POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DEMS hammer BAKER over new ranking — HOUSE harassment report incoming — LOWELL suing over opioids
DEMS hammer BAKER over new ranking — HOUSE harassment report incoming — LOWELL suing over opioids
02/28/2018 07:13 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
RAKED OVER RANKINGS - Massachusetts' drop on the US News and World Report's ranking of top states - from first in the nation to eighth - has provided a new opportunity for Democrats to hammer Gov. Charlie Baker.
While Massachusetts continues to be the top state in the country for education, it's fallen to 40th for fiscal stability and 45th for infrastructure. The top overall spot is now occupied by Iowa.
The criticism over the drop is fair game. Baker himself had repeatedly touted the best-in-the-country ranking from 2017 - even going so far as to mention it (among over top rankings) in his state of the commonwealth speech this year. And for the Democrats eager to find the governor's Achilles heel, it's a welcome chance to hit Baker where it hurts - like the state's first bond rating downgrade in 30 years that came in 2017.
Baker's Democratic challengers say it's a sign the state can't settle for the status quo, as Jay Gonzalez put it yesterday: "If Charlie Baker were CEO of a company, he would be fired."
Setti Warren had a similar criticism: "In many ways, Massachusetts has been on a roll for a while, but our state government is failing. A creature of Beacon Hill like Charlie Baker just can't fix it."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker and Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern will be on-hand as Cambridge re-names North Plaza in Cambridge's Kendall Square as Termeer Square to honor the former Genzyme President and CEO Henri A. Termeer - The Cannabis Control Commissioncontinues its meetings this week to discuss public feedback on forthcoming regulations - The House meets in formal session.
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "State House harass report due tomorrow," by Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "Beacon Hill is poised to plunge back into the sexual harassment spotlight tomorrow, when House attorneys release a raft of recommendations to improve the chamber's harassment policies in what one lawmaker called the 'most comprehensive' dive he's seen in decades."
- "Cannabis Control Commission reaches agreement on medical marijuana set-aside," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "Hoping to assuage fears that medical marijuana patients could find their medicine in short supply when dispensaries begin selling to the newly-legal retail market, state pot regulators on Tuesday agreed to a policy that will require dispensaries to hold some marijuana aside for medical patients. Registered medical dispensaries (RMDs) that wish to add the ability to sell marijuana to non-patients will be required to reserve 30 percent of their inventory or the six-month average of its medical marijuana sales for medical marijuana patients under the proposal t he Cannabis Control Commission agreed to Tuesday."
- "Deal on policing illegals opposed," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "The path to a compromise this session over state immigration enforcement legislation got a little narrower after the Baker administration told two key lawmakers over the weekend that it opposes a compromise they struck with local police groups."
- "Commuter rail every 15 minutes? That's one group's vision," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: As the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority embarks on a rethink of how it operates the commuter rail, a group of transit activists is offering up some pretty ambitious ideas. In a report released Tuesday, the nonprofit TransitMatters imagines a commuter rail system that runs trains every 15 minutes between downtown Boston and nearby stations, and every 30 minutes from more distant stops. The idea is a system more like a regional rapid transit network, compared to the traditional commuter service that caters to suburbanites headed to and from work during peak hours."
ON THE STUMP -
- NEW THIS MORNING: The Setti Warren campaign rolls out a new video on Gov. Charlie Baker featuring a 2014 interview with Baker from the campaign trail talking about the assault weapon ban.
- "Senate candidate Geoff Diehl talks with SouthCoast fishing industry," by Michael Bonner, SouthCoast Today: "Diehl made four stops in the area, which began with Mayor Jon Mitchell and concluded with a meeting with three members on the board of Sector 9 as well as the sector's lawyer. [He] questioned what incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren has done to facilitate discussions between NOAA."
THE TSONGAS ARENA -
- "Interest groups help bankroll L'Italien, Matias 3rd District campaigns," by Chris Lisinski, Lowell Sun: "Two stand out in particular for financial support that ties into their previous work: state Sen. Barbara L'Italien, who has proposed legislation at the Statehouse that would benefit small brewers, received several donations from high-profile members of the beer industry, while state Rep. Juana Matias, who has been an advocate for charter-school expansion, brought in substantial funding from other charter-school proponents."
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "Warren asks Fidelity, other companies to demand change in gun industry," by Tori Newmyer, Washington Post: "As Congress steps into a familiar snarl over gun restrictions, US Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling on deep-pocketed investors in gun companies, including Boston-based Fidelity Investment Management, to use their leverage to demand change from the weapons industry. She's asking firms to pressure gun companies to impose their own age restrictions and waiting periods on buyers and invest in developing safer guns."
- WOOD WAR - Herald: "WYNN NAME 'AN INSULT,'" "Nash-ville!" - Globe: "Amazon plans for major growth in Seaport," "Countries seek leverage on Kushner," "In Boston, a growing concern," "A silence broken," "More hate groups, incidents in US," "Lower ranking puts us in a bit of a state."
DATELINE DC -
- "US Sen. Ed Markey, Democrats file resolution to overturn FCC's net neutrality ruling," by Shannon Young, MassLive.com: "After months of threatening to take action against the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of Obama-era internet regulations, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, announced Tuesday that Democrats have offered a formal resolution to restore 'net neutrality' rules. Markey told reporters that all 47 chamber Democrats, independent U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, and Angus King, of Maine, and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have come out in support of the resolution of disapproval -- putting the effort just one vote shy of passing the Senate."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Feds testing Walsh's waters in Boston Calling corruption trial," by Laurel J. Sweet, Boston Herald: "Federal prosecutors want to take the temperature of Mayor Martin J. Walsh's popularity when they begin questioning prospective jurors in the corruption trial of two of his top lieutenants. ... Jury selection in the trial of Kenneth Brissette and Timothy Sullivan begins March 26."
- "Trump's offshore drilling plan panned at hearing," by Christian M. Wade, Salem News:"Opponents of offshore drilling on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trump's proposal to open up the New England coast to oil and gas exploration, saying the plan threatens the state's fishing industry, coastal economies, public health and delicate marine life. Democratic attorneys general from a dozen coastal states - including Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey - have written Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke protesting the drilling plan. Tuesday's hearing was one of dozens scheduled across the country through the end of March."
- "PHS, Taconic students walk out, speak minds in wake of Fla. school shooting," by Jenn Smith and Patricia LeBoeuf, the Berkshire Eagle: "On Tuesday morning, hundreds of students from Pittsfield and Taconic high schools walked out of their classes and became part of a growing national movement in response to school violence after the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla."
- "Lowell to join opioid lawsuits," by Todd Feathers, Lowell Sun: "The city will join a growing number of municipalities, counties, and state governments suing prescription opioid manufacturers and distributors, City Solicitor Christine O'Connor told the City Council on Tuesday. The suits seek reimbursement for past and future costs of emergency services training, law enforcement actions, Narcan, and worker compensation benefits stemming from the governments' response to the opioid epidemic."
- "Amazon set to bring at least 2,000 more jobs to the Seaport," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "Amazon is poised to lease a massive new office space in the Seaport District and hire at least 2,000 employees in the city over the next few years, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Tuesday. If the deal closes as expected, it would nearly triple the e-commerce giant's workforce in Boston and Cambridge and make the company one of the region's biggest private employers. Construction on the first building, by developer WS Development, could start this summer."
- "Brockton's Rocky Marciano statue wears Eagles banner," by Maddie Kilgannon, Boston Globe: "'A bet's a bet,' Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter wrote in a tweet accompanied by a photo of the town's legendary Rocky Marciano statue with a Philadelphia Eagles banner draped from his bronze neck like a cape. Before the Super Bowl, Carpenter bet Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney that if the Patriots lost, the 20-foot statue of the Brockton native would don Eagles attire."
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? - Yes! The Bruins beat the Hurricanes in overtime 4-3.
ICYMI - THE LATEST HORSE RACE PODCAST EPISODE: CommonWealth Magazine's Michael Jonas descends on the bunker to explain the recent surprise in the Suffolk County District Attorney race, while political observer Josh Gee calls in from New York to dish on frugging (fundraising under the guise of research). Then, Steve and Lauren break down a potentially confusing ballot question regarding the repeal of the transgender accommodations law. 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.
FOR MORE political and policy news from Massachusetts, check out: http://politi.co/1qNSlWx
SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh ... New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW ... Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 ... New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF ... Massachusetts Playbookhttp://politi.co/1Nhtq5v ... Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb ... California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl ... Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw ... London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK ... All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX
POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA
Comments
Post a Comment