Bay State ballot envy
Candidates competing for the Democratic nomination in the crowded race to lead New York City did something rare in politics: Asking voters to support themselves and their competitors. New York mayoral hopefuls cross-endorsed and called on their supporters to rank slates of candidates representing similar political ideologies.
Some, like New York state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander campaigned side-by-side on Tuesday as New Yorkers hit the polls. Lander even celebrated Mamdani after it became clear his opponent/supporter was on track to win the nomination Tuesday night: 'Hope and solidarity won tonight, and will win again in November,' Lander posted on social media, congratulating Mamdani.
New York's election is 'really showing folks what's possible' in Massachusetts, said Ed Shoemaker, executive director of Ranked Choice Boston, an organization that supported the push to pass the home rule petition paving the way for ranked choice voting in Boston earlier this year.
'It doesn't have to be so ugly and so mean all the time,' Shoemaker told Playbook. 'Participation can be about positivity and collaborating with your neighbors and solving our problems collectively.'
New York's election hasn't been all kumbaya. Candidates and their supporters still poured millions into attack ads and bashed each other on the debate stage. And some didn't show much interest in earning — or dishing — support from their competitors. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo notably accepted an endorsement from New York state Sen. Jessica Ramos, a former foe, but didn't encourage his supporters to back her longshot candidacy. And he told reporters he only ranked himself while casting his ballot Tuesday.
The push for ranked choice voting in Boston has its critics. Even as the Boston City Council approved its home rule petition last month, some councilors argued against the measure after the city ran into ballot shortage problems last election that resulted in Secretary of State Bill Galvin appointing a receiver to oversee the department through the midterms.
Regardless, It'll be a while before Boston voters could start seeing changes to their ballots —and potentially the way candidates campaign. The home rule petition that's awaiting state approval would first put the question to voters. If they vote in favor of implementing ranked choice voting, ballots would change the following year.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Hey, we know him: Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown is officially jumping in the race to replace outgoing Sen. Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire, WMUR's Adam Sexton reports this morning.
'The reason I am running is [I'm] kind of fed up with the federal delegation,' Brown, a Republican, told WMUR. 'We've been blessed here in New Hampshire. We've had Gov. Sununu, Gov. Ayotte, the Legislature, the Executive Council all working very hard for years to protect the New Hampshire advantage — while we see in the federal delegation the over-taxation, overregulations.'
Brown is entering the race after former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu opted out of a bid despite efforts from top Republicans — and somewhat surprising praise from President Donald Trump, who the moderate Republican periodically sparred with.
Brown joins Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in vying for the seat.
Tips, scoops, birthdays, thoughts on New Hampshire's Senate race? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey addresses the New England Council at 9 a.m. in Boston, is on GBH's 'Boston Public Radio,' and testifies on her energy bill before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy at 1 p.m. at the State House. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House. Rep. Jake Auchincloss speaks at a Washington Post forum on the future of health policy at noon. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a groundbreaking for a housing development for older residents at 11 a.m. in Dorchester.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Healey taps venture capitalist Eric Paley to lead economic development by Jon Chesto and Aaron Pressman, The Boston Globe: 'Governor Maura Healey has tapped prominent venture capitalist Eric Paley to lead the state's economic development efforts and make the most of a $4 billion bond bill that lawmakers passed last year to support several of Massachusetts' most promising industries. Healey on Tuesday announced that Paley, managing partner at Cambridge VC firm Founder Collective, will take over for Yvonne Hao as economic development secretary. Paley will start in September and step away from his position managing the VC firm he cofounded. He'll earn just over $200,000 a year in the state job, the standard salary for a Cabinet secretary. In tapping Paley, Healey is fulfilling her goal to find a leader from the business community for the economic secretary post, much as she did with Hao, who left the role in April.'
— Healey unveils plan to bolster infrastructure by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'Gov. Maura Healey is touting a new plan to borrow billions of dollars to improve the state's roads, bridges and other infrastructure to blunt the impacts of climate change. The Mass Ready Act proposal, unveiled Tuesday, calls for creating a new state fund financed with bond money that will help the state and local governments fund infrastructure improvements. The plan also calls for streamlining the state's environmental review process to make it easier to get permits for crucial infrastructure projects and upgrades.'
— Healey buys lawmakers time with $7.5B interim budget filing by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'Lawmakers working on a compromise state budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 could get four more weeks of runway under an interim spending bill Gov. Maura Healey filed Monday. Healey submitted a nearly $7.5 billion proposal (HD 4844) that would continue to fund state government for about another month if the next spending cycle begins without a final budget in place.'
WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET
— Massachusetts AG Campbell sues Trump over obscure rule used to withhold federal funding to states by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined with more than 20 of her colleagues nationwide to keep the Trump administration from using an obscure provision in federal law to choke off billions of dollars in funding for the states. … The suit seeks to block the Republican White House from using a single provision in federal law, known as the 'agencies priorities clause,' to block funding to the states for programs ranging from fighting violent crime and education to protecting clean drinking water and addressing food insecurity, Campbell's office said in a statement.'
FROM THE HUB
— Boston hits 102 degrees at Logan, setting heat record for June by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: 'The city hit triple digits on Tuesday, as the heat dome blasts the region with brutal conditions. The thermometer at Boston Logan International Airport showed 102 degrees as of 5:23 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service's Boston office. The 102-degree reading set the record for the hottest ever June temp in city history. It broke the previous 100-degree June days in 2021, 1952, and 1925.'
— Critics slam draft transportation plan for White Stadium redevelopment, demand more details by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: 'Some Boston residents and critics of the city's effort to renovate White Stadium with a professional women's soccer team slammed the project's transportation plan Tuesday, arguing it is missing essential details and would lead to severe traffic and gridlock in the neighborhoods surrounding Franklin Park on Boston Legacy Football Club game days. It's the latest development in the more than a yearlong battle over the project, which has only become more of a political lightning rod in the months leading up to the November municipal election.'
FROM HARVARD YARD
— Harvard is back to the negotiating table with Trump. Here are changes the university has made to align with his goals. by Aidan Ryan and Anjali Huynh, The Boston Globe: 'While Harvard has publicly rejected President Trump's sweeping demands for reform on campus, the university has in the background made a handful of changes that bring it more in line with Trump's goals. Harvard says it has come to these changes — which range from new disciplinary procedures and reckonings over campus antisemitism to rhetorical shifts away from diversity, equity, and inclusion — on its own terms. A Harvard spokesperson pointed out that some of its actions predate Trump's pressure campaign against the university. Now, Harvard has come to the negotiating table after months of impasse. The Cambridge institution could potentially use those changes to argue it is on its way to addressing the president's concerns — particularly about campus antisemitism — without government intervention.'
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
ENDORSEMENT WATCH — Longtime former Boston state Rep. Liz Malia has endorsed Said Abdikarim in the crowded open race to replace District 7 Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, according to his campaign. Fernandes Anderson is set to step down from her seat next week after she pleaded guilty to federal corruption charges earlier this year.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— Passengers endure sweltering heat inside T stations by Jeremy Siegel, GBH News.
— MBTA commuter rail operator's CEO heads back to France by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: 'Abdellah Chajai, the CEO and general manager of the MBTA's contracted commuter rail operator Keolis Commuter Services, is leaving his position this summer and returning to France. In September, he will start a new job as executive director of marketing and innovation for the Keolis Group, a Paris-based conglomerate focused on public transportation.'
FROM THE DELEGATION
GOING WEST — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is heading to Oklahoma City this weekend to host a town hall Friday. She'll also headline the Oklahoma Democratic Party's Carl Albert Dinner Saturday.
— In her fight to preserve Medicaid, Sen. Elizabeth Warren revisits local boy's 2017 letter to President Trump by Maryjane Williams, The Berkshire Eagle.
FROM THE 413
— 'This is a proud day for Holyoke': State poised to end decade of receivership on July 1 by Samuel Gelinas, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'The governor has spoken — after more than a decade under state control, the Holyoke Public Schools will officially exit receivership beginning July 1, a move that state and city officials are touting as a 'proud day' for the Paper City but that its teachers union says fails to give them the power to negotiate.'
— Easthampton declares sanctuary for trans community by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'It's not often that a City Council decision draws a standing ovation, but that's exactly what happened last week when Easthampton's legislative body approved a resolution to protect the transgender, nonbinary, gender-diverse and intersex community from any attempts to remove their access to health care or community services.'
— Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti is retiring in January by Talia Lissauer, The Berkshire Eagle.
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Burlington Select Board demands inspection of ICE facility amid reports of poor conditions by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: 'The Burlington Select Board said in a statement during its Monday night meeting the town had sent a formal demand for inspection to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding the use of the agency's Burlington office for holding detainees. The demand for an inspection of the facility comes after the board was made aware of potential concerns with the facility at 1000 District Ave., which the board said in a June 10 statement was approved as an administrative processing center for ICE when it first opened in 2008.
— Dr. Michael Collins discusses successes, future challenges at UMass Chan by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: 'Dr. Michael Collins made it clear. He's not retiring, he's just getting ready to move into a new chapter in his career at UMass Chan Medical School. During an exclusive interview with the Telegram & Gazette on Tuesday, June 24, the same day the medical school announced that Collins is stepping down as chancellor next July after what will be 19 years at the helm at that point, Collins had his usual passion and penchant for storytelling.'
— Raynham rejects B-R override by Daniel Schemer, Taunton Daily Gazette: 'Raynham joined Bridgewater at the ballot in rejecting a Proposition 2 1/2 override that would have helped avoid drastic budget and staffing cuts to the school district — but would have cost the average taxpayer hundreds of dollars a year.'
— Newburyport City Council unanimously supports library resolution by Matt Petry, The Newburyport Daily News.
— New Bedford teachers win two weeks of paid family leave by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light.
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell has tapped Jason Thody to serve as the city's next police chief.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Eddie Rupia, Avital Mintz-Morgenthau, Seth Nadeau, Jeremy Bearer-Friend and Annie Schreiber of Kilpatrick Strategists Co.
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