| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: POLL GIVES EARLY LOOK AT AG RACE — Former Boston city councilor Andrea Campbell would take an early lead in the race for state attorney general if she gets in, a new poll shows, though most voters are undecided. Campbell, who’s seriously considering a bid, garnered 31 percent support in the MassINC Polling Group survey of 504 registered voters sponsored by Policy For Progress and featured on this week’s episode of The Horse Race. Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Brookline labor attorney who kicked off her campaign earlier this week, got 3 percent. Quentin Palfrey, the 2018 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor who’s likely to enter the AG race, got 2 percent. Fifty-four percent of respondents were undecided or refused to respond; 2 percent said they would vote for an unnamed candidate. Campbell’s support was particularly strong within the bounds of Route 128, likely due to name recognition from her recent mayoral bid, pollster Steve Koczela said. Her support declined sharply outside of the I-495 belt where more respondents have not chosen a candidate. The full poll results, including other Democratic primaries, will be released Monday. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hopes her vaccine and mask mandates for businesses are only “temporary policies.” “As community positivity goes down, as we see vaccination rates go up, we want to get back to a situation at some point where people are fully free to go about their lives,” Wu said in an interview on The Horse Race. But, she cautioned, “we’re not there yet.” Wu wants to do more to address the vaccination-rate “disparities that we still see in race and income,” particularly when it comes to children, before relaxing any requirements. But she didn’t list specific targets for case, hospitalization and vaccination rates. And when it comes to the vaccine mandate for city workers, Wu’s now facing renewed legal action from several unions and a rejected impact bargaining agreement from another. Here are some non-Covid highlights from the interview, edited and condensed for length: On Mass and Cass: “I’ve been going out to the Newmarket and Mass and Cass area sometimes a couple of times a day … and things are still going very, very well. We do not have encampments, [they] have not returned. The former residents of the encampments who have been connected to low-threshold supportive housing remain in that housing. … We’ve already had people transition on from that transitional housing into permanent housing, and we’ll continue to see that happen.” On her fare-free bus pilot program : “Our chief of streets has been at the table with the MBTA as well as the FTA [to work out implementation issues]. … The free 28 bus runs through the end of February, so the hope is that we will be able to seamlessly pick up continuing that route and adding the other two routes right after that.” TODAY — Baker is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m.; state Attorney General Maura Healey joins around 1 p.m. Wu announces appointments to the Civilian Review Board and the Internal Affairs Oversight Panel at 2 p.m. at BPD headquarters. Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark talks federal aid at an 8:30 a.m. YMCA virtual roundtable and 12:30 p.m. AARP tele-town hall. Rep. Lori Trahan talks federal aid with AAA at 1:30 p.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge and state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Mike Connolly host a 10 a.m. virtual press conference in support of legislation that would establish a public bank in Massachusetts. Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com . Also, we're aware that some links may be missing from Playbook when we publish. Our engineers are working on it.
|  | BALLOT BATTLES |
| — REGISTRATION ROW: Some lawmakers are crying incumbent protection after the House left same-day voter registration out of the voting reform bill teed up for debate today. The House bill would enshrine pandemic-era mail-in voting and expand early in-person voting. But it skipped same-day registration, a major component of the VOTES Act the Senate passed last fall, infuriating activists who said the measure is already law in at least 20 other states. Same-day registration is backed by governor hopeful and state Attorney General Maura Healey and both Secretary of State Bill Galvin and his Democratic primary rival, NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan. Rep. Ayanna Pressley urged House lawmakers to “swiftly reverse course,” calling the measure “critical to boosting voter turnout, especially among Black, brown, low-income and immigrant communities.” “[House] leadership made the wrong call on this,” state Rep. Russell Holmes told me. “This to me is protecting incumbency, and I have not heard another argument. And that is antithetical to all of democracy and certainly does not help Black and brown people.” House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said “we could not come to a consensus” on same-day registration and “we’re having further conversations.” By yesterday evening, state Reps. Lindsay Sabadosa, Carmine Gentile and Nika Elugardo had all filed amendments proposing various forms of same-day voter registration. House lawmakers, including Speaker Ron Mariano, have resoundingly rejected such a measure in the past. But Sabadosa is hopeful, telling me: “In the wake of voting rights being curtailed in other states, passing same-day registration would make Massachusetts a leader in voting reform.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| — SHOW ME THE MONEY: Gov. Charlie Baker unveiled his $48.5 billion FY ‘23 budget proposal on Wednesday. Here are some of the numbers you should know: $693 million — In proposed tax breaks for renters, seniors, those with dependents and low-income workers. 234,000 — The number of low-income taxpayers Baker says could see relief by raising the income threshold to qualify for “no-tax status.” $2 million — The proposed threshold for the state’s estate tax, up from $1 million. Unlike current law, Baker would only tax dollars above that $2 million marker. Baker also wants to tax short-term capital gains at 5 percent instead of 12 percent. $591 million — In new education spending. Baker says this would “fully fund” the Student Opportunity Act and includes $485 million in additional Chapter 70 aid for schools. $115 million — For behavioral health programs including urgent care, community centers and a 24/7 helpline. $300,000 — To create a new Office of Offshore Wind. — The Boston Globe's Matt Stout and Jon Chesto break down the tax breaks: “‘The cost of just about everything is going up,’ Baker told reporters Wednesday. ‘The last two years have been pretty tough on a lot of the populations we’re looking to help here, and I’d love to see the Legislature take them seriously.’” — CommonWealth Magazine’s Shira Schoenberg reports where the money’s coming from : “Baker’s budget counts on getting money from both legalizing sports betting and allowing Lottery bettors to use their debit cards — even though neither policy has yet passed the Legislature.” — “At commutation hearing, convicted murderer said he will spend rest of life trying to make amends,” by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “During a day-long commutation hearing at the State House Wednesday, Thomas Koonce apologized for the 1987 slaying of a 24-year-old New Bedford man and told the Governor’s Council he will spend the rest of his life giving back to society in an effort to make amends.” — “Senate Bulks Up COVID Bill To $75 Mil,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “The Massachusetts Senate debated and unanimously passed the state's latest COVID-19 response bill Wednesday, embracing the same focus on testing and masks as the House did in its version of the legislation but boosting the bottom line by more than 35 percent to $75 million in spending ... by calling for masks to be distributed also to early education and care facilities, congregate care, long-term care and nursing home facilities, personal care attendants, and home health care workers.” — "Mass. needs more housing. Why not at Devens?" by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "Three north-central Massachusetts lawmakers plan to press the Baker administration to open up the sprawling Devens industrial park for more housing in a virtual meeting on Thursday with leaders of the quasi-public agency that oversees the area."
| | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| — “Massachusetts reports 7,918 new coronavirus cases, drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported 7,918 daily coronavirus cases, a 46% plunge from last Wednesday’s total of 14,647 infections. … The state’s average percent positivity is now 10.37%, significantly down from the rate of 23% earlier this month.”
| | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| — "Man Can’t Get Heart Transplant Because He’s Not Vaccinated Against COVID," by Paul Burton, WBZ: “The family says he was at the front of the line to receive a transplant but because he has not received the COVID-19 vaccination he is no longer eligible according to hospital policy.”
| | FROM THE HUB |
| — “Lydia Edwards attends Boston council, Senate meetings at the same time,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “No, no one cloned Lydia Edwards — but the city councilor and newly minted state senator was in two meetings at once as she juggles both gigs. ‘I’m magical,’ Edwards deadpanned to the Herald when asked about it. ‘No, I was prepared for this — I knew all the amendments, I read up on all of it, and I took care of it gracefully.’” — “Boston unions file appeal regarding vaccination mandate for city workforce,” by Danny McDonald and Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “Mayor Michelle Wu’s decision to require city workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 continues to stir acrimony within the ranks of the city’s first responders and beyond, with a trio of public safety unions on Wednesday renewing their legal fight against the mandate and a fourth rejecting a deal hashed out with the Wu administration to comply." — “Boston Police patrolmen union votes down vaccine agreement as tension rises ahead of enforcement,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The proposed agreement between Mayor Michelle Wu and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association went down in flames as union members ‘overwhelmingly’ voted against it just days ahead of the start of enforcement of the city’s coronavirus vaccine mandate.” — “Mostly educators of color could face termination due to vaccine mandate, Boston Teachers Union says,” by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: “Boston Public Schools, already struggling to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of its students, could lose dozens, perhaps hundreds, of educators of color when the city’s new employee vaccine mandate takes effect Monday, according to the Boston Teachers Union.” — “Handful of unmasked people disrupts Boston City Council meeting,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “In the middle of the meeting, the group of about a half-dozen people were asked by newly minted Council President Ed Flynn to don masks, which are required in City Hall amid the COVID-19 pandemic. When they refused, Flynn called a recess. … During the recess, the councilors filtered into their offices and the meeting was eventually re-started virtually via Zoom.” — “Backlash grows after Tufts announces closure of children’s hospital,” by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey and Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: “The decision to close Tufts Children’s Hospital has triggered a backlash from doctors, nurses, and families mourning the impending loss of a historic and beloved institution and worried that some sick children could lose access to critical care.”
| | ON THE STUMP |
| — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Lawrence City Councilor Pavel Payano has been endorsed for the First Essex District state Senate seat by former state Rep. Brian Dempsey, state Sen. Barry Finegold and former Haverhill mayor James Rurak, per his campaign. — “Sen. Harriette Chandler, the first woman from Worcester to be elected to state senate, will not run for reelection,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive: “Inside Worcester City Hall, where Harriette Chandler began her political career in 1991, the former Senate President said she will serve out the remainder of her term but not seek a 10th term in what she called the ‘greatest job’ she ever had.” — DOMINO EFFECT: State Rep. David LeBouef quickly issued a statement saying he’s “seriously considering” running for Chandler’s seat.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| — “T plans to add Green Line crash prevention tech a year earlier than scheduled,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “MBTA general manager Steve Poftak said on Wednesday the agency plans to speed up the implementation of technology meant to prevent crashes on the Green Line. … By transferring around $45 million from its operating budget, for day-to-day needs, to its capital budget, for longer-term projects, Poftak told MBTA board members Wednesday, the tech could be implemented a year early, in 2023.”
| | DAY IN COURT |
| — "Uber passenger paralyzed in crash sues company for $63 million," by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: “[Will] Good, 31, was left a quadriplegic in the accident. He wants his experience to be a cautionary tale and a catalyst for more oversight of the ride-hailing industry. On Tuesday, he filed a negligence lawsuit against Uber, saying it hired a risky driver with a spotty record and should have known he would put others in jeopardy.”
| | THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
| — GETTING CURIOUS: Rep. Ayanna Pressley will appear on an episode of the upcoming Netflix series Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness. A promo on Instagram teases a conversation about societal fixation on hair and looks like the sit-down interview was filmed on the Hill. — “Biden must release memo on student-debt cancellation, 85 Democrats say,” by Ayelet Sheffey, Insider: “On Wednesday, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer, along with Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Katie Porter, led 79 of their Democratic colleagues in demanding that Biden release the memo outlining his legal ability to cancel federal student debt broadly and ‘immediately’ cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower.”
| | DATELINE D.C. |
| — “Outgoing Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer's connections to Massachusetts,” by Peter Eliopoulos, WCVB: “The 83-year-old was born and raised in San Francisco, but he has multiple ties to Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, worked as a law professor there from 1967 until 1980, and he still owns a home in Cambridge.” — “Supreme Court confirmation fight to make history in 50-50 Senate,” by Marianne LeVine and Burgess Everett, POLITICO: “Democrats’ razor-thin majority will have to make history to confirm Stephen Breyer’s successor to the Supreme Court. A 50-50 Senate has never done it before. … It will be President Joe Biden’s first opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. Biden promised that he would nominate a Black woman, should an opening on the court arise, but it could take weeks before the White House names a final candidate.”
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Mud season has long caused driving headaches in Western Mass. A new proposal asks the state to look at the issue,” by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: “Many Western Massachusetts residents are well aware of what mud season does to dirt roads, but a proposal from Western Massachusetts lawmakers asks the state Legislature to take a look at the issue.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — "DAs in Massachusetts to begin sending out letters to rape survivors whose kits were never tested," by Karen Anderson and Kevin Rothstein, WCVB: "The Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory has identified nearly 6,000 rape kits that could be tested for DNA but never were, and has notified district attorneys around the state of them so their offices can begin reaching out to survivors." — “Staffing shortages are hurting sick prisoners at Norfolk prison, advocates claim,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “Prisoners and advocates report a nursing shortage and lack of a permanent medical director are affecting operations at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Norfolk, leaving high-needs prisoners with inadequate care.” — ”Despite delay, new standards commission coming online to help police the police,” by Kathy Curran, WCVB: “Accountability and transparency in law enforcement are a vital part of Massachusetts police reform, but a key new [POST] commission aimed at protecting the public from police officers who have crossed the line is facing delays. Many key jobs remain unfilled and officers' disciplinary histories haven't been sent in by many departments.” — IN MEMORIAM: “David Mugar, philanthropist who added fireworks to Boston’s July Fourth celebration, dies at 82,” by Joseph P. Kahn, Boston Globe.
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE |
| — “Rapid COVID-19 tests to be sold in New Hampshire liquor stores, governor says,” by Kirk Enstrom, WMUR: “[Gov. Chris] Sununu said the state has secured 1 million rapid tests, and the Executive Council authorized their purchase Wednesday morning. He said that within the next two weeks, he expects the tests to be available at liquor stores.”
| | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND |
| — “Seth Magaziner announces run for Congress,” by Steph Machado, Eli Sherman and Tim White, WPRI: “General Treasurer Seth Magaziner will abandon his race for governor to run in the Democratic primary for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District, his campaign announced Wednesday.” CONGRATS — to John Holdren, Woodwell Climate Research Center president emeritus and former science advisor to President Barack Obama, who will receive the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal. TRANSITIONS — Tiffany Chu is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s new chief of staff. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Anna Ornstein, Jenna Kaplan and Cherilyn Strader. Happy belated to the Boston Herald’s Amy Sokolow, who celebrated Tuesday. 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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