I think there's a certain temperament and a certain collaborative nature that's fundamental to somebody's ability to succeed in government and I question whether he has the temperament and the sense of purpose that's associated with delivering on that," Baker said of Trump.

Ditto for Cruz, who he said hasn't "demonstrated an ability to move others and to bring others along with him and to get stuff done either." Nothing, however, on surging Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and Baker would not commit to backing the Republican nominee if it's not Christie.

Essentially, Baker is looking for someone in a nominee who can play nice with others, as he has done so far with Democrats on Beacon Hill, and in Christie he feels he's found his man. Of course it couldn't have hurt that Christie pumped more than $11 million into Baker's 2014 race for governor from his perch as chair of the Republican Governors Association.

Also telling, however, was Baker's response to the question of timing in light of his past protestations to getting involved. After Iowa, Baker said he and Polito discussed the risk of appearing to lose focus on the job at-hand or angering factions within the MassGOP, but decided it was worth taking a chance. "I don't ever want to be in a position where people say you didn't have a position on something of significance and importance," he said.

With the quadrennial pilgrimage of politicos to New Hampshire in full swing, back at home House and Senate budget writers kicked off a series of hearings on Baker's $39.6 billion fiscal 2017 budget proposal.

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg tried to challenge Baker's fiscally conservative bonafides by telling lawmakers that his plan to block the deposit of $150 million in capital gains taxes into state reserves would raise "red flags" with the credit rating agencies.

But Standard and Poor's, the same agency that downgraded the state's credit outlook to negative last year over concerns about savings, appeared to give the governor some cover by reporting that Baker's budget indicated "mildly positive credit trends" by using new revenues to pay down the structural deficit and still put some money into reserves.

Supreme Judicial Court Justices Robert Cordy and Francis Spina announced their planned retirements in August. That will give Baker his first chance to put a thumbprint on the high court. At 66 and 69 respectively, Cordy's decision to leave and Spina's mandatory retirement from the bench are only the tip of the iceberg.

Appointed to the SJC by the late Gov. Paul Cellucci, Cordy wouldn't have had to retire until 2019, but justices Margot Botsford and Geraldine Hines will all have to leave before the governor's first term ends as they approach the mandatory retirement age of 70. Spina could only have hung on until November.

While much was made in the retrospective of Deval Patrick's legacy about his shaping of the court with five appointees in his eight years, Baker will get four before he even runs for re-election.

That is, of course, assuming that the legislature doesn't entertain retiring Rep. Ellen Story's proposed constitutional amendment still pending before lawmakers to raise the mandatory retirement age to 76. The Judiciary Committee gave the amendment an ought-not-pass recommendation.

Story's amendment did not come up when Senate President Stanley Rosenberg convened the Constitutional Convention Wednesday with eye toward clearing the deck for an expected vote later this year on an amendment to allow a higher income tax on millionaires.

Lawmakers made it through the first three items on the agenda and voted against proposed amendments to raise the bar of support needed to spend reserves and to use an independent redistricting panel during the next district realignment in 2020.

Legislators did not appear to be in that much of a hurry to get to the tax amendment, recessing the convention after just 90 minutes. They'll be back on April 6, less than a month before nomination signatures are due for legislators and opponents looking to unseat them.

The next day the Senate debated and unanimously passed an update to the decades old public records law aiming to make it cheaper and more predictable for citizens to access government documents.

The Senate bill, in several respects, goes further than the House with tighter timelines for public agencies to respond to requests and stronger enforcement mechanisms. This bill appears headed for another conference committee between the branches, which so far this session have a less-than-stellar track record for achieving timely compromises.

Remember Carlos Henriquez? He's back.

The disgraced former representative who was kicked out of the House by his colleagues after misdemeanor assault and battery convictions on an ex-girlfriend is seriously considering a run for his old 5th Suffolk District seat. The problem for him is that his replacement Rep. Evandro Carvalho is a popular member of the Boston delegation now who has the admiration of House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

Rep. Russell Holmes, a Mattapan Democrat who fought for Henriquez against his expulsion, even admitted that his friend's possible return to politics puts him in an awkward position. While Holmes, the leader of the Black and Latino Caucus, said he would not try to tell Henriquez what to do, he did tell the News Service he would explain the difficult position it would put people in should they have to pick sides between Henriquez and Carvalho.

The House, it seems, is a popular place these days. Henriquez wants to return and few members want to leave for the Senate. Another state representative, this time Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, took a pass on running for an open seat.

Rather than run for Sen. Benjamin Downing's open western Massachusetts seat, the Lenox Democrat said he plans to run for re-election instead.

Yes, some representatives have taken the plunge. But even more would-be-strong contenders from the House have passed on open Senate seats. Maybe Peru Democrat Rep. Paul Mark, who is considering a Senate run from the Berkshires, will break that trend.

STORY OF THE WEEK: Baker turns to fellow Springsteen fan Chris Christie to restore his faith in the Republican brand.

About the Author  »

Matt Murphy, State House News Service

Matt Murphy covers major media, lobbying firms, government agencies, political junkies as well as towns Statewide. He likes to cover politics and campaigns.

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