POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey picks her battles

By Kelly Garrity

Presented by

PICKING A FIGHT — As Democrats debate how to turn the page on their party’s losses last fall, Gov. Maura Healey is picking her battles strategically.

Healey hasn’t called any emergency legislative sessions like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, nor did she join the “Governors Safeguarding Democracy ” initiative led by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

But in an in-depth New York Times interview over the weekend, Healey questioned the party’s response to Trump’s efforts to roll back DEI initiatives (“When there was all this talk and denigration of D.E.I., I don’t know why the response wasn’t: You know what? It’s actually good to have women and people of color in the military.”) She opined on Democrats’ “brand problem,” one of the issues she said led to their electoral struggles last cycle.

And she called for “aggressive” and “proactive” leadership from Congress, urging Democrats in D.C. to do more to sound the alarm on Trump’s efforts to siphon Congress’ power. It’s a similar message to one she delivered privately on a call that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer convened with Democratic governors last month — and it makes her one of the first Democratic governors to deliver that message publicly.

The first-term governor doesn’t often publicly apply pressure to other members of her party, but this isn’t the first time: Healey was also the first Democratic governor to urge President Joe Biden to reconsider his reelection bid last year.

“She has picked her fights carefully, but she also shows her values every time she speaks out against Trump and what he represents. I think Democrats are hungering for that,” Phil Johnston, a former state Democratic Party chair, told Playbook.

Healey hasn’t missed a chance to reiterate her promise to work with Trump on any initiatives that will benefit the Bay State (She said as much to the NYT’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro.). But she hasn’t been putting the president on the blast the way someone might expect from the former attorney general who sued Trump roughly 100 times.

It’s a strategy that “places her squarely in a leadership position nationally in the Democratic party,” Johnston said.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Healey’s critics say the interview is a sign she’s angling for a “a bigger political role,” outside the Bay State.

HUH? EVER NOTICE MASS GOP THROWS MUD AT THE WALL WITH NO SUBSTANCE? NEVER ANY PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS! WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN WITH DOGE CHAINSAW MASSACRE? HOW ABOUT ADDRESSING MEDICAID CUTS? MOST OF THOSE ON MEDICAID ARE CHILDREN - MAGA GOP WANT WORK REQUIREMENTS? HOW MANY AMERICANS ARE UNINSURED? MEDICAID CUTS ARE INTENDED TO FUND THE $4.7 TRILLION TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY.

MAGA GOP SLASHING SNAP & OTHER FOOD BENEFITS....WHERE IS THE MASS GOP PROTESTING?

“While she plays to Washington insiders, Massachusetts taxpayers are left paying the price for her failures,” MassGOP Executive Director John Milligan said in a statement Sunday night.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Rep. Bill Keating holds a roundtable to talk about the impacts of potential cuts to Medicaid at 10:30 a.m. in Hyannis. Rep. Stephen Lynch hosts a virtual town hall at 7:30 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu reads to students at the Shaw-Taylor Elementary School for Read Across America Week at 11 a.m. in Dorchester. Attorney General Andrea Campbell announces new consumer protection regulations to prohibit “junk fees” at 10 a.m. in Boston.

Tips? Scoops? Oscar's takes? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

NOT HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO — House Speaker Ron Mariano has concerns about the state’s fiscal future. But there’s not much he believes the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation can do about it.

“I am worried, obviously,” Mariano told WBZ’s Jon Keller during an interview on “Keller @ Large” that aired Sunday. “I just know that we rely on the federal partner for about $15 billion coming into the state over the course of the year in a myriad of programs. If that’s cut significantly, then we are [in] a difficult position.”

But he doesn’t believe the delegation can save the Bay State from looming cuts to federal funding, as Keller put it.

“I don’t think there’s a lot they can do unless the Republicans begin to realize the silliness of some of the things that they’re trying to cut and we can get a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to stand up,” Mariano said.

RELATED READ — “‘3 Republican votes’: McGovern decries cuts to SNAP, other programs and looks for voters to put pressure on GOP,” by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican.

That’s all it would take during the budget reconciliation in late April or May to defeat the sweeping budget cuts that passed narrowly earlier this week. The reconciliation vote is what puts those cuts into law, said McGovern, D-Worcester, the top Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee.

IMHO: SHE'S AN AIRHEAD! THERE WERE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO REDUCE HEATING BILLS: WHO APPLIED FOR THEM? THERE ARE WIDELY CIRCULATED METHODS TO REDUCE YOUR HEATING BILLS....HOW MANY HAVE EMPLOYED ANY SUGGESTIONS? IT'S EASIER TO WHINE THAN TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY & WORK TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION.

WATCH — “Massachusetts State Sen. Kelly Dooner discusses high gas bill rates,” by Ed Harding and Sharman Sacchetti, WCVB.

excerpt:

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

Massachusetts State Sen. Kelly Dooner, who represents the third Bristol and Plymouth District, won her seat last November

The former Taunton City Council member defeated Democrat Joe Pacheco in a tight race, turning the seat Republican for the first time in decades.

She is now one of five Republicans in the Massachusetts State Senate, which has 40 members.

Economic issues and fiscal responsibility were major talking points for Republicans during the election last November.

Dooner was asked about the high gas rates this past winter and if Gov. Maura Healey should take responsibility.

“Whoever was sitting at the table and was like ‘yes, this is going to work for the Commonwealth’ was very out of touch with the challenges that families are facing right now,” Dooner said.

“Healey and the previous legislation did not get this right. I filed legislation on this to hopefully spark the discussion on what we can do differently and how we can make changes, because the residents here in the Commonwealth cannot continue to have $1,000 heating bills every month, that more than most people’s mortgages.”

Dooner was asked about Healey’s response to the high gas rates and if she thinks it was adequate enough.

“Until the utility bills have changed, then no, we have not done enough, we need a significant change,” Dooner said.

“For me personally, I don’t view this as a Republican versus Democrat issue, this is something that has affected everyone in the Commonwealth. I’m hopeful, [because] the legislation I filed did receive bipartisan support. That tells me that both sides are willing to work together to find a solution.”

— “Massachusetts town sues Healey administration over ‘great abuse of power’ with MBTA zoning law,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “Middleboro has sued the Healey administration due to what it says is a ‘great abuse of power’ as the state withholds previously committed grant funding in a fight over the controversial MBTA zoning plan. Officials say Gov. Maura Healey and the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities have rescinded a $73,000 grant for student mental health needs and are refusing to sign a $2.8 million MassWorks contract for commercial development infrastructure.”

PAYWALL BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG

ICYMI — “Badger was the only Democrat to vote in favor of auditing the Legislature,” by Andrea Estes, The Plymouth Independent: “Newly elected state representative Michelle Badger was the sole Democrat this week to vote in favor of cooperating with Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s proposed audit of the Legislature. … Badger said she voted the way Plymouth residents urged her to.”

— “Security scrub of Massachusetts emergency shelters finds flaws,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

PAYWALL BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston Water and Sewer Commission records list reason for ex-city councilor Michael Flaherty’s dismissal,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The Boston Water and Sewer Commission is ‘withholding information’ related to any investigations that have been conducted into its suspended HR director, but elaborated on why it fired general counsel and ex-city councilor Michael Flaherty. Flaherty was terminated from his $224,999 job at the quasi-public agency on Jan. 10 due to a ‘breakdown’ in his ‘working relationship’ with the Commission’s top executive, Henry Vitale, a BWSC spokesperson said in response to a series of Herald public records requests.”

PAYWALL BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG

— “Ed Flynn is one of Michelle Wu’s loudest critics on the Boston City Council. Is he needlessly obstructionist, or needed balance?,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe.

CURIOUS TIMING! WAS THIS TARGETED?

— “Federal audit raps Boston Housing Authority for failing to maintain public housing in safe, sanitary conditions,” by Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe: “The Boston Housing Authority, the city’s largest housing provider, failed to consistently maintain its public housing in a ‘decent, safe, and sanitary condition,’ according to a newly released federal audit. Problems were found in 31 of 36 housing units examined in 2023 by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General, according to the audit, released last week. Additionally, the agency failed to perform dozens of required inspections during fiscal years 2023 and 2022, the HUD office said.”

— “Mayor Wu begins ‘review’ of recent street safety upgrades — Here’s how to weigh in,” by Christian MilNeil, STREETSBLOG MASS: “Two weeks after announcing her decision to sacrifice a bus lane on Boylston Street, Mayor Wu's administration is moving forward with a '30-day review' of safety and transit improvements that have been implemented in the past three years, according to a City Hall memo."

— “Off-duty Boston Police officer kills knife wielding suspect inside Copley Square restaurant,” by Paul Connearney, WBUR: “An off-duty Boston Police officer shot and killed a man who was armed with a knife inside a Copley Square restaurant Saturday, according to police. Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said the officer took action after the suspect, wielding a knife, chased two people into the Chik-fil-A restaurant on Boylston Street. … The suspect was pronounced dead at the hospital. The officer was not hurt but was taken to the hospital as a precaution.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

THE NEWTON NEBBISH NEVER HELD PUBLIC OFFICE, NEVER VOTED OR LIVED IN BOSTON. DID LOTS OF FUND RAISING WHERE HIS EGO WAS STROKED BY THE WEALTHY ELITES HE SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH....FAULTS WHITE STADIUM & IGNORES THE FIASCO OF THE EVERETT SOCCER STADIUM...BLABBERS IMPRACTICAL SOLUTIONS....SCRUTINIZE THIS CANDIDATE CLOSELY!

— “On the campaign trail, Josh Kraft talks up rent control. But what does he mean by that?,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe.

D7 CASH DASH — Boston City Council hopeful Mavrick Afonso , who jumped in the crowded race to unseat District 7 Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson last week, raised $21,465 before the end-of-month reporting deadline, according to his campaign.

His list of early donors includes some big names in Boston and some fellow Gov. Deval Patrick alums: Jim Geraghty, Arthur Bernard, former Sen. Mo Cowan, PR maven Colette Phillips, Marvin Venay, Jason Burrell (who is listed as Afonso’s treasurer) and Clayton Turnbull.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Proponents ‘all in’ on Northern Tier passenger rail amidst federal uncertainty,” by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: “The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will apply this fall for Northern Tier Rail — proposed passenger rail service from the Boston area west through Greenfield to the Berkshires — to join a list of rail projects eligible for federal funding. This despite uncertainty surrounding how the new Trump administration will look upon that application, how the federal Department of Transportation might be staffed and restructured or how much funding will be available.”

DAY IN COURT

— “Judge shortage stymies court operations in WMass,” by Stephanie Barry, The Springfield Republican: “A series of retirements and the death of a local Superior Court judge have left a deficit of judges in the four western counties of the state, a gap blamed in part on geography and politics. There are 11 Superior Court seats for all four western counties. Four seats are vacant. What some judges privately call a public safety crisis has unfolded, with about 100 pending murder cases in the western courts, according to available statistics. There are about as many murder cases in Suffolk County, where there are nine Superior Court seats.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL ISSUE SINCE SOME STATES LAG SO FAR BEHIND & WILL BE GREATLY IMPACTED!

— “Markey pitches plan to offset education funding cuts,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Members of the state’s all-Democrat congressional delegation are pitching a plan to offset any potential cuts in education funding being considered by the Trump administration. The No Cuts to Public Schools Act, filed Thursday by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, would block cuts in federal education spending for public schools by requiring Congress to level fund or boost educational funding over the next several years.”

PAY WALL

GUEST LIST — Sen. Ed Markey is bringing Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch as his guest to President Donald Trump’s Joint Address to Congress Tuesday.

FROM THE 413

— “Judge Mulls Moss Suit against Sarno & If It Has Enough Disputed Facts for a Jury,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight.

— “Gov’s mental health cuts worry local advocates, Cutchins program in Belchertown at risk,” by Alexa Lewis, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed state budget cuts to the Department of Mental Health are raising concerns on behalf of some of the Pioneer Valley’s most vulnerable populations. Cost-cutting proposals include slashing the number of DMH case managers across the state in half, from 340 to 170, as well as cuts to adolescent intensive residential services which Cutchins Programs for Children and Families say would shutter their Three Rivers Clinically Intensive Residential Treatment Program (CIRT) in Belchertown — the only remaining program of its level and intensity in the state for children aged 6 to 12.”

— “Pittsfield City Council backs three state bills aimed to stem child sexual abuse,” by Maryjane Williams, The Berkshire Eagle: “The City Council backed three proposed state laws aimed at protecting children on Tuesday. At its meeting, councilors were critical of how similar measures have stalled on Beacon Hill and noted the bills' relevancy to recent investigations of alleged improper relationships with minors and misconduct at Pittsfield High School.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Cost overruns, 4-month delay forecast for Lowell High project,” by Melanie Gilbert, The Lowell Sun.

— “Special Everett City Council meeting planned to discuss payback of mayor’s $180k longevity bonus,” by Tonya Alanez and Jade Lozada, The Boston Globe: “The City Council has scheduled a special meeting for Tuesday to call for embattled Mayor Carlo DeMaria to repay $180,000 in longevity payments that a state investigation found he received improperly over a five-year period. Councilors will also ask DeMaria to have his administration approve $150,000 for an audit, take steps to improve the city’s financial controls, along with other compliances proposed by the state office of the inspector general.

EGG HUNT — The T elegram & Gazette’s Toni Caushi went in search of the cheapest eggs in Worcester. The least expensive spot: Shaw’s at Webster Square Plaza, where a carton was going to $5.49, with a two-carton-per-customer limit.

MEANWHILE IN VERMONT

JD VANCE IS BRAIN DEAD & CONTINUES TO PROVE IT!

ICY RECEPTION — Vice President JD Vance’s weekend ski trip to Vermont sparked an avalanche of backlash.

Demonstrators lined the streets near the Sugarbush resort, where Vance was hitting the slopes, — some set up near one of the lifts, too, per the VTDigger’s Greta Solsaa . Even the mountain’s snow report writer got in on the action.

DREAM ON!

One suggestion for the VP next time he’s in New England for ski season: “From a purely political standpoint VP Vance should have gone skiing in next door New Hampshire which is far more conservative and where he will be running for Prez in a few months/years,” Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and New Hampshire native posted on X . Plus, New Hampshire mountains “are better,” he wrote.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Avery Manousos is now press secretary for Rep. Ayanna Pressley. She was a speechwriter for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and is a Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Katherine Clark alum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Barry Finegold and Grace Nowakoski.

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