| | |  | BY LISA KASHINSKY | PARSING BOSTON’S PRECINCT DATA — Precinct data from Tuesday’s preliminary election offers a starting point for Boston’s two remaining mayoral candidates to build their paths to victory in the general election. Here are some of the toplines: — City Councilor Michelle Wu garnered support across the city — winning most heavily in neighborhoods including Allston-Brighton, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Chinatown and Jamaica Plain. — City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George ran up the tallies in whiter and more conservative neighborhoods from South Boston to West Roxbury. But she won little support in many of Boston’s predominantly Black communities. — That’s where Acting Mayor Kim Janey cleaned up, putting up strong showings in Roxbury and parts of Mattapan. — City Councilor Andrea Campbell edged Janey in the end by finishing second or third in all but two of the city’s 22 wards. Here’s what matters going forward: Janey and Campbell voters, along with those for former city economic development chief John Barros, who won a handful of precincts on Tuesday, are now up for grabs. “What is clear from at least some of the preliminary data is that neither of the two candidates who have advanced have really presented a compelling vision or policy platform that speaks to the Black community in Boston writ large,” NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan told me. “So it will be incumbent upon any candidate who wants to earn the vote of the Black community in Boston to very quickly come up with a vision and policy proposals that speak specifically to the Black community.” Black voters will “play a significant role in the outcome of this election” despite no Black candidate making the final, Sullivan said. Conversations are already underway among Black politicians and activists about how to proceed in the general election and what they need to see from the remaining candidates on the issues of import, from housing to closing economic opportunity gaps to having a Cabinet that reflects the community. “We need to be very clear what we need for our community,” state Rep. Russell Holmes, who did not back a candidate in the preliminary, said. “And we want to make sure both of these candidates are clear they still need to deliver for the Black community.” State Rep. Nika Elugardo, who backed Janey, said the two remaining candidates need to be prepared to have tough conversations. "They need to show up in the neighborhoods where people are marginalized, spend time there and say 'where have I not shown up for you?'" Elugardo said, adding they need to "own it and ask 'what can I do differently?'" There's concern among some that Tuesday's results — which have caused myriad emotions from grief to frustration within Boston's Black community — could make some Black voters "more apathetic to participating in the general," Sullivan said. But Holmes and Andrea Cabral, a former Suffolk County sheriff and state public safety secretary who supported Campbell, say so far it seems to be galvanizing them. "It's very frequently the losses that galvanize people more," Cabral said. "If you didn't get the outcome you wanted, you shouldn't be complacent about it, and I think that's sort of how people feel." GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! TODAY — State Sen. Jo Comerford and state Reps. Natalie Blais, Dan Carey, and Mindy Domb host colleagues for a Connecticut River Valley farm tour. State Sen. Eric Lesser hosts Chicopee Public Schools Superintendent Lynn Clark on his noon Lunchtime Livestream for a back-to-school discussion. Essaibi George makes a series of local stops, including the Boston Teachers Union back-to-school party at 4 p.m. Janey gathers with supporters at her campaign headquarters at 5 p.m. THIS WEEKEND — Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards formally kicks off her state Senate campaign with a “weekend of action” across the district. Wu discusses rent control, free MBTA access, policing reform and more on WBZ's "Keller at Large," 8:30 a.m., Sunday. Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty is this week's guest on WCVB's "On the Record," 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. | |
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| – “These Boston neighborhoods gave Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George their preliminary election wins,” by Milton J. Valencia and Andrew Ryan, Boston Globe: “City Councilor Michelle Wu’s path to victory in Tuesday’s preliminary election for mayor ran through all of Boston’s neighborhoods, according to a Globe analysis of election data, which showed solid support for her throughout the city even as she dominated in some of the more liberal neighborhoods. The data show that Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, who placed second, was able to run up her vote tally in the whiter, more conservative neighborhoods that have long put candidates into office.” – The Globe’s got your ward and precinct tallies, and a map that shows where in the city the candidates drew their support. MassINC Polling Group breaks it down further with a slew of maps and charts covering everything from turnout to precinct patterns. Thread. – “A pro-Annissa Essaibi George super PAC is taking aim at Michelle Wu — and incidentally Essaibi George — over parking permit proposal,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Less than 24 hours after the results of Boston’s preliminary mayoral election had been decided, a super PAC supporting City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George took aim at fellow general election candidate and City Councilor Michelle Wu over, among other things, her support for charging an annual fee for residential parking permits. The only issue: Essaibi George holds the same position.” – “Wu, Essaibi-George clash on MBTA ‘fiscal calamity’ heading inbound,” by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: “The city’s two mayoral finalists are on opposite tracks when it comes to running the MBTA — as one watchdog group warns the transit system is heading for ‘fiscal calamity’ in fiscal 2024. Michelle Wu says the T should be free … Annissa Essaibi-George, however, argues that making public transit free will only worsen the crisis.” – “Boston Mayoral Race: Where Wu and Essaibi George Stand on the Issues,” by Alison King, NBC Boston: “Ask former Boston State Rep. Marie St. Fleur how she sizes up the city's two remaining mayoral candidates, City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George. ‘I see Wu as more cerebral and Annissa as a scrappy neighborhood kid,’ St. Fleur [who backed City Councilor Andrea Campbell] said.” | | FEELING '22 |
| – EYES EMOJI: There’s a survey hitting phones in the 4th Congressional District that appears to be testing the waters for a primary challenge to Rep. Jake Auchincloss. The survey poses a hypothetical matchup in a 2022 Democratic primary between Auchincloss, Jesse Mermell, who finished second in last year’s Democratic primary, and Sam Hyun, according to screenshots obtained by POLITICO. An Auchincloss campaign spokesperson said the poll wasn’t his. Hyun said he’s not running for the seat right now. A Mermell spokesperson declined comment. It’s really no secret at this point that Mermell is considering another go at the seat, and that progressives still smarting from the close contest last year would like to see her do it. Auchincloss has been working to shore up his defenses pretty much since he took office in January, stockpiling money and building up political goodwill with House leadership. He’s in the district for events throughout the weekend, including a meet-and-greet with state Sen. Paul Feeney at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at the Foxborough Senior Center. | | FOLLOW THE MONEY |
| – “Baker-affiliated super PAC has gone silent,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Super PACs have pumped more than $4 million into the race for mayor of Boston, but one has been noticeably absent from the political fray. The Massachusetts Majority PAC, which has close ties to Gov. Charlie Baker, so far has taken a pass on the Boston mayor’s race as well as all the other local races around the state. In fact, it’s reported no expenditures or receipts at all since October 2020.” | | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 1,999 new coronavirus cases, decline in hospitalizations,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The nearly 2,000 new virus cases now bring the daily average of infections to 1,333. The daily average was 223 two months ago.” – “Massachusetts schools report 1,420 cases of COVID in students, staff as school year begins,” by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: “Of the 1,420 total cases reported so far, 1,230 were students and 190 were staff members … With roughly 920,000 students and 140,000 staff members currently in public school buildings, the rate of coronavirus cases in schools stands at 0.13% among students and 0.14% among staffers, according to the report.” – “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe. | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Out Of A $4.8 Billion Budget, Mass. Spent Less Than $25 Million With Black And Hispanic Firms Last Year,” by Chris Burrell, GBH News: “State agencies spent $4.8 billion in 2020, but Black-owned businesses were awarded only $11 million in state contracts and Hispanic-owned businesses got only $12 million, according to a new state report obtained by GBH News. The Supplier Diversity Office report said that state agencies exceeded their goal of doing 8% of their contracting with minority-owned enterprises. That conclusion relies on counting hundreds of millions of dollars the state spent with minority-led nonprofits, plus work that non-minority firms working for the state passed along to minority businesses. Without those categories, all minority-owned firms combined received about 2% of the state's spending.” – “Massachusetts state employee high-ups in line for extra big bucks next couple of paychecks,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “It’s a great month for state-government bigwigs, as managers are in line for potentially thousands of dollars each in back pay in this week’s paycheck and a lump sum in the next one. … the Baker administration said these ‘come as the Administration is also in the process of finalizing new collective bargaining agreements with its unions that will also include pay increases, and last month filed a supplemental budget that included $405 million to fund a portion of the costs of these agreements.’” – “Secretary of Commonwealth William Galvin orders $4 million fine for MassMutual over ‘Roaring Kitty’ GameStop stock manipulation,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin ordered a subsidiary of MassMutual to overhaul social media policies and pay a $4 million fine for failing to supervise an employee who went online as ‘Roaring Kitty’ to pump up the GameStop stock in January.” – “Coalition seeks to pass bill to allow farm workers state minimum wage, overtime, day of rest,” by Danny Jin, Berkshire Eagle: “Massachusetts farmworkers could be paid as little as $1.60 per hour before a 2014 law required them to be paid at least $8 per hour. While the state minimum wage since has risen to $13.50, it does not apply to farmworkers, who are excluded from the state minimum wage and overtime pay, among other protections. Supporters of a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature say it is time to end farmworkers’ ‘second-class status’ under state and federal employment law.” – “McCourty, Activists Urge Baker to Consider Commutation,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service (paywall): “New England Patriots star Devin McCourty and several community groups next week will urge Gov. Charlie Baker to commute the first-degree murder conviction of William Allen, a Brockton man who has spent 27 years in prison and hopes to become eligible for parole. … If Baker were to accept the recommendation, it would be the first pardon or commutation issued by Baker since taking office in 2015 and only the second commutation to be issued by a Massachusetts governor since 1997.” | | VAX-ACHUSETTS |
| – “Massachusetts Might Create A Statewide 'Vax ID' System, Gov. Baker Says,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “Massachusetts could implement a system to verify a person's COVID-19 vaccination status, according to Gov. Charlie Baker. He said Thursday on GBH News' Boston Public Radio that his administration is in touch with jurisdictions that have put their own ‘vax ID’ in place.” – "UMass-Amherst reports 371 COVID-19 cases two weeks into classes," by Tonya Alanez and Julia Carlin: "After two weeks of classes, a COVID-19 outbreak at UMass-Amherst, one of the only Massachusetts universities that does not require mandatory weekly testing, has shot from 149 to 371, according to data published Thursday by the school. Administrators say they expected an early increase in positive COVID-19 cases, and they’re confident the university’s vaccination requirement, mask mandate, and social distancing protocols will keep students safe." | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “From the front lines of COVID to the president’s office: David Brown takes over at MGH,” by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe: “[David] Brown became president of MGH last week, taking the helm with recent and vivid memories of treating suffering patients and toiling beside other doctors and nurses through the unrelenting pressure of the pandemic. … Brown succeeds Dr. Peter Slavin, who was president of MGH for 18 years and whom Brown considers a mentor.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “Transit advocates hope stark report on MBTA finances delivers a wake-up call,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “Transit advocates called on state lawmakers Thursday to drastically boost funding for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority following a new report that warned the agency is heading for fiscal disaster in the coming years.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “NH Supreme Court denies bail hearing for Mass. trucker accused of killing 7 motorcyclists,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “New Hampshire’s highest court delivered another setback to the West Springfield truck driver accused of killing seven motorcyclists in 2019 on Thursday, denying his third request for a bail hearing to determine whether he could be set free before his trial.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “AG: Hadley Select Board violated open meeting law when it approved vaccine policy,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The state attorney general’s office has found that the Hadley Select Board violated the state’s Open Meeting Law in May when it approved a broad new policy related to COVID-19 vaccinations and access to town buildings.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Up to 900 Afghan evacuees headed to Massachusetts,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts could welcome as many as 900 Afghan evacuees — the Biden administration has revealed — but nonprofits aiding with resettlement say they are still ‘in the dark’ on the details of where they’ll live and when they’ll arrive.” – More: “‘We’re as ready as anywhere’: Worcester raises $535,000 in two weeks to help resettle Afghan evacuees expected any day,” by Tom Matthews, MassLive.com. – “‘They are as big as cats:’ Newton and Cambridge discuss rats on the rise,” by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: “There actually are more rats. As unsettling as that is, rodentologist Bobby Corrigan confirmed during a virtual Q&A for Newton residents that the rodent population is estimated to be up between 15 to 36 percent, he said, based on his own records from surveys, as well as talking with other scientists, and scientific investigations.” – “Haverhill High biology teacher terminated after 10 days,” by Mike LaBella, Eagle-Tribune: “A former Dracut High School science teacher who left his job after distributing a controversial sex survey deemed ‘very highly inappropriate’ was hired to teach freshman biology at Haverhill High School one day before the start of the new school year. Haverhill School Superintendent Margaret Marotta said the teacher, Eric Jackson, was hired Aug. 30 and then terminated Sept. 10 after it was decided he ‘wasn’t a good fit for Haverhill.’” – “Mayors see 'sense of urgency' on housing, climate change,” by Paul Leighton, Salem News: “The issues that North Shore mayors are confronting — affordable housing, climate change, racial equity, the economy — would be difficult enough under any circumstances. Throw in a persistent pandemic and you’ve really got a challenge on your hands. That was the message that mayors delivered on Wednesday at the North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the Region breakfast at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Danvers. ” – “As wildfires rage in California, fire concerns grow in New England amid changing climate,” by Hadley Barndollar, USA Today Network: “Many New Englanders marveled at the pink smoky skies – thick with ominous haze – that blanketed the region this summer. … But a rude awakening could be approaching for those in the Northeast who believe wildfires are only a danger in the West.” | | MEDIA MATTERS |
| – “WBZ-TV Reporter Bill Shields Retiring After 41 Years,” by CBS Boston. POD ALERT – On this week's episode of The Horse Race, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith, and Lisa Kashinsky unpack Boston’s preliminary mayoral election, from the painstaking wait for vote tallies to what the results say about the city. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Steve Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center; David Wade and JJ Klein. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to former Rep. John Tierney, Daily Hampshire Gazette alum Emily Cutts, Jen Migliore, Kathryn Burton, Corey Lewandowski and Mark Walsh, who celebrate Saturday; and to Dorey Scheimer, Rachel McNeill, Kennedy alum Brian Phillips, John Hawthorne, Maddie Miller and Sophie Hansen, state government relations manager at Commonwealth Care Alliance, who celebrate Sunday. 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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