POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: TITO’s next chapter — Pro-BAKER ad buy hitting airwaves — Remembering MINDICH
TITO’s next chapter — Pro-BAKER ad buy hitting airwaves — Remembering MINDICH
05/25/2018 07:06 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
TGIF, MASSACHUSETTS. Programming note: There is no Playbook on Monday in observance of Memorial Day — I'll be back in your inbox first thing Tuesday.
TITO'S NEXT CHAPTER — The next chapter of former Boston mayoral candidate and City Councilor Tito Jackson's career has come into focus: He'll be a part of the budding marijuana industry in Massachusetts as the new CEO of Verdant Medical Inc, a Boston-based nonprofit "committed to providing exceptional palliative care and high-quality cannabis products," according to the company.
Jackson, who is black, says he's joining the company to help ensure communities of color won't be excluded from job opportunities in the industry. "This role will ensure there is a deliberate, market-based approach to closing the opportunity gap in the industry and especially in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," Jackson said in a release. "We can't let what happened in Denver, Colorado happen here. In Denver, of hundreds of licenses issued, only one is owned by a person of color. In my eyes that is the definition of failure and I want to ensure that does not occur in Massachusetts."
Jackson also addressed critics who may say his new position is counter-intuitive to his run for mayor of Boston, saying he will redefine his "definition of success and redirect my energy to focus on tangible change and real outcomes." That'll include making the fight for a $15 minimum wage "a reality from day one," and making a direct impact on income inequality, the wealth gap, and criminal justice reform.
Like others seeking to break into the marijuana market in Massachusetts, and with legal dispensaries set to come on-line this July, Verdant has tangled on the municipal level with support and opposition for its enterprise. In 2017, Verdant got approvals to open a marijuana dispensary and growing facility in Randolph but has put the process on hold after some residents in the Boston-adjacent town began to speak out.
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, Rep. Seth Moulton, and State Rep. Kenneth Gordon will honor fallen heroes Private First Class John Hart and Lance CorporalTravis Desiato in a bridge dedication ceremony in Bedford — AG Maura Healey will hold a wide-ranging conversation with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Harvard. Harvard is awarding Clinton its Radcliffe Medal. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will also give a personal tribute to Clinton — Sen. Elizabeth Warren participates in a conversation on activism and advocacy with Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietorat the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate this afternoon.
ON THE STUMP —
- Former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh Endorses Ayanna Pressley for Congress, from the Pressley campaign : "'At this critical crossroads for Democrats, we are rightfully asking ourselves hard questions about who we are, what we stand for, and how we lift up the next generation of leaders who will bring our party into the future,' said Walsh. 'As the former Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, I see Ayanna Pressley as a big part of the answer to those questions. Her commitment to addressing issues like systemic inequality, public health, and gun violence have been relentless, as has her intentional advocacy to ensure that all of our communities are seen and heard. I'm proud to endorse her candidacy for Congress.'"
CHARLIE BAKER SUPPORTS FRACKED GAS PIPELINES - NOT A CLEAN SOLUTION!
INSTEAD OF PROMOTING CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY SOLUTIONS, CHARLIE'S PROPOSALS ARE WRONG HEADED - DON'T THANK CHARLIE!
CRES IS AN DIRTY ENERGY INDUSTRY MOUTHPIECE.
HITTING AIRWAVES SOON - "CRES Highlights Governor Charlie Baker's Bipartisan Leadership on Climate and Clean Energy Action in Massachusetts," by Citizens For Responsible Energy Solutions release: "Today, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) announced the start of a $185,000 television and digital advertising effort thanking Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker for his bipartisan leadership at home and across the New England region on addressing climate change and pursuing clean energy solutions. The ads will run across the Bay State and encourage residents to thank Governor Baker for his independent leadership."
- "'It was really uncomfortable': Chelsea Kline accuses state Senate opponent Dave Murphy of inappropriate comments about her looks," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "State Senate candidate Chelsea Kline has accused opponent Dave Murphy of making inappropriate comments about her appearance and feeling 'entitled' to touch her at a political event. Kline, a Democrat from Northampton, wrote that at a recent political event, one of her male write-in challengers told her she looked 'stunning' and 'even more beautiful' than photos of her in stories about her candidacy. Kline said it became clear t he opponent 'didn't know a thing about me or my candidacy.'"
- "Senate candidate Dave Murphy apologizes to opponent Chelsea Kline for 'inappropriate' comments," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "State Senate candidate Dave Murphy apologized to opponent Chelsea Kline after she accused him of making inappropriate comments about her appearance at a political event. Murphy said he called Kline and apologized."
- "Dave Murphy, former aide to Ted Kennedy, running for state Senate," by Lucas Ropek, MassLive.com: "Dave Murphy, a Newton lawyer and former aide to Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, is running as a write-in candidate for Stan Rosenberg's former seat. Murphy, who is originally from Amherst and describes himself as a lifelong Democrat, is vying for the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester State Senate seat left open when Rosenberg resigned earlier this month."
THE TSONGAS ARENA —
KOH SWAPS CAMPAIGN AD - MA-3 contender Dan Koh pulled his campaign ad down from TV yesterday and replaced it with a message of support for Moms Demand Action following last Friday's school shooting in Santa Fe. As Koh explained to supporters in an email, "After the latest school shooting in Santa Fe, we couldn't just continue on as normal." Koh had already been running his ad on TV for a little over three weeks, according to his campaign.
DATELINE BEACON HILL —
CHARLIE BAKER HAS SUCCEEDED IS HAVING THE MASSACHUSETTS' BOND RATING DOWN GRADED -
CHARLIE BAKER FAIL! A LITTLE LATE FOR IMPROVEMENT DONTCHA THINK?
- "Top Fidelity executive poised to join Baker budget office," by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "Gary D. Blank, a onetime top White House economic official and 11-year veteran of Fidelity, is poised to become the chief of staff at Governor Charlie Baker's budget office in June, Baker administration officials said."
- "Massachusetts Judge Suspended for Courthouse Affair With Social Worker," by Alanna Durkin Richer," New England Cable News: "A Massachusetts judge who engaged in sexual acts with a social worker in his courthouse chambers will be suspended indefinitely, the state's highest court ruled Thursday, and may face removal from the bench. The Supreme Judicial Court said Judge Thomas Estes' 'grave, willful and repeated wrongdoing' has damaged the public's faith in the judicial system."
- "L'Italien on Safe Communities Act Senate Vote: 'We Will All Rest Easier'," by WHAV Radio: "Andover Sen. Barbara L'Italien Thursday applauded the efforts of Acton Sen. Jamie Eldridge in passing legislation that amends key provisions of the Civil Rights and Safety budget relating to the Safe Communities Act. On Wednesday, a budget amendment introduced by Eldridge was passed in the Senate that bars police inquiries about immigration status and ensures basic due process for immigrants."
THE WARREN REPORT —
- "'Righteous fight': Warren and Booker call on religious voters to resist Trump," by Lauren Gambino, The Guardian: "The Democratic liberal figurehead Elizabeth Warren and rising star Cory Booker have a message for left-of-center religious leaders in the era of Donald Trump: keep the faith. The luminaries of the progressive left drew standing ovations - and calls to run for the White House in 2020 - as they laid out a moral case for resisting Trump's agenda in a pair of speeches in Washington on Tuesday."
MOULTON MATTERS —
- "Dem candidates can't be just anti-Trump: Moulton on Powerhouse Politics," by Avery Miller, ABC News: "Coming off a night of Democratic victories in congressional primaries, Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., describes the winning candidates as 'a new generation.' 'Democrats can't just be opposed to Trump,' he told Powerhouse Politics podcast hosts Jon Karl and Rick Klein. 'We have to have an agenda and a vision of our own. And that's why I'm fighting for a new generation of leadership in the [Democratic] Party.'"
- "NH Primary Source: Congressman Seth Moulton backs Maura Sullivan in NH's 1st Congressional District," by John DiStaso, WMUR-TV: "In a significant endorsement in the 1st District U.S. House race, Maura Sullivan has been backed by fellow U.S. Marine Corps veteran and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and his Serve America leadership PAC. Sullivan, a former Obama administration official, is among a new slate of candidates being formally endorsed by Moulton this week."
WOOD WAR — Herald: "DEAR JONG LETTER," "NOTHING TO LOSE" — Globe: "AG seeks tougher oversight of colleges," "For Trump, risks are part of the strategy," "Summer isn't working on the Cape," "Doctor says Steward puts profits before patient care," "A team that would make Red light up."
THE LOCAL ANGLE —
- "What We Know So Far About The Boston Globe Sexual-Harassment Story," by Dan Kennedy, WGBH News: "Many readers of The Boston Globe may not have heard that editor Brian McGrory had been accused of sexual harassment until they picked up today's paper and cast their eyes to the bottom of page one. In fact, the story has been building since Sunday, when Hilary Sargent, a former top editor at the Globe's free website, Boston.com, tweeted a text exchange she said she had with McGrory in which he asked what she wears when she writes."
- "Attention, America: We've All Been Saying Gerrymander Wrong," by Reid J. Epstein and Madeline Marshall, The Wall Street Journal: "Two hundred years after a cartoonist used Elbridge Gerry's name to skewer political cartography, Mr. Gerry's descendants think it's time people start pronouncing it right. The issue is whether to say 'gerrymander' with a soft G, the way nearly everybody does, or with a hard G as in Gary—the way Mr. Gerry himself did ... his name is indelibly linked to the drawing of political districts for partisan advantage in 1812 when he was governor of Massachusetts."
- "City releases renderings of Boston Marathon bombing memorial," by Elise Takahama, Boston Globe: "City officials on Thursday released renderings of two memorials to victims of the Boston Marathon bombings planned for Boylston Street. Markers made of granite, bronze and glass will be erected in the spots where the two bombs went off near the finish line on April 15, 2013, killing three and injuring more than 260 people."
- "Cape employers look to Puerto Rico for seasonal staff," by Katie Johnston, Boston Globe: "As American citizens, Puerto Ricans don't need H-2B visas to work in the United States. And following the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria last fall, a number of businesses are still closed for repairs."
- "Northampton native Britt Slabinski receives Medal of Honor," by The Associated Press and the Gazette, Daily Hampshire Gazette: " President Donald Trump on Thursday inducted a new member into "the world's most exclusive club of heroes" by awarding a Medal of Honor to a Navy SEAL who led a daring assault and rescue mission on a snowy Afghanistan mountaintop in 2002. Trump presented the nation's most prestigious honor for selflessness on the battlefield to Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Britt K. Slabinski, a native of Northampton, Massachusetts."
- "Condo sales, prices outpace home sales in Massachusetts," by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "While conditions are challenging for many in the housing market, home and condo sellers in Massachusetts keep finding buyers willing to pay higher prices. Single family home sales in Massachusetts were up 1.2 percent in April, compared to April 2017 and condo sales shot up 15.1 percent over the year, according to numbers released Wednesday morning by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman."
REST IN PEACE - "Stephen M. Mindich, longtime Boston Phoenix owner and publisher, dies at 74," by Bryan Marquard, Boston Globe: "The media empire he went on to build became an essential part of Boston's cultural identity, and its award-winning flagship weekly, The Boston Phoenix, was the place where an array of prominent writers began their careers. Mr. Mindich, who was the owner and publisher of the now-closed Phoenix, died of pancreatic cancer Wednesday while in hospice care."
HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to WGBH's own Kirk Carapezza, who celebrates on Saturday and Sunday birthday-ers Rosina-Maria Lucibello of Team Dukakis and Julia Lucivero, media relations manager for the Innocence Project and Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Jeff McCue.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! — The Red Sox lost to the Rays 6-3.
FRESH OUT OF THE GATE - THE LATEST HORSE RACE PODCAST EPISODE: There are two candidates left in the Democratic primary for governor, and both are eyeing the lane to the left. State House News Service's Matt Murphy has the highlights on Jay Gonzalez, while CommonWealth Magazine's Michael Jonas digs into the multi-faceted Bob Massie. We then head to the Berkshires with WAMC Radio's Josh Landes to check out a surprisingly dramatic DA race in Berkshire County. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud
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