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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday!
WALSH'S TOUGH MONTH — The tough headlines just keep coming for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. A member of the Zoning Board of Appeal resigned over the weekend amid a bribery scandal that has all eyes on City Hall.
Former city employee John Lynch pled guilty last month to accepting a $50,000 bribe to influence a vote on the Zoning Board of Appeal to benefit a developer. And now Craig Galvin, a member of the board, resigned over the weekend, according to a Boston Globe report.
This is the second corruption scandal under Walsh's watch in recent months, and comes after a series of negative headlines for the mayor. At the beginning of August, two City Hall officials were found guilty of extortion, or conspiracy to commit extortion, for trying to force the Boston Calling music festival to hire union labor.
There were other rough patches: "Operation Clean Sweep" in the South End, which left some furious — particularly at the image of a wheelchair being thrown away. Walsh defended the move as a way to signal to drug dealers to leave the area, and called for an increase in recovery services for people suffering from addiction or experiencing homelessness.
More recently, police and protesters clashed at a "Straight Pride" parade held in Boston at the end of August.
And that brings us back to the investigation into the Zoning Board of Appeal. The mayor has called for a review of the board's conduct, and William "Buddy" Christopher, one of Walsh's close aides, announced a leave of absence on Friday to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, according to the Globe.
Also on Friday, Walsh had tough words for Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, who disagreed with Walsh on how to handle the Zoning Board issue and said so online. Wu has also been critical of the large police presence at the Straight Pride parade, which Walsh defended. "I don't operate by tweets. You know, if Councilor Wu has an issue with that, she should call me," Walsh told the Boston Business Journal.
Aside from being a tense start to September for Walsh, the negative attention comes at a time when the mayor may be pondering his political future. Walsh is up for reelection in 2021, which isn't as far away as you think.
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 and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito celebrate the reopening of Wollaston Station, and attend a leadership meeting with state Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo. Baker speaks at the MassBio Digital Health Impact Forum. Polito attends an anniversary celebration for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Internship Challenge. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends a City Hall lighting for Hispanic Heritage Month.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "BAKER OFFERS TAX RELIEF PLAN AS REVENUES SURGE," by Michael P. Norton and Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who has been open to raising taxes, on Friday outlined a new tax relief proposal that his administration says will benefit 1 million taxpayers with dependents. In a $648 million spending bill that allocated surplus fiscal 2019 revenue, Baker is proposing to double the income tax exemption for dependents from $1,000 to $2,000. The tax break would affect taxpayers who have children or care for dependent relatives who are elderly or have a disability, and is worth about $50 per dependent, according to the administration."
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| WHAT CITY HALL IS READING |
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- "Top Walsh aide to take leave amid bribery investigation," by Tim Logan and Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "A top aide and close ally of Mayor Martin J. Walsh is taking a leave of absence amid a federal bribery investigation that has rocked City Hall, the administration announced Friday. William "Buddy" Christopher, who is the mayor's point person on the city's opioid crisis, will step down temporarily while the city's lawyers investigate prosecutors' allegations of influence-peddling at the Zoning Board of Appeal. Christopher previously spent most of the last five years overseeing the city's Inspectional Services Department, the agency that provides staffing and recommendations on permits and variances to the zoning board."
- "Walsh, Wu clash over upcoming ZBA meeting amid Boston City Hall bribery scandal," by Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal: "Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and City Councilor Michelle Wu got into a public spat this week over whether the city's Zoning Board of Appeal can conduct business-as-usual after it became embroiled in a federal bribery scandal last week. John M. Lynch, a 66-year-old Dorchester resident who until three weeks ago had been an assistant director of a division of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, last week agreed to plead guilty to a federal bribery charge and a charge of filing a false tax return."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "When the city was lawless: Recalling the Boston Police Strike of 1919," by Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe: "One hundred years ago this week, sword-waving cavalry charged into a jeering, stone-throwing crowd of 15,000 people in downtown Boston. Roaming mobs robbed bystanders and looted stores. Part-time infantry from suburbs and small Massachusetts towns fired into crowds, fixed bayonets against Bostonians, and shot eight people dead over four tumultuous days. Those spasms of violence — from today's Government Center to the streets of South Boston and Jamaica Plain — followed an overwhelming vote by Boston police on Sept. 8, 1919, to walk off the job, striking for better working conditions and the right to form a union."
- "Protest at City Hall condemns police response to Straight Pride Parade," by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: "Protesters waving flags, chanting and carrying signs in opposition to the police response at last week's Straight Pride Parade gathered at City Hall Saturday, where a series of speakers shared their experiences as counterprotesters at the parade and called for change. The Straight Pride Parade ended in the arrest of 36 people, two of whom provided statements to be read aloud at Saturday's "Shame on Marty Walsh: A response to police violence" protest of about 50 people that was organized on Facebook by the so-called Boston Anti-Nazi Network."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- "Suffolk/Globe poll finds Kennedy leading Markey in possible Senate primary matchup," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Buoyed by youth and a dynastic name, Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III would hold an immediate edge over Senator Edward J. Markey should the 38-year-old congressman launch a primary challenge to the seasoned incumbent, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll. Kennedy would lead a five-person field by 9 percentage points, 35 percent to Markey's 26 percent, according to a survey of likely 2020 Democratic primary voters conducted by the Suffolk University Political Research Center. And in a head-to-head matchup, Kennedy's advantage would grow even larger: 14 percentage points — 42 percent to 28 percent."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "US Attorney Andrew Lelling is the new sheriff in town," by Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: "If causing anxiety is a yardstick of influence, US Attorney Andrew Lelling sort of runs Boston right now. His office is in the midst of a major corruption case involving Boston City Hall, its second. The college admissions scandal is entering its penalty phase, with actress Felicity Huffman scheduled to be sentenced later this week. Embattled Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia has been indicted for the second time in less than a year. And let's not forget Judge Shelley Joseph, under indictment for allegedly helping an undocumented defendant slip away from waiting agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
- "SJC gets online sales tax case," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "The Supreme Judicial Court is set to take up a case that could determine whether certain online software companies are required to pay the state's 6.25% sales tax. In a lawsuit, Florida-based Citrix Systems Inc. argues that its online products — GoToAssist, GoToMeeting and GoToMyPC — aren't considered "tangible personal property" under state law and shouldn't be subject to the sales levy. The suit, which goes before the state's highest court Oct. 4, asks justices to reverse a 2018 decision by the state's Appellate Tax Board."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "How Elizabeth Warren Raised Big Money Before She Denounced Big Money," by Shane Goldmacher, The New York Times: "On the highest floor of the tallest building in Boston, Senator Elizabeth Warren was busy collecting big checks from some of the city's politically connected insiders. It was April 2018 and Ms. Warren, up for re-election, was at a breakfast fund-raiser hosted for her by John M. Connors Jr., one of the old-guard power brokers of Massachusetts. Soon after, Ms. Warren was in Manhattan doing the same. There would be trips to Hollywood and Silicon Valley, Martha's Vineyard and Philadelphia — all with fund-raisers on the agenda."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Washington Examiner: 'Fearlessly exposed himself to enemy fire': The only 2020 Democrat to experience combat finds it counts for little in political arena," by Emily Larsen, Washington Examiner: "It has been more than three decades since the United States elected as commander in chief a veteran who fought in combat. In 2020, that period will be extended after the only candidate who fought in battle dropped out without making a debate stage or registering above 1% in polls. Two other Democratic candidates served in uniform in a war zone — Pete Buttigieg in Afghanistan and Tulsi Gabbard in Iraq — but neither fired a weapon or themselves came under fire. President Trump avoided Vietnam service because of bone spurs, Democratic front-runner Joe Biden because of asthma."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Congressman Lynch says crowded Democratic primaries threaten party unity," by Ben Berke, Brockton Enterprise: "At an annual breakfast hosted by the Brockton Democratic City Committee, Congressman Stephen Lynch called party unity the "top priority" for Democrats in 2020 before ceding the podium to the latest Massachusetts politician to face a surprise primary challenge, U.S. Senator Ed Markey. "We're beating the heck out of each other," Lynch said of recent primary battles he believes are helping President Donald Trump's re-election efforts. "I know we've got to debate these issues, but can we do it without attacking brother and sister Democrats?" Lynch's call for party unity rang out strangely in a VFW hall packed with candidates from Brockton's crowded municipal primaries, where six candidates are running for mayor in the wake of Bill Carpenter's sudden death in July."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Local officials walk fine line in seeking marijuana pot of gold," by Susan Spencer, Telegram & Gazette: "There's big money in the burgeoning marijuana business, a fact that hasn't been lost on municipal officials around the state. The industry is dominated by multibillion-dollar, multinational players such as Curaleaf and Acreage Holdings. But local mom and pop businesses are also making inroads. In some cases, these pot shops are owned by or have business ties to elected or appointed town officials, some of whom sit on boards that oversee part of the permitting process."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "BACK AT IT!" — Globe: "KICKOFF, CELEBRATION," "Markey, Kennedy race could be costly." |
| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "We asked 100 New Hampshire insiders about the Democratic field. Here's who they favor." by Trent Spiner and Holly Otterbein, POLITICO: "Joe Biden found little mojo for his candidacy among Democratic Party insiders at their state convention here Saturday, despite leading the polls in the first-in-the-nation primary state. Dozens of state representatives, party leaders, operatives and volunteers said they weren't planning to vote for the former vice president in the nomination contest — and many publicly aired concerns about his age, energy and gender. A striking number of party activists said they were undecided as 19 presidential candidates delivered stump speeches over seven hours at the SNHU Arena, according to interviews with 100 delegates by POLITICO."
- "Beto's Rebooted Campaign Struggles To Make An Impression In Boston," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News: "Once the candidate who promised to unify a deeply polarized country, after a mass shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas left 22 people dead, O'Rourke began to look at his campaign differently. "When that AK-47 came in after he ordered it, his mom calls the police in Allen, Texas where they lived, and she asked, 'What the f**k does my son need with an AK-47?'" O'Rourke told an audience at an event in Roxbury, Massachusetts Thursday night."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "'Gentle woman with a spine of steel;' legacy of activist Frances Crowe celebrated," by Elise Linscott, MassLive.com: "Hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon at two memorial events celebrating the life and legacy of activist Frances Crowe, who passed away last month at the age of 100. Friends, admirers and elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, Mass., and state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northmapton, described Crowe as "inspiring" for her lifelong dedication to civil disobedience and fight for equal rights, environmental protection and abolishment of nuclear weapons."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "In wake of Correia's arrest, efforts underway to limit power of Fall River mayor," by Peter Jasinski, The Herald News: "As Mayor Jasiel Correia's Friday arrest has thrown local politics into upheaval, efforts are underway to reconfigure city government and limit the powers of the mayor's office. Fall River's government currently gives full executive power to the city's mayor, but a proposal being reviewed by city officials Monday would establish a new city manager position as the head of local government operations."
- "Lowell Police weigh in on teacher's arrest," by Aaron Curtis, The Lowell Sun: "The Lowell Police Superior Officers Association used a letter to express "dismay and disappointment" in the alleged conduct of a Lowell teacher accused of assaulting a cop during Boston's recent Straight Pride Parade. Weighing in on the arrest of Marisa Shea, a Daley Middle School teacher and anti-parade protester, the letter to Lowell Public School Superintendent Joel Boyd and city officials states, "the citizens of Lowell, especially the children, are entitled to more." Lowell Police Association President and police Capt. Thomas Kennedy said the purpose of the communication was to convey an opinion and not request a certain action be taken against 33-year-old Shea."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- "How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein," by Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker: "The M.I.T. Media Lab, which has been embroiled in a scandal over accepting donations from the financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, had a deeper fund-raising relationship with Epstein than it has previously acknowledged, and it attempted to conceal the extent of its contacts with him. Dozens of pages of e-mails and other documents obtained by The New Yorker reveal that, although Epstein was listed as "disqualified" in M.I.T.'s official donor database, the Media Lab continued to accept gifts from him, consulted him about the use of the funds, and, by marking his contributions as anonymous, avoided disclosing their full extent, both publicly and within the university."
TRANSITIONS - Davis Malm announced shareholder Tamsin Kaplan was selected by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly for its 2019 "Top Women of Law" list.
- Sherin and Lodgen added Joseph Wang as a partner to its Real Estate Department and Hospitality Practice Group.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: "#MApoli Breakfast Club." On this week's Horse Race podcast, Labor Day is over and it's back to business in Massachusetts politics. A possible primary race between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III is heating up, and Pat Reilly of Change Research joins the pod to discuss a recent survey that found Kennedy with a 17-point lead over Markey. In Beacon Hill news, state Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. Christine Barber break down their bill that would allow Massachusetts residents to obtain a drivers' license, regardless of immigration status. The legislation drew hundreds to a hearing at the State House. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
SPOTTED: at a fundraiser for Sen. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign at Kings in the Back Bay on Saturday ... Andrea Campbell, Sean Curran, Reverend Willie Bodrick II, Georgia Murray, Ingrid Epperly, Matt Epperly, Kate Kelly and Mark Maloney.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Steve Crawford and Emily Fitzmaurice welcomed Gavin David Crawford on Sept. 5. Crawford, a Dukakis and Deval alum, is a Democratic communications consultant. Fitzmaurice is a Karen Spilka and Patrick/Murray administration alum and serves as communications director for Voter Choice for Massachusetts. The couple met on Rep. Bill Keating's 2010 campaign.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Jim Mahoney , head of public policy at Bank of America, who celebrated Saturday. And to Shanthie Mariet D'Souza, Diedtra Henderson, Michael Pratt, Marco Romeo and Lenore Cho, who all celebrated Sunday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Michael Greenwald, who is 36; and Jason Denoncourt.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Patriots beat the Steelers 33-3. The Yankees beat the Red Sox 10-5.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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