| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | Presented by The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work | CHECKING IN ON THE BOSTON MAYORAL MONEY RACE — The July numbers are in, and John Barros still isn’t making much headway. The former city economic development chief netted $48,604 in contributions last month and closed out July with $194,901 in cash on hand. That’s roughly $10,000 more than what Barros had raised and more than double what he had in the bank at this point in his 2013 mayoral bid, per Office of Campaign and Political Finance reports. But he's trailing the rest of the current field by far — and outspending them. City Councilor Andrea Campbell had the second-lowest fundraising haul last month, but her $134,504 sum is nearly three times what Barros brought in. Acting Mayor Kim Janey has the second-smallest war chest. But her $624,911 puts her in a much better position than Barros, and she out-raised the rest of the field in July with $238,558. Barros is banking on the work he’s doing on the ground to buoy him through the September preliminary, like visiting small businesses and hosting "Black and Brown Men's Roundtable” events to connect with those he believes are being overlooked in city politics. While all the major candidates have plans to tackle the public health crisis at Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, it was Barros who earlier this week brought 300 doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine to “Mass & Cass” for a free pop-up clinic with Finding Hope in God LLC and MetroWest Pharmacy. They administered about 20 doses. “I can't ask for things that I'm not willing to do. I have asked for us to hit the streets in a more present way, be down here and serve people where they are — and I’m willing to be down here,” Barros told me, adding, “The increase in infection in our city and in our country also impacts the people down here and we’ve got to be down here trying to give them vaccines to help save lives.” Yet Barros’s money shortage is striking at a time when his rivals are starting to go up on the airwaves. City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George's campaign spent $200,000 on a two-week buy for her first 30-second spot — more money than Barros has in the bank. And Campbell and City Councilor Michelle Wu are both sitting on more than $1 million they can dish out down the home stretch. One indicator of where pundits feel Barros stands in the race: When MSNBC discussed the race on "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" last night, they showed a graphic of the "top four candidates for mayor of Boston" — and Barros wasn't included. GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Gov. Charlie Baker out-raised Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito in July, the first time he’s posted a larger monthly haul than his lieutenant since last September. Baker raised $57,908 to Polito’s $34,956, per OCPF. But he still lags in cash on hand, with $533,110 compared to Polito’s $2.2 million. The GOP governor’s been ramping up fundraising recently — a push evident in both his receipts and the charges on his expense reports — and has a big soiree coming up at public-relations guru George Regan’s Cape Cod home in September. But he's still mum on whether he's running for a third term. Republican former state Rep. Geoff Diehl, who jumped in the race last month, raised $17,191 and ended July with that amount in the bank. State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz led the Democrats in fundraising with $72,884, compared to Harvard professor Danielle Allen’s $57,557 and former state Sen. Ben Downing’s $30,749. Allen has the most cash on hand with $335,527, followed by Chang-Díaz with $277,165 and Downing with $95,577. TODAY — Rep. Seth Moulton attends local events in Beverly. Rep. Lori Trahan hosts a Facebook Live on how people can access rental assistance at 11:30 a.m. Janey delivers remarks at the dedication ceremony of Clarence “Jeep” Jones Square at 2 p.m. in Roxbury. Barros joins Housing Forward MA for a candidate conversation at noon and attends a meet-and-greet at 6 p.m. in Hyde Park. THIS WEEKEND — State auditor candidate and former Transportation for Massachusetts director Chris Dempsey is this week’s guest on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m., Sunday. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com. | |
| | A message from The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work: 83% of app-based drivers in Massachusetts want to remain independent — while accessing expanded benefits. The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work is dedicated to securing flexibility, providing new benefits and guaranteeing an earnings floor for app-based drivers. Learn more, and join our advocacy for independent workers. | | |
|  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts coronavirus cases jump by more than 1,000 for first time in 3 months,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts health officials on Thursday reported more than 1,000 daily coronavirus cases, the first time the state has hit four figures for COVID-19 cases in three months as the delta variant takes over. After state health officials on Thursday reported 1,046 new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases is now 660, which is more than 10 times the 64 daily cases in late June. The last time the state reported more than 1,000 infections in one day was on May 6.” – “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe. | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Charlie Baker takes first family vacation amid the coronavirus pandemic,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker took off for California on Thursday for a rare pandemic-era trip out of state and his first family vacation since the coronavirus hit Massachusetts last year. ... The Bakers will return Wednesday evening. Baker and his wife had to cut their last family vacation — a Utah ski trip — short last March at the start of the pandemic as cases were beginning to spread.” – “Passage of Massachusetts bill rectifies loophole that left 6,300 rape kits untested,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “With the passage of HB4013, all previously untested sexual assault kits shall be tested within 180 days of the effective date of the act. Language in the legislation gives the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab the option of outsourcing testing to a private laboratory if they cannot analyze all the untested kits in their possession.” – “Galvin’s Sample Maps Irritate House Redistricting Chair,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service (paywall): “[Secretary of State William] Galvin's office has gone so far as to present communities with sample maps showing existing precinct lines and how those boundaries could be changed based on population estimates available ahead of the official release of Census data. … The secretary's involvement, however, has inflamed lingering tensions on Beacon Hill with legislative Democrats who earlier this summer chafed at Galvin's suggestion that lawmakers were trying to rewrite the rules of redistricting to protect incumbents.” – “Nonprofits slam Legislature for delaying tax breaks for charitable donations,” by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: “Last week, the Legislature once again delayed the implementation of a 2000 ballot question that was supposed to reward Bay Staters who made charitable contributions with tax breaks — and nonprofit leaders are frustrated.” | |
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| | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| – “Here come the vaccine passports,” by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe: “The Vaccination Credential Initiative (VCI), a consortium of major tech and health care companies including Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle, and the Mayo Clinic, says it’s come up with a more durable way to show genuine proof of vaccination. It’s the SMART Health Card, a national standard for digital vaccine certificates based on technology from Boston Children’s Hospital. The standard was recently finalized, and is now rolling out across the United States.” – “Young adults driving COVID-19 surge,” by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: “As a more contagious strain of COVID-19 drives up the number of cases across the state, a growing number of people getting sick are young adults. Data from the state Department of Public Health shows people ages 20 to 29 represent a majority of new COVID-19 infections — or 2,037 new cases in the past two weeks.” – “Latest VaxMillions winners named,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Donna McNulty of Billerica, a longtime employee of a small publishing and software company, is the second winner of a $1 million prize from the state’s VaxMillions lottery. … Dylan Barron of Norwood, a student going into his junior year at Blue Hills Regional Technical School, won this week’s $300,000 college scholarship.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Kim Janey backtracks on comparison to slavery, birtherism over vaccine passports,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Acting Mayor Kim Janey backtracked on her comparison of vaccine passports to slavery and former President Trump’s birther conspiracies two days after her comments ignited a firestorm and made headlines around the globe. ‘I wish I had not used those analogies because they took away from the important issue of ensuring that our vaccination and public health policies are implemented with fairness and equity,’ Janey said in a press conference Thursday in City Hall.” But City Councilor Andrea Campbell continued to criticize the acting mayor’s remarks on “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” last night when asked how Boston should combat the Delta variant. “We need to get folks vaccinated and particularly focusing on communities of color and those harder to reach communities," Campbell said. "It’s of course very unfortunate and deeply disappointing to hear our acting mayor’s recent remarks comparing pushing for vaccination and proof of vaccination to slavery. And so I’ve called that out." – “Boston plans to redirect some 911 calls to mental health workers, away from police,” by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: “The City of Boston will rely less on police officers and more on mental health workers to respond to crisis calls, under new protocols Acting Mayor Kim Janey unveiled Thursday. … The hope in amplifying the roles of mental health workers and decreasing the roles of police officers, Janey said, is to divert people in crisis from jails, courts, and emergency rooms to the proper care they need, while also freeing up police to deal with violent crimes rather than issues of mental health.” – “Boston schools superintendent continuing to work under expired license, district says,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “[BPS Superintendent Brenda] Cassellius said she’s working with DESE and plans to take the final licensing exam Aug. 14. DESE also said Thursday that state officials warned the district about the looming license lapse months ago.” – “Janey Promises Transparency, But Withholds Records Of Boston Police Officers Accused Of Misconduct,” by Ally Jarmanning, WBUR: “Going forward, [Acting Mayor Kim] Janey has repeatedly vowed to release more information about officers accused of wrongdoing. … But Janey has transparency problems of her own. Over the past four months, her administration has repeatedly withheld records on other officers accused of misconduct. That includes 13 officers who the department found committed domestic violence over the past decade. The department won’t even provide their names or say whether they remain on the force.” – “Double-dipper paid $220,000-plus working for Boston and Denver transit agencies,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: “A brazen double-dipper worked at both the MBTA and Denver’s transit agency during the height of the pandemic, earning a combined salary of $220,000-plus, Rocky Mountain State officials confirm." | |
| | A message from The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work:  
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| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| – “Janey out-raises mayoral rivals for fourth straight month as spending ramps up,” by Jasper Goodman, Boston Globe: “Acting Mayor Kim Janey raised more money than any other Boston mayoral candidate for the fourth straight month in July, outpacing her opponents in a month where every major candidate spent more than $100,000 for the first time in the race. Despite recent fund-raising success, Janey continues to trail rivals Michelle Wu, Andrea Campbell, and Annissa Essaibi George, city councilors who all had more money in the bank with just over a month to go until a preliminary election will narrow the historic field of candidates to two.” – “Mayoral candidates answer leading clergyman’s challenge about preventing gun violence,” by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: “All but one of Boston’s five mayoral candidates released statements Thursday answering the Rev. Eugene Rivers’ challenge to spell out how they would stop gun violence in the city’s poorest, predominantly black neighborhoods. City Councilor at Large Michelle Wu did not respond to the Herald’s requests for comment to Rivers’ call for specific actions she and the other candidates would take..." – “John Barros: The Boston.com interview,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Christopher Gavin, and Zipporah Osei, Boston.com: “...as a second-time candidate for Boston mayor, it’s that neighborhood-based approach, rooted in his time as a community leader, to addressing issues in a city where a few miles can make all the difference in one’s life path that [John] Barros says he would ‘lean in on’ in a way his former boss didn’t.” – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Boston City Council District 3 candidate Stephen McBride has been endorsed by United Auto Workers Region 9A, per his campaign. “With Stephen’s life experience and his unwavering focus upon the district he calls home, we know that Stephen will be a strong advocate for workers’ rights,” Beverley Brakeman, regional director for UAW Region 9A, said in a statement. | |
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| | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| Massachusetts GOP Chair Jim Lyons swung a meeting with former President Donald Trump at his Westchester, N.Y., golf club yesterday, where the two spoke about the MassGOP’s efforts to pass a voter identification law and “ensure election integrity,” Lyons told me. They didn’t delve too deep into the MassGOP’s intraparty power struggle, Lyons said. But they didn’t need to. The meeting — and the photo of Lyons, his wife and Trump that the state party blasted out to its email list — gives Lyons yet another boost with his more Trump-aligned base, which right now is enough to keep him at the party’s helm even though Trump remains deeply unpopular in the state at large. – More: “Trump ‘no fan of Charlie Baker’ tells MassGOP he may back Geoff Diehl for governor,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “MassGOP Chairman Jim Lyons met on the links with Donald Trump where the former president told him he’s ‘no fan’ of Gov. Charlie Baker and that he’d be inclined to back Geoff Diehl if the two square off in a Republican primary next year.” | | DATELINE D.C. |
| – “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka dead at 72,” by Rebecca Rainey and Tina Sfondeles, POLITICO. Trumka had pushed for Marty Walsh to become Biden’s Labor secretary. Walsh paid tribute by saying, “America’s workers lost one of their greatest champions ... He was a role model for me as a labor leader and a partner to me as a public servant. Most important, Rich was a dear friend and I will miss him.” | |
| | A message from The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work: The Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work is dedicated to securing flexibility in scheduling, providing new benefits — including healthcare stipends, paid sick time, paid family & medical leave and occupational accident insurance — and guaranteeing an earnings floor for all app-based drivers in Massachusetts.
We're banding together with drivers, community partners and elected officials to protect the flexibility and independence that drivers value, while expanding their benefits.
Learn more, and join our advocacy for independent workers. | | |
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| – “Biden proposes ambitious electric vehicle plan,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Biden administration announced a series of policy measures on Thursday designed to accelerate the country’s embrace of electric vehicles, a move that should make it easier for states like Massachusetts to meet their climate change goals." | | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| – “Why the Massachusetts cannabis industry remains primarily white and male,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “Despite launching a first-in-the-nation equity program, the cannabis industry in Massachusetts thus far is largely male and white. Data from the state Cannabis Control Commission shows that 73% of active owners, employees, executives and volunteers of cannabis establishments are white, and 64% are male. What will it take to see a more diverse group of workers? Commissioner Nurys Camargo believes key factors are passing an equity fund through the legislature, as well as more public-private partnerships.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Coca-Cola to shutter bottling plant in 2023; 319 to lose jobs,” by Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “City and state officials are seeking more information from Coca-Cola after the beverage giant announced that it would close the bottling plant at 45 Industrial Drive in summer 2023, leaving its 319 employees to find new jobs. ... The plant is the city’s largest manufacturer, its largest water customer ‘by far’ and one of its largest taxpayers...” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – "Judge halts Northeastern University’s plan to absorb California women’s college," by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: "Northeastern University’s plan to absorb a women’s college in Northern California hit a roadblock Thursday as a California judge put a halt to discussions about the struggling college’s future plans." | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “St. Vincent nurses reject hospital's 'last, best, and final' offer,” by Cyrus Moulton, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “Striking nurses rejected a ‘last, best and final’ offer by St. Vincent Hospital on Thursday evening, saying the proposal ‘fails to provide the improvements in staffing that nurses need to keep patients safe and end the strike.’” – “'One of the most challenging jobs in America': Fall River mayors say role not 'ceremonial',” by Jo C. Goode, Herald News: “After an in-house memo surfaced last week in which mayoral candidate and City Council President Cliff Ponte described the mayor's job as ‘ceremonial,’ former mayors say the job is hands-on, all-encompassing and most definitely full-time. For Carlton Viveiros, the city’s longest serving mayor, the job of Fall River mayor is absolutely ‘a 24/7’ position. ” – “Critics decry return of police to New Bedford Schools,” by Will Sennott, New Bedford Light: “When students return to classes this fall, the School Resource Officer program will continue without any substantial reforms — conflicting with recommendations of a research firm commissioned by the School Department and frustrating community advocates who feel intentionally overlooked.” CONGRATS – State Auditor Suzanne Bump’s office received the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Notable Document Award in the field of public safety. TRANSITIONS – Rob Rigo has joined communications firm J Strategies as social media and digital content manager. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Maeve Duggan, research director of the MassINC Polling Group; Rick Mikulis of Gov. Charlie Baker’s budget team; and Evan Ross, a member of the Amherst Town Council. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Scott Stossel, national editor of The Atlantic; Megan Costello, Aissa Renee Canchola, CC Leslie, and Lyndsey Wajert, who celebrate Saturday; and to Vinay Mehra, former president and CFO of the Boston Globe, who celebrates Sunday. Happy belated to Alexis Vaillancourt, who celebrated Wednesday. 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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