POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Rollins’ long view

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by Associated Industries of Massachusetts With help from Anne Brandes PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook won’t publish on Monday, Jan. 17. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Until then, email lkashinsky@politico.com. ROLLINS HOLDS COURT — Out with the decline-to-prosecute list. In with the new prosecutorial purview. Rachael Rollins wants to tackle human and drug trafficking, violent crime and health care fraud as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. Her controversial list of 15 low-level crimes isn’t coming with her to her new gig — she’s carrying out the Justice Department’s priorities now. But Rollins says her progressive policies as Suffolk district attorney were a “proof of concept” that she wants to “bring to the rest of the commonwealth.” As she settles into another high-profile gig, Rollins stresses she’s “not searching for headlines” and that one of the biggest misconceptions about her is that “victims aren’t at the center of everything that I’m doing.” Rollins also said she feels “safe” despite the threats she’s received. Here are excerpts from Rollins’ media roundtable yesterday, edited for length: On her priorities: “We are going to continue to be a national leader in white collar crime, health care fraud. We are going to continue to do exceptional work with respect to counter-terrorism. I’d also like us to focus a lot on human trafficking.” On her decline-to-prosecute list: “There’s no list as U.S. attorney. … We were thoughtful when I was DA about, ‘How are we going to look at crime differently? … [Now] we are going to prioritize the things that the attorney general of the United States prioritizes.” On her new regional purview: “We have the vantage point of the entire state, New England, and then the United States and globally, at times. We just have so much more ability to impact players and to make systemic, seismic changes.” Rachael Rollins, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, appears at a media roundtable on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Secretary of State Bill Galvin has a couple things he wants to cross off his checklist before revealing whether he’ll seek another term. Galvin wants to see the state’s September primary date set and mail-in voting restored. He’s asking the Legislature to approve the first Tuesday in September as the primary date to give his office enough time to get ballots to military and overseas voters. But looming deadlines could force his hand. The state Democratic caucuses start Feb. 4. And the state committee is likely to set Jan. 28 as the date by which candidates have to notify the party that they intend to run for office. If they don’t, candidates have to collect 500 delegate signatures by a later date. If Galvin runs, he could face NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan and Republican Rayla Campbell. “I believe I still have work to do,” Galvin told Playbook. “Never have our elections been under greater stress than they are now. … My record of elections, the pandemic record turnout, I think we’ve shown we can do it.” TODAY — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appears on the “Notorious in the Morning” radio show at 8:30 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren joins the Poor People’s Campaign “National Call For Moral Revival” press conference at 10 a.m. Rep. Jim McGovern and Worcester officials announce a new American Rescue Plan investment at Union Station at 11 a.m. Rep. Seth Moulton visits Swampscott at 1 p.m. THIS WEEKEND — Boston City Council President Ed Flynn talks vaccinations and working with the Wu administration on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Rollins is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.   A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts: The 2022 State of Massachusetts Business Address will look at all the challenges and opportunities that employers face at the dawn of a new year. Join us as AIM President and CEO, John Regan, summarizes the Massachusetts business economy in 2021, comments on what it will mean for 2022, and gets feedback from some of the region’s top business executives. Register here   THE LATEST NUMBERS — “Massachusetts reports drop in new coronavirus cases, almost 50,000 cases reported in K-12 schools,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “K-12 schools reported a staggering 48,414 infections in the last week amid the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant. Thursday’s daily count of 18,721 new virus cases was significantly down from last Thursday’s report of 24,570 infections, which was the third highest day ever. … The average percent positivity is now 20.34 percent.” — “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe. DATELINE BEACON HILL — SAVE THE DATE: Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards will be sworn in as state senator for the First Suffolk and Middlesex District at noon on Thursday, bringing the Senate back to a full 40 members. — “Mass. lawmakers again consider waiving ID fees for people experiencing homelessness,” by Jack Mitchell and Dave Faneuf, WBUR: “A bill making it easier for people experiencing homelessness to get a Massachusetts identification card is once again moving forward on Beacon Hill. Legislation sponsored by Worcester Democratic Sen. Harriette Chandler would waive any fees associated with applying for an ID. Applicants would still be expected to provide proof of residence from a homeless service provider or other agency. The state Senate unanimously passed the bill Thursday. It now goes to the House for review, where it has failed in the past.” — SHOT: “Report says millionaires tax would raise $1.3 billion,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “A new report released by an independent think tank found that passing the so-called 'millionaires tax' would raise an estimated $1.3 billion annually beginning in 2023. The number is lower than some previous estimates and assumes that around 500 high-income families would move out of state.” — CHASER: Opponents warn the new tax could cost Bay Staters 9,000 jobs and “drive out up to 4,000 high-earning families at a time when Massachusetts is already ‘flush with cash,’” reports the Boston Herald’s Erin Tiernan. VAX-ACHUSETTS — “Under fire from lawmakers, Gov. Charlie Baker pours new funding into COVID vaccination efforts,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “Two days after Beacon Hill lawmakers grilled Gov. Charlie Baker about increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates across Massachusetts and overcoming stark racial disparities amid the omicron-induced surge, his administration on Thursday announced $13.5 million in new funding. The money, part of the Massachusetts Vaccine Equity Initiative, is earmarked for community organizations in cities and towns disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus.” — “Some top Mass. lawmakers say the entire state should require proof of vaccination for certain indoor venues,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “[A] small but growing number of the most influential Democratic elected officials in Massachusetts say all of the state’s 351 cities and towns should have a vaccine requirement for certain indoor venues.” — “Center for COVID Control to pause testing to better train staff after Massachusetts DPH recommends public avoid facilities,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive: “The Center for COVID Control announced it is pausing testing at its sites through Jan. 22 after it received a cease and desist letter from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Thursday.” — “Some members express skepticism as Northampton health board debates vax passport,” by Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Several board members expressed skepticism that such a requirement would reduce transmission of the coronavirus, and Public Health Director Merridith O’Leary said ‘we don’t have the data’ to show a specific connection between indoor businesses and COVID-19 transmission.” — “County jails hit by COVID outbreaks,” by Brian Steele, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Jails throughout the Pioneer Valley are coping with outbreaks of COVID-19 among their inmate and detainee populations, as well as staff, but so far ... no local sheriff departments have reported serious illness, hospitalization or death in their facilities.”   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     FROM THE HUB — “Will Boston’s vaccine requirement for certain indoor venues eventually require boosters? Here’s what Michelle Wu said,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “During a WBUR appearance Thursday afternoon, [Boston Mayor Michelle] Wu said the city is following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of ‘fully vaccinated,’ noting that ‘as of right now’ it does not include boosters.” LISTEN: To Wu’s full segment on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.” — “‘Mission impossible’: With Boston’s proof-of-vaccination mandate set to begin, businesses worry,” by Anissa Gardizy, Boston Globe: “[W]ith the rules set to take effect Saturday, some retailers say the mandate is starting to feel like yet another COVID-related burden on the backs of businesses the pandemic has hurt the most. Some are even scaling back their operations in response.” — “BPS Students Plan Walkout to Call for Temporary Return to Remote Learning,” by Abbey Niezgoda, NBC10 Boston: “A group of Boston Public School students is planning a walkout Friday over COVID safety concerns, calling for a temporary return to remote learning. They also want more COVID-19 safety protocols to be in place.” — “Open-window mandate forces Boston Public Schools students and teachers to bundle up,” by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: “‘Good morning families,’ one school wrote to parents before their children headed off to class. ‘It is still very cold. Remember the windows in our classrooms have to be open. I suggest layering your child’s clothes.’” — “After tent encampments are cleared at Mass. and Cass, need for long-term solution remains clear,” by Sahar Fatima and Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: “A day after crews dismantled the sprawling homeless encampments at Mass. and Cass, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said more than 150 people who had been living on the streets in the bitter cold had been moved into transitional housing, while cautioning that addressing the root causes of the crisis would be a long-term effort. … Yet the troubled area at the edge of the South End remained a magnet for vagrancy and drug use, as dozens of people, many of them appearing high, milled outside a homeless shelter on Southampton Street throughout the day.” ON THE STUMP — GETTING IN: Methuen City Council Vice Chair Eunice Zeigler is running for the First Essex state Senate district and will hold a virtual launch concert on Feb. 3. Zeigler, the daughter of Haitian immigrants who has a background in municipal finance, said back in December she was eyeing a bid for the district that includes Lawrence, Methuen and a part of Haverhill. — FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll has been endorsed for lieutenant governor by OPEIU Local 453, the second-largest union at the MBTA, per her campaign. — ENDORSEMENT ALERT: The Boston Carmen’s Union Local 589 and MBTA Inspectors Union Local 600 have endorsed state Sen. Diana DiZoglio for state auditor. — “What kind of prosecutors do Massachusetts voters want? DA races raise profound questions about a powerful position,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The contests have the potential to push district attorney’s races long considered down-ballot afterthoughts to the political forefront. The burst in attention is owed, in part, to the wave of calls for criminal justice reform and the growing movement to help realize them by electing candidates with bold, liberal platforms for offices historically led by more traditional prosecutors. … Not all are convinced more voters are hungry for such a shift.” — "Moderates once dominated the Mass. GOP. Now they're struggling to find a candidate for governor," by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: "One name that has emerged is Chris Doughty, an investor and partner with Capstan Industries, which produces precision metal parts in Wrentham. Doughty, who comes from Utah and attended Harvard Business School, did not respond to a WBUR inquiry. But there are a number of recently registered web domains with his name, including 'Doughty-for-Mass.com.'" PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Boston is getting more propane school buses to combat pollution. They aren’t the cleanest option.,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will spend $350,000 on 12 propane-powered school buses for Boston at a time when the state’s climate plan calls for a rapid shift away from fossil fuels in transportation.” — “Railroad OKs New York City to Pittsfield passenger service in summer 2022,” by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: “The railroad that owns tracks on the proposed Berkshire Flyer route has agreed to allow Amtrak to operate New York City to Pittsfield passenger service this summer.”   A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts:     HEALEY WATCH — “Navient will repay Mass. student borrowers $43.2m,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Massachusetts student loan borrowers whose private loans were serviced by Navient will get $41 million of those loans forgiven, under a national settlement announced Thursday by Attorney General Maura Healey. The $41 million will go to 1,523 borrowers who obtained private loans through Navient, providing relief that Healey said could be tens of thousands of dollars for some borrowers. Massachusetts will also get another $6 million in the settlement.” — “Ex-homeless shelter head agrees to pay state $6 million to settle allegations he pocketed state housing funds,” by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: “The longtime head of the state’s only homeless shelter with an almost entirely Spanish-speaking staff has agreed to pay $6 million to settle a civil suit brought by Attorney General Maura Healey, who charged him with pocketing millions of dollars that were supposed to help homeless people.” DAY IN COURT — “Superior Court Judge Jeffrey A. Locke named chief justice of state Trial Court,” by Jeremy C. Fox, Boston Globe: “A longtime Superior Court judge who presided over the Aaron Hernandez trial for double homicide has been appointed chief justice of the state Trial Court, replacing Paula M. Carey, who announced her retirement in October, officials said Thursday.”   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.     DATELINE D.C. — “‘We’re gonna fight’: Ed Markey lays out the case for abolishing the filibuster to protect voting rights,” by Marta Hill, Boston.com: “Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Cori Bush joined together to host a Twitter Spaces event Jan. 13 calling for abolishing the filibuster in order to protect voting rights. … Abolishing the filibuster would clear a path for both the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.” — “SCOTUS blocks Biden’s workplace vaccine rule,” by Eleanor Mueller and Josh Gerstein, POLITICO: “But the justices ruled that a separate federal policy requiring many health care workers to be vaccinated could move forward.” — “Biden administration will double at-home Covid test order as it readies public rollout,” by Nick Niedzwiadek, POLITICO. THE CLARK CAUCUS — “The politics of going gray,” by Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark via WBUR: “America has been led almost exclusively by gray-haired men for more than two and half centuries. But as a woman, my career seemed to be hanging in the balance because I was going natural." KENNEDY COMPOUND — “Newsom denies parole of RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan,” by Jeremy B. White, POLITICO: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom has blocked the release from prison of Robert Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan, whose fatal shots half a century ago rocked America and redirected history. The Democratic governor said he had determined that Sirhan posed too great a threat to public safety, citing Sirhan’s declining to accept responsibility for the crime or to renounce violence.” — More: “Read the statement from RFK’s widow and 6 children on the decision not to release Sirhan Sirhan,” via the Boston Globe.   A message from Associated Industries of Massachusetts: Where does the Massachusetts economy go now, almost two years into an unprecedented public health crisis that has scrambled the job market, disrupted global supply chains and redefined the very nature of work? Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM), the state’s largest business association, serves more than 3,300 businesses representing 150 different industries in the Commonwealth. We hear from our members daily about their challenges and opportunities which gives us an extraordinarily unique perspective on the Massachusetts business community. Join us Friday January 21st at 7:30 for the State of Massachusetts Business address as AIM President and CEO, John Regan, summarizes the Massachusetts business economy in 2021, comments on what it will mean for 2022, and gets feedback from some of the region’s top business executives. Register here   THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Freedom may be months away, but Brockton family rejoices over William Allen’s commuted life sentence,” by Tonya Alanez, Boston Globe: “William Allen’s family is ‘just waiting on him to come home.’ Allen, 48, has spent more than half his life behind bars for murder, serving a sentence of life without parole. He is one of two men given a new lease on life this week when Governor Charlie Baker approved their commutation requests, making them eligible for parole.” — “Police reform legislation may bring massive training requirement for non-traditional police officers,” by Kathy Curran, WCVB: “[Chatham Harbormaster Stuart Smith] has years of marine and harbormaster law enforcement training but according to a letter he recently received from the Massachusetts Police Training Committee, or MPTC, which is in charge of police training in the state, he has to complete more training to be officially certified under the new police reform law.” — “St. Vincent Hospital Nurses will vote next month on whether to decertify MNA representation,” by Cyrus Moulton, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: “The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a February election on whether to decertify the Massachusetts Nurses Association as the union representing nurses at St. Vincent Hospital.” — “Anti-vaccine priest in Hyannis is censured by the Catholic bishop of Fall River,” by Cynthia McCormick, Cape Cod Times: “The Catholic bishop of Fall River has censured a Hyannis priest for his sermons and commentary against the COVID-19 vaccine.” TRANSITIONS — Beacon Communities has promoted Alessandra de Vaca to chief human resources officer and Jacques Ben-Avie to chief of staff. Shauna Hamilton is joining Squared Communications as a senior director in Boston. She is principal owner at Dig Deep Investigative Group. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Yael Sheinfeld and Nick Murray. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to state Rep. Kate Hogan, former Pittsfield city councilor Helen Moon, Omar Sedky and Bruce Schneier, who celebrate Saturday; to Erin Buechele and Jonathan Hankin, who celebrate Sunday; and to Shane Cardillo of Hamilton Lane, who celebrates Monday. NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: THE LONG INTERMISSION — Michael Bobbitt, executive director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council, joins hosts Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky to discuss the challenges Covid-19 still presents for the arts community. MassINC Polling Group Research Director Rich Parr breaks down the latest polling on transportation. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. 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.   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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