POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: RGA eyes November – GANNON funeral today – A KENNEDY’s opioid-addiction profits
RGA eyes November – GANNON funeral today – A KENNEDY’s opioid-addiction profits
04/18/2018 07:16 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
GOOD MORNING MASSACHUSETTS. It's great to be back in your inbox - and a hearty thank you to Stephanie Murray for taking over playbooking duties while I was out.
REMEMBERING BARBARA BUSH - "With the passing of First Lady Barbara Bush, Massachusetts Republicans join the rest of our country in mourning the loss of a great American. In caring for and leading her family, and as an advocate for so many worthy causes, she was a model of strength and grace. In Massachusetts, we're grateful to have a strong connection to the extended Bush family and we extend our deepest condolences to them, and all who had the honor of knowing this incredible citizen." -MassGOP Chairman Kirsten Hughes
CHARLIE BAKER'S TENURE HAS BEEN FILLED WITH SCANDALS, POLITICAL HACK-A-RAMA, MBTA FAILURES, DOR FAILURES, DCF FAILURES, ROSEY PROMISES OF A GROSSLY OVER-PRICED SOUTH COAST RAIL SOLUTION LACKING RIDERSHIP, DOWN GRADED BOND RATING AND MUCH ELSE.
TEFLON CHARLIE GETS A FREE RIDE FROM THE MEDIA?
POPULAR? ONLY IF YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION!
FLUSH WITH CASH, RGA COMMITTED TO BOOSTING BAKER - With $23.6 million raised in the first quarter of 2018, the national Republican Governors Association is on track to raise more money than it did in the 2014 cycle - a fundraising effort that the RGA says will help it continue to elect Republican governors. It's not yet clear what that means for the RGA's popular Governor Charlie Baker.
As the RGA's comms director Justin Thompson put it to me yesterday, "With a job approval rating in the mid-70's and a successful record of policy results, Governor Baker is in strong position for re-election this November. I can't comment on exactly what we will or won't do when it comes to spending, since we don't usually comment on strategy, but I can say that Governor Baker is getting results for Massachusetts and that the RGA is committed to ensuring he is re-elected so he can continue achieving meaningful reform."
The RGA pumped more than $11 million into Massachusetts in 2014 in support of then-candidate Baker, outspending Democratic outside groups. Of that sum, $10.4 million came through an in-state independent expenditure PAC called Commonwealth Future, which then aired 10 TV ads, as the RGA detailed in a post-election memo.
This year, the RGA is so far mum on what exactly more money in its coffers means for its plans specifically in the Bay State. But according to state campaign finance filings, Commonwealth Future has so far been inactive since election day in 2014.
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 LG Karyn Polito plan to attend the funeral for Yarmouth Police Officer Sean Gannon, who waskilled in the line of duty. Services take place at Saint Pius X Church in South Yarmouth this morning - State Sen. Stan Rosenberg addresses the Massachusetts Climate Leadership Summit at UMass Amherst - The Cannabis Control Commission meets with agenda items including applicants' priority review program.
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
** A message from Bay State Wind - the Clear Choice for Massachusetts: Only Bay State Wind has the experience, expertise and record it takes to launch the American offshore wind industry here in the Commonwealth. We are the clear choice for highly complex projects, bringing jobs and cost-effective offshore wind to Massachusetts. More at baystatewind.com. **
- "Patrick Kennedy profits from opioid-addiction firms," by Adam Cancryn, POLITICO: "Patrick Kennedy, the former Democratic representative and scion of the liberal political dynasty, has emerged as the unlikely go-to player for companies seeking to benefit from the Trump administration's multibillion-dollar response to the opioid crisis, reaping well over $1 million in salaries and equity stakes in the firms."
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Narcan subsidy may get new funds," by Christian M. Wade, the Salem News: "Lawmakers want to replenish a subsidy that puts a popular overdose-reversing medicine in the hands of police, firefighters and school administrators. The state's municipal naloxone bulk-purchase program has sent more than 12,000 doses of the life-saving medicine to at least 141 cities and towns over the past two years. The drug's availability is credited with reducing fatal overdoses in the state."
- "Massachusetts medical marijuana facilities that never opened now want priority to sell recreational marijuana," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "All 20 registered marijuana dispensaries that were given priority review status for the recreational industry have yet to open their medical dispensaries. Patient advocates are raising concerns that the companies will go straight into the recreational market and will not serve patients."
- "Ban On Possession Of Stun Guns Violated Second Amendment, Mass. High Court Rules," by Bob Salsberg, The Associated Press: "Massachusetts' highest court ruled Tuesday that the state's ban on civilian possession of stun guns violates the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The decision marked a reversal for the court, which reached an opposite conclusion in a different case in 2015."
- "Explaining The 'Red Flag' Bill That's Pending On Beacon Hill," by Daniel Medwed and Ciku Theuri: "Nearly two months have passed since the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which sparked student-led, nationwide protests calling for gun control and renewed efforts by state lawmakers to take up gun legislation. The Massachusetts legislature is considering joining seven other states in enacting a "red flag" law that would allow courts to issue protection orders to temporarily confiscate firearms from people who pose a significant danger."
-"Supreme Judicial Court urges Massachusetts lawmakers to update medical marijuana home cultivation law," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts' highest court is urging state lawmakers to change the law surrounding home cultivation of medical marijuana. Of 15 states that allow home cultivation for medical marijuana, Massachusetts is the only state thatdefines a limit in terms of supply per period -- i.e. a 60-day supply."
- "With state's Community Preservation Act match projected at record low, Easthampton City Council may push Beacon Hill," by Mary C. Serreze, MassLive.com: "Estimated state matching funds for local Community Preservation Act projects across Massachusetts will stand at a record-low 11 percent this year. That's a mere sliver of the 100 percent match promised when the state Legislature enacted the preservation law in 2000."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Political Notes: Democratic candidate benefits from Beaty tweets," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty's recent Twitter comments disparaging Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivor David Hogg have led to a cash windfall for Jack Stanton, the Democratic candidate for state representative in the 5th Barnstable District. Beaty is also a candidate in the race, challenging four-term incumbent state Rep. Randy Hunt, R-Sandwich, in the Republican primary in September."
- "Associated Press revises poll standards," by Steve Shepard, POLITICO: "After successive presidential contests in which the polling industry and the media have come under harsh scrutiny for their election-year practices, The Associated Press is rolling out updated standards for how reporters should cover polls."
THE TSONGAS ARENA -
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK - "Former State Representative Bob Rice Endorses L'Italien for Congress," from the Barbara L'Italien campaign : "'This part of the state will be forever grateful to Barbara for her instrumental leadership in defeating the Kinder Morgan Pipeline,' said former State Representative Bob Rice. 'I'm supporting her because she will be the one to stick up for us. When Barbara and I served together in the House, I watched her fight hard for her constituents. She's represented manufacturing cities much like Gardner - she understands their unique needs and how to advocate for them. Ashburnham, Gardner, Winchendon, and Westminster will be well-served with Barbara as our champion in Congress.'"
WOOD WAR - Herald: "'My career was my family,' Barbara Bush, 1925-2018" - Globe: "More pay for State Police revealed," "A lifetime of service, with a common touch," "Transgender rights will be tested in Mass. referendum," "Collecting himself," "Torture issue clouds CIA nominee."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Airbnb slams Boston city councilor in mass email," by Mike Saccone, Boston 25 News: "On Tuesday, the company emailed people who live in Boston and asked them to send a pre-written complaint to Mayor Marty Walsh and the Boston City Council. In the email to Boston residents Tuesday, Airbnb alleges [Michelle] Wu had aligned herself with big hotel interests against the interests of Bostonians. Boston 25 News pulled Wu's campaign finance records for 2018, but didn't find any large donations from hotel giants."
WHERE IS CHARLIE BAKER? SILENCE IS NOT LEADERSHIP!
- "More hidden State Police pay surfaces. This time: millions in perks," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "Under fire for failing to disclose pay data, state officials last week quietly released new State Police figures, revealing more than $3.4 million in additional payouts over four years. Most, if not all, of the money appears tied to a single, generous perk: Troop F members got a $40 per diem for driving their own cars to work."
- "Wynn-ex: No sale of Wynn Boston until board is overhauled," by Jordan Graham, Boston Herald: "Elaine Wynn, the ex-wife of toppled casino CEO Steve Wynn is urging the company's board of directors to hold off on making any big decisions - including selling the Wynn Boston Harbor - until the board is overhauled. 'The reconstituted board should be in place before any material decisions about transactions are made, or any actions are taken, that could have an adverse impact on long-term shareholder value,' Elaine Wynn wrote in a letter filed with the SEC [Thursday]."
- "On Tax Day in N.H., Ivanka Trump and Steve Mnuchin promote GOP's overhaul," by James Pindell, Boston Globe: "On the day that marks the national deadline to file tax returns, two top members of the Trump administration traveled to New Hampshire - a swing state on the US political map - to trumpet a new revenue-collection law they say will save Americans thousands of dollars when they file next year. On Tuesday, the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, along with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, fielded inquiries at the Derry Opera House about what the tax law, signed by the president in December, means for businesses and individuals."
- "Mourners honor slain police K-9 Officer Sean Gannon," by Tanner Stening, Cape Cod Times: "People began gathering just before 2 p.m. today outside Doane, Beal & Ames Funeral Home on West Main Street for the funeral procession to carry the body of Yarmouth police K-9 Officer Sean Gannon to St. Pius X Church in South Yarmouth for his wake this afternoon and funeral Mass on Wednesday. Gannon, 32, was shot and killed Thursday in the attic of a Blueberry Lane home in Marstons Mills while helping serve a warrant on Thomas Latanowich, 29, a notorious criminal police say has 125 past criminal charges. "
- "March for Our Lives Springfield to host parents of slain Parkland student for gun violence talk," by Shannon Young, MassLive.com: "Manuel and Patricia Oliver, whose son, Joaquin, was killed when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February, will join local March for Our Lives activists this week for a community conversation on gun violence. The Olivers, former Springfield City Councilor Amaad Rivera and local March for Our Lives student organizers Trevaughn Smith and Sarah Reyes will speak about gun violence and school safety-related issues during the Friday night community forum at the South Congregational Church on Maple Street."
- "Patriots' Day rally in Concord: Proud Boys said free speech is under attack," by Henry Schwan, the Concord Journal: "On a hill overlooking Old North Bridge, the spot where the first shot was fired starting the American Revolution, a group called Proud Boys New England held what it called a free-speech rally. Counter-protestors looked on from a distance, as they stood behind metal dividers, chanting slogans like 'Nazis not Welcome' and 'Black Lives Matter.'"
- "Town of Sheffield wants UFO memorial moved; witness Thomas Reed objects," by Associated Press: "A memorial in a remote corner of Massachusetts that marks a 1969 UFO sighting has been ordered moved, but one man who experienced a close encounter is objecting. The 5,000-pound (2,300-kilogram) memorial in Sheffield was installed in 2015, but was moved about 30 feet (9 meters) a few weeks later when it was discovered it was on town land."
- "Video Shows Police Tackling, Punching Black Harvard Student," by Laurel Wamsley, WGBH News: "Police in Cambridge, Mass., tackled and punched a black Harvard student who was standing naked on a traffic island on Friday night. The incident was captured on video by witnesses, and the city's mayor called the video 'disturbing.'
MAZEL! - Sarina Tracy, formerly of state Sen. Marc Pacheco's office, is now an Account Executive at Northwind Strategies.
ALSO MAZEL! - Kerry Akashian now an Education Policy Analyst at the Department of Education.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to state Rep. Bruce Ayers of Quincy and state Rep. Danielle Gregoire of Marlborough, who both celebrated yesterday.
HAPPY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY - to Dan Racicot, chief of staff to Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, and who celebrates today, Charlie Baker, president and co-founder of Dewey Square Group, and NBC Boston and NECN producer Mimi Segel.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Celtics beat the Bucks 120-106 and the Red Sox crushed the Angels 10-1.
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ICYMI - THE LATEST HORSE RACE PODCAST EPISODE: Conventional Wisdom. Former MassGOP chair Jenn Nassour is sharing her "conventional wisdom" with us this week as we get closer to the MassGOP convention. Then The Dorchester Reporter's Jenn Smith returns for the latest on a surprisingly competitive race for Suffolk County DA. Plus, Steve and Lauren talk money. FEC reports for the Senate race are in, and we have updates on the candidates' financial standings. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud
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** A message from Bay State Wind: Massachusetts has the ambition it takes to bring green, reliable offshore wind to New England. Bay State Wind is the clear choice to match that ambition. Only Bay State Wind pairs global offshore wind leadership with a deep understanding of New England's electrical grid. Building a massive, complex project in harsh ocean environments takes the kind of skill that only comes from experience. Only Bay State Wind has the background of building 23 offshore wind farms, with 1,000+ wind turbines around the world. Bay State Wind is the only project ready to build utility scale offshore wind that brings $1 billion of direct investment to the Commonwealth, offering value to customers and making Massachusetts a hub for American offshore wind. And only this partnership can do it on a credible timeline and budget. Bay State Wind is the clear choice for Massachusetts. More at baystatewind.com **
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