 | By Kelly Garrity |
| PROGRAMMING NOTE: We're off Monday, but will be back in your inbox Tuesday. In the meantime, send me your tips, scoops and birthdays at kgarrity@politico.com . ***CARPETBAGGER NEWTON NEBBISH IS DEPENDING ON BIG MONEYTO FUND HIM...DESPERATE! SOLE PLATFORM: ATTACKING MAYOR WU, OFFERS NO SOLUTIONS OR MEANINGLESS ONES LIKE HIS MASS & CASS SOLUTION NONSENSE! THE MONEY RACE — Josh Kraft has outraised Boston Mayor Michelle Wu since he got in the race for mayor in February, but the incumbent still has more money in her campaign coffers. Now, Kraft is dipping into his personal wealth to even the financial playing field. The former nonprofit leader is planning to put $2 million behind his mayoral bid, according to his campaign, saying in a statement that he has “never felt more optimistic” about his bid “and what lies ahead." The money would instantly put Kraft’s campaign coffers on Wu’s level. The mayor had more than $2.2 in the bank at the end of last month, after raising $798,151 since Kraft launched his campaign in February. Kraft raised $855,583 by the end of April, but ended last month with just $151,661 in the bank. ***ALL FLUFF! NO SUBSTANCE!**** While his campaign has since reached $1 million in donations, Kraft said, “a modern campaign that includes a strong and robust field organization requires more resources than I can raise in such [a] short time frame.” Kraft’s biggest expenditure so far has been on staff. According to campaign finance data, he spent nearly $103,000 on payroll in April. Wu has been running with a far slimmer staff: During the same time period, her campaign spent a bit over $14,000 on payroll.
***BIG MONEY BUYING AN ELECTION? ASK WHY!*** Keep an eye on super PAC action in the coming weeks. A PAC backing Kraft, flush with money from an array of business leaders including New Balance chair Jim Davis and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin , has already started spending on the race. The group, dubbed “Your City Your Future,” put $125,000 into digital ads. ***1199 SEIU LIVE & WORK IN BOSTON!***** And Bold Boston PAC, which boosted Wu-backed city council candidates during the 2023 election, took in $100,000 earlier this year from 1199 SEIU, one of the four unions that helped fund the group last cycle (and which endorsed her earlier this year). GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . The Senate finished up debate on its version of the FY26 budget last night, tacking on $81.1 million after three days of debate and bumping the bottom line in their budget up to $61.4 billion. Still looming over the state’s spending plan: The sweeping domestic policy package that House Republicans successfully approved Thursday morning. The package includes changes to Medicaid work requirements and clean electricity investment and production tax credits, a new round of tax cuts and hundreds of billions of dollars in funding for border security and the military. Democrats in Congress (including all members of the Massachusetts delegation ) were joined by two Republicans – Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio – in voting against the “big, beautiful bill,” that passed the House by a single vote. For now, state budget writers are still waiting to see how the rest of the debate plays out as the legislation moves to the Senate. "We will deal with the facts once we know the facts,” Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues told reporters Thursday morning. “Chair Michlewitz and I are ready to adjust if needed… but we have to assess that once we know the facts." In the meantime, there’s some serious differences state House and Senate Democrats will have to work out between themselves across the versions of FY26 budget and the supplemental surtax spending plan each chamber approved. GBH’s Katie Lannan has four things to keep an eye on as the bill makes its way to conference committee. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new Boston EMS Station at 10 a.m. in South Boston. THIS WEEKEND — Veterans Services Secretary Jon Santiago is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune is on NBC10 Boston Weekend Today at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
| | |  | EYES ON 2026 |
| ****THE MEDIA GAVE THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR CHARLIE BAKER A FREE PASS & FAILED TO REPORT SOME OF THE MASSIVE FAILURES THAT WERE LEFT TO THE INCOMING GOVERNOR - LIKE THE MBTA FIASCO! SOME OF US PAID ATTENTION...THE MEDIA DID NOT! EVEN THOSE ISSUES BROUGHT TO BAKER'S ATTENTION WERE IGNORED OR DISMISSED - LIKE THE $100,000 NO BID BATHROOM! FLUNKIES LIKE TRUMPER KENNEALY WANT TO RE-WRITE HISTORY & PRETEND THEIR CONDUCT WAS FAR SIGHTED & ABOVE REPROACH...FOOD FIGHT AMONG THE ELITISTS...BLOVIATOR LOGAN TRUPIANO OPINES WITH NO PROOF! SCRUTINIZE BOTH ARTICLES CAREFULLY - CLOSED DOOR MEETING: HE SAID! SHE SAID! OF THOSE INCIDENTS ITEMIZED: WHY DIDN'T LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ADDRESS THEM APPROPRIATELY? MIGRANT CRISIS? WE HAVE A MASSIVE HOMELESS CRISIS IN THE NATION THAT IS BEING IGNORED!
excerpt: Holly Robichaud, a strategist working for GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve, said Kennealy is “confessing that the migrant housing crisis started on his watch, was exploding predictably.” “Instead of raising the red flag publicly, he was with Maura Healey behind closed doors, at the table, advising her to do exactly what she did, which was throw more taxpayer money at the problem. The result is a costly Healey-Kennealy migrant crisis,” Robichaud said in a statement. SHOT — Mike Kennealy, Republican running for governor, says he warned Healey of shelter demand by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Kennealy, who served as housing and economic development secretary under Gov. Charlie Baker, said ‘nothing really happened’ after he offered the heads-up to Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll during a meeting inside the Attorney General’s Office the afternoon of Nov. 29, 2022.” CHASER — Mass. Democrats blast GOP’s Mike Kennealy for ‘lack of leadership’ on state shelters by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “...Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said Kennealy dropped the ball on shelter reforms when he was in charge of the state agency that largely oversaw the program.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| ***WORTH READING FOR IN DEPTH INFORMATION!***
— Why Is The Parole Board On The Governor’s Back Burner? by Jean Trounstine, HorizonMass News: “When Tina Hurley tendered her resignation as chair of the Massachusetts Parole Board on April 24, it was a shock to prisoners, activists, and the legal community, as well as to families of those seeking parole. Hurley’s resignation email to her staff and fellow board members stated her last day would be May 27, 2025, but Hurley never mentioned why she was leaving. … So far, [the Executive Office of Public Safety] has not revealed a potential new chair. There has also been no public announcement thanking Hurley for her service, as Gov. Maura Healey issued for other officials. On May 6, for example, the governor congratulated her chief counsel Paige Scott Reed in a lengthy press release about Reed’s leaving and announced her successor.” — In potential sea change, Mass. Senate votes to give local officials, not Legislature, power to set liquor license caps by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “Local officials, and not lawmakers on Beacon Hill, would be empowered to determine the number of liquor licenses distributed in their city or town under a measure the Massachusetts Senate passed Thursday, advancing what would be a sea change in how these sought-after permits are handled. The state Senate attached the proposal to its $61 million budget plan without debate or a roll call vote, in effect voting to cede a power the Legislature has wielded for decades. The vote is primed to set off a fight with House leaders, who have long opposed relinquishing a legislative authority they’ve framed as a necessary check on local government officials.” — Police use of facial recognition on the rise by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Facial recognition systems are increasingly being used by state and local law enforcement to track down criminals and thwart security threats, which is fueling calls on Beacon Hill to set limits on the controversial technology. There were at least 45 requests submitted to state police to use facial recognition to conduct searches for criminal suspects from Sept. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024, according to newly released data from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.” PAY WALL ***ICE GESTAPO TACTICS JEOPARDIZE SAFETY, HAVE BEEN ABUSIVE, WITHOUT DUE PROCESS, WITHOUT WARRANTS, KIDNAPPING PEOPLE ON THE STREETS, LACKING IDENTIFICATION, ARMED & THREATENING CHILDREN, ASSAULTED PEOPLE, BROKE INTO A HOME WITH A BATTERING RAM, DEPORTED U.S. BORN CHILDREN & MUCH ELSE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO SPEAK UP ABOUT ICE GESTAPO ABUSE!**** — Local leaders call on Healey to defend them from ‘state-sanctioned violence’ by ICE by John L. Micek, MassLive.
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— Company involved in deadly school bus crash has history of personal injury claims in Boston by John Hilliard, The Boston Globe.
Boston officials demand answers after fatal school bus crash
Boston school officials said Thursday they'll provide "a full accounting of what happened" after a school bus driver reportedly struck and killed a kindergartener last month. Lens Arthur Joseph, a student at UP Academy Dorchester, was killed after stepping off a Boston Public Schools bus on April 28, according to the district. The driver, Jean Charles, was employed by district bus contractor Transdev since May 2023. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and Boston Police Department are investigating the death. "We mourn the death of Lens Joseph and grieve with his family at this terrible time," a school district spokesperson said in a two-page fact sheet that confirmed some details of the tragic incident previously reported by The Boston Globe — including the fact that Charles was driving with an expired school bus certificate. The incident occurred at 2:43 p.m. at 107 Washington Street in Hyde Park, according to a Boston police report obtained by WBUR. The Globe reports that the collision happened shortly after Charles struck two parked cars in Mattapan. He reportedly tried to flee after striking the child but was blocked in by another driver, the Globe reported, adding that Charles was new to the route and initially missed a turn. A district spokeswoman declined to confirm or address any of those details Thursday. The report filed after the crash indicated Charles is not suspected of any drug or alcohol use, nor is he suspected of using his phone or a handheld device. He was placed on immediate leave by Transdev and resigned his post before a scheduled due process hearing Wednesday, according to information shared by the district. Meanwhile, Boston city officials Thursday called for more transparency into the investigation. "We have to fully investigate what happened and make sure that this never happens again to any child in the city," Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy told WBUR on Thursday. "It's just an unnecessary tragedy." Murphy said the fact the driver was driving with an expired certificate points to "alarming failures in oversight and accountability within our system." WBUR
| | FROM HARVARD YARD |
| ***TARGETING HARVARD WITH FALSE ACCUSATIONS, THREATS & INTIMIDATION! THE ANTI-EDUCATION ADMINSTRATION!***
— Trump administration ends Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students by Ali Bianco and Bianca Quilantan, POLITICO: “The Trump administration is halting Harvard University’s eligibility to enroll international students — the latest move in the growing pressure campaign for the university to align itself with the administration. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem notified the university on Thursday that their certification for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program is revoked, following an extensive records request from the Department of Homeland Security that DOG KILLER Noem alleges Harvard has not complied with.”
***WORTH READING!**** RELATED — Legal experts reel over Trump’s ‘brazen act’ against Harvard by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive.
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| ***BOSTON CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES TO REPLACE TANIA FERNANDES ANDERSON!*** BALLOT LOADING — A few more candidates have been certified for the busier races on Boston’s ballot since Tuesday’s deadline to turn in nomination papers. In the at-large race, both Councilor Henry Santana and Will Onuoha , who serves as assistant general counsel and director of health and safety for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission, had been certified to be on the ballot as of Thursday evening. And Wawa Bell of Roxbury will be on the ballot in the crowded District 7 race. — City Council candidates vie to replace indicted Tania Fernandes Anderson in public forum by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe.
| | | | DAY IN COURT |
| ***WORTH READING IN ITS ENTIRETY! INCOMPETENT POLITICAL HACK LINDA MCMAHON TESTIFIED BEFORE CONGRESS THAT ONLY CONGRESS COULD ELIMINATE THE DEPT. OF EDUCATION!****
— Judge blocks Trump administration from closing the Education Department by Cory Turner and Nicole Cohen, WBUR: “On Thursday, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon from carrying out Trump's executive order calling for the secretary to close the Education Department. The judge also told the administration to reinstate the roughly 1,300 Education Department employees who were told in March that they would lose their jobs as part of a sweeping reduction-in-force and ‘to restore the Department to the status quo.’”
excerpt: On Thursday, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking President Trump and U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon from carrying out Trump's executive order calling for the secretary to close the Education Department. The judge also told the administration to reinstate the roughly 1,300 Education Department employees who were told in March that they would lose their jobs as part of a sweeping reduction-in-force and "to restore the Department to the status quo." In his ruling, District Court Judge Myong J. Joun wrote, "A department without enough employees to perform statutorily mandated functions is not a department at all. This court cannot be asked to cover its eyes while the Department's employees are continuously fired and units are transferred out until the Department becomes a shell of itself." Joun also barred Trump from following through on a pledge he made in the Oval Office to move management of the entire federal student loan portfolio and the department's "special needs" programs to other federal agencies. | | FROM THE 413 |
| — Northampton school backers make final plea for more funding as mayor presents budget to City Council by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra formally introduced her $145 million fiscal year 2026 budget before the City Council Wednesday night amid the backdrop of advocates of higher school spending making one final push to prevent a likely reduction of services next year." — independent investigation into allegations of staff misconduct at Pittsfield High School will cost taxpayers more than $154,000 by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle.
excerpt: Named in the allegations, which surfaced after the arrest of Pittsfield High Dean of Students Lavante Wiggins, were: • Vice Principal Alison Shepard, who has been cleared in a DCF investigation and remains on paid administrative leave. • Wiggins, who faces federal cocaine distribution charges and is no longer employed by the district. • Dean of Students Molly West, who has returned to work after allegations against her were found to be unsupported. • Former educator Taverick “Tank” Roberson, who returned to his job at the Berkshire Family YMCA after allegations against him were found to be unsupported. • Retired English teacher Robert Barsanti, who has been sued, along with the district, by a current PHS student alleging sexual harassment. The summaries did not name any of the investigation subjects or witnesses | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| ***NEW BEDFORD POLICE NARCOTICS UNIT!**** — 2023 investigation into police narcotics unit was a few sentences long by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light. — Backdropped by demonstrators, Batista delivers State of the City speech by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: “Touting the city’s merits while also conceding shortcomings, City Manager Eric D. Batista delivered a State of the City speech that led with comments about immigration agents’ actions on Eureka Street. In front of a largely filled auditorium at the Jean McDonough Arts Center on Franklin Street and while wading through the heckling of activists throughout the length of the remarks, Batista asserted that his administration, ‘is prepared to manage the city through this, while staying true to the vision that we, as a community, have set for ourselves.’” PAY WALL — In fiery meeting, Everett mayor spars with councilors investigating his past bonuses by Stephanie Ebbert, The Boston Globe: “Everett Mayor Carlo De Maria sparred with city councilors during a fiery budget meeting Wednesday night, insisting no further action would be taken on a state investigator’s finding that he had improperly received city funds. ‘There will be no adjudicatory agency looking at this,’ DeMaria told city councilors.” — Petition calls for bullying reform after Peabody teen's suicide by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: “A petition that calls for legislators on Beacon Hill to pass stronger anti-bullying laws is garnering attention following the suicide of a Peabody teen last weekend.” PAY WALL ****FALL RIVER ZONING CHANGES!*** — Fall River changes rules to allow smaller, denser apartments. The goal: Cheaper housing by Emily Scherny, The Herald News. excerpt: The new zoning description will no longer mandate that each new unit has at least three rooms, not including hallways and a bathroom, and will not have minimum square footage requirements. Previously, units in the A-2 zone needed to be a minimum of 600 square feet, with each additional room at least 120 square feet.
Aguiar said, in the past, apartment zoning ordinances have defined a minimum square footage allowed plus the required number of rooms. “No other zoning district in the city deals with that,” Aguiar said. — Early childhood educator Kate Campbell joins Quincy School Board race by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger. — Aguiler named new Lawrence police chief by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune.
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| ****NEW HAMPSHIRE GOV. KELLY AYOTTE & LIES!**** — Ayotte signs bills aimed at banning sanctuary policies, allowing police to work with ICE by Adam Sexton, WMUR: “Gov. Kelly Ayotte backed up another campaign promise on Thursday as she signed a pair of anti-sanctuary city bills into law. Ayotte said the new laws will make New Hampshire safer, while opponents are raising concerns about civil liberties. The new laws ban local and county sanctuary policies that shield undocumented immigrants from being detained, and they also enable police to enter into their own agreements with federal officials to aid in enforcement efforts.”
HuffPost: Kelly Ayotte’s Deep Ties To Scandal-Plagued ‘Green’ Energy Firm
NHDP
KELLY AYOTTE based much of her campaign attacking MASSACHUSETTS, failing to address what she would do for NEW HAMPSHIRE.....THAT DEFINES A LOSER! NEW HAMSHIRE residents clog Massachusetts highways for BETTER PAYING JOBS! KELLY AYOTTE ignores that! NEW HAMPSHIRE funds PUBLIC EDUCATION with REAL ESTATE TAXES with predictable results - I've done voter canvassing in NEW HAMPSHIRE - the poor educational quality is STARK!
Ayotte sponsored 217 bills, including:[73] CHECK THE LINK: WIKIPEDIA
Ayotte has been named to several corporate boards of directors, including Caterpillar Inc., News Corp., BAE Systems, Boston Properties, Blink Health, Bloom Energy, and Blackstone Group.[86] Ayotte opposes increasing the minimum wage,[106] and opposes federal legislation to index the minimum wage to inflation, reflecting adjustments in the cost of living.[107] Ayotte said she supports the current federal minimum wage, but that "each state should decide what is best" when it comes to raising it.[108] In 2010, Ayotte said she was open to raising the Social Security retirement age for younger workers in an effort to avoid long-term insolvency, but does not support changes for people at or near retirement.[107][109] Ayotte opposed passage of the Employee Free Choice Act ("Card Check"), which would have amended the National Labor Relations Act to allow employees to unionize whenever the National Labor Relations Board verified that 50% of the employees had signed authorization cards, therefore bypassing a secret ballot election.[110] In 2010, when asked about climate change, Ayotte acknowledged that "there is scientific evidence that demonstrates there is some impact from human activities" but stated that "I don't think the evidence is conclusive."[116][121] She opposed both a cap-and-trade system and a carbon tax to reduce carbon emissions.[116] In 2011, she voted to limit the EPA's ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.[122] In 2012, Ayotte voted with four other Republican senators to defeat a proposal to block the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating the first federal standards regulating air pollution from power plants.[115] In 2013, she voted for a point of order opposing a carbon tax or a fee on carbon emissions.[123] Ayotte favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare),[127] and has repeatedly voted to repeal the ACA.[128] She has described the ACA as a "success tax" on successful businesses,[129] and says that the ACA drives up the costs of health care.[130] Abortion and reproductive rights[edit]In 2024, Ayotte said she supports the current New Hampshire abortion law, which permits abortion on request until 24 weeks of pregnancy.[137] Previously, she said she was pro-life except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the life of the mother.[138] She said in 2010 that Roe v. Wade should be overturned.[139][140] In 2014, she led a Republican effort to call for a vote on a bill to implement a 20-week nationwide abortion ban.[141] While in the Senate, Ayotte offered legislation to make birth control available over-the-counter without a prescription, which she argued would increase access and allow flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts to be used to purchase it.[142] She voted to shift federal funding from Planned Parenthood to other community health centers that also serve low- and middle-income women and families, but opposed an attempt to shut down the federal government over the issue.[143][144] Ayotte was given a 100% rating by National Right to Life and an 82% by the pro-life Campaign for Working Families.[98] NARAL Pro-Choice America gave her a 15% rating and pro-choice Planned Parenthood gave her a 6% rating.[98]
KELLY AYOTTE HAS BEEN ANTI-UNION....
NASRCC Endorse Joyce Craig for Governor of New Hampshire
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