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Presented by JUUL Labs
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
NEW: LEMOINE DROPS OUT OF CITY COUNCIL RACE — Boston City Council candidate Landon Lemoine is dropping out of the District 8 race, he'll tell supporters in an email this morning. That leaves five candidates who are vying for outgoing Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim's seat: Kenzie Bok, Montez Haywood, Kristen Mobilia, Jennifer Nassour and Helene Vincent.
"While this is challenging for me to say, I am withdrawing my candidacy for District 8 City Councilor," Lemoine will write to supporters.
Heading into the summer, Lemoine decided it would be too difficult to balance campaigning with his full-time job. He works for the Boston health care startup Bento, which he says is gearing up to double its staff. The last day to withdraw from the ballot is July 2.
"We've knocked thousands of doors . But as I look at June and July, I know my time's going to be limited because of that full-time job, and it's unfortunately not allowing me to run the campaign that I want," Lemoine told me last night. "The balance between the two has been tough. Every other candidate in this race, I don't believe is working full-time. They're able to do this 8 hours a day, while my window is much smaller."
Lemoine said he'll support at-large candidate Alejandra St. Guillen and stay involved in the race, but did not say which District 8 candidate he's rooting for. The number of candidates running did not impact his decision to get out of the race, Lemoine said. He was one of six candidates running for the District 8 seat, and more than 50 candidates have said they'll run for a City Council seat more broadly.
Though he's getting out of the City Council contest , Lemoine said he'll continue to call for new leaders who are representative of people working in the city. "It was always my intention to keep my full-time job during this campaign. I'm a young working guy in Boston. As you know, it's not cheap to live here," Lemoine said. "I think you should be able to run for City Council with a full-time job."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announce an accelerated capital plan for the MBTA at a press conference at Wellington Station in Medford. Polito co-chairs an Economic Development Planning Council engagement session at Framingham State University. Polito visits the Lena Park Community Development Corporation Fab Lab. Sen. Elizabeth Warren holds a town hall in Miami.
Attorney General Maura Healey testifies before the Joint Committee on Education. Polito and Healey attend a Suffrage Centennial kickoff celebration at Faneuil Hall. State Rep. Tami Gouveia hosts a "Commuter Conversations" event at the North Billerica Commuter Rail Station. Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell is a guest on "Boston Public Radio." Former Gov. Bill Weld campaigns in Concord, N.H.
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A message from JUUL Labs:
Youth vaping is a problem. We're taking action. No youth or non-nicotine user should ever try JUUL products. We've taken a series of actions to greatly reduce youth use of tobacco products, including our own. Learn more about our youth prevention efforts: JUUL.com/youth-prevention
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Massachusetts lawmakers expect 2020 budget to be late," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Massachusetts budget will be late again this year. Although the 2020 fiscal year begins July 1, lawmakers do not expect to have a state budget in place by then. "If you're asking me if it's going to be done by July 1, probably not," House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said when asked about the budget Monday afternoon. House and Senate leaders plan to pass a "one-twelfth budget" Monday and send it to Gov. Charlie Baker. That is a budget that level funds state government for the first month of the fiscal year to ensure that state agencies can continue operating without a full-year budget in place."
- "'We're getting close,' lawmakers vow on education funding revamp, without specifics on a deadline," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "For months Beacon Hill leaders have been saying overhauling the state's troubled education funding formula is one of the most urgent tasks before them, but as the height of summer approaches, the Legislature has produced little outward evidence of progress. Policy makers say movement is happening behind the scenes. The House and Senate chairs of the Joint Education Committee continue to meet regularly to try to hash out the thorny policy problems that derailed a similar effort last year. And both chambers have approved budgets that include down payments on a future education bill that would pump more money into struggling urban districts."
- "'People Could Die': AG Healey Calls For More Revenue For Transportation," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News: "Attorney General Maura Healey made an indirect criticism of Gov. Charlie Baker's approach to dealing with the transportation problems facing the state on Monday, calling the state's transportation infrastructure "pathetic." "The state of our transportation infrastructure is pathetic," Healey said during an interview with Boston Public Radio. "It's terrible. We've built up these massive areas in Kendall Square and the Seaport without any adequate planning with respect to transportation." Healey, who has described herself as having a good working relationship with the governor, said that "stuff is not happening" in response to a question by BPR host Jim Braude about whether she felt Baker had an appropriate sense of urgency in regard to the transportation crisis."
- "Mass. education commissioner to release plan to move public schools out of stagnation," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe:"Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley, after wrapping up his first full school year on the job, plans to present his vision on Tuesday for moving public education ahead in Massachusetts, placing an emphasis on expanding promising initiatives. His goal is to generate new momentum to push public schools out of a period of stagnation, according to his 14-page plan, "Our Way Forward." Riley, who oversees elementary and secondary education, created the plan after visiting more than 100 schools across the state in urban, suburban, and rural areas and after meeting with other stakeholders, such as teacher unions, business leaders, philanthropists, and families."
- "GOVERNOR HAS PRIVACY CONCERNS WITH UNION DUES BILL," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Gov. Charlie Baker is voicing concerns with a bill teed up for Senate debate later this week as a response to the 2018 Supreme Court ruling that public employees who don't belong to a union cannot be forced to pay union fees or dues. The House earlier this month voted 155-1 in favor of a bill (H 3854) that would allow unions to seek reimbursement from non-members for services like representation in grievance proceedings and to access contact information for employees who opt not to join."
- "Agreement clears way for state to help manage T pension fund," by Brian MacQuarrie and Aidan Ryan, Boston Globe: " The state pension system moved a step closer to managing some of the MBTA's troubled retirement fund, after MBTA workers and the transit authority struck an agreement to allow some money to be invested by managers for the larger state fund. The fiscal control board of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority voted Monday to add the state retirement fund as a potential manager of some or all of the $1.5 billion MBTA pension fund. The move came days after the Boston Carmen's Union, which represents more than 6,000 MBTA employees, voted to amend its trust agreement to add the state's Pension Reserves Investment Management Board as one of multiple managers for the MBTA pensions."
- "SAFETY CONCERNS SPUR MBTA TO FORM REVIEW PANEL," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "With the cause of a June 11 Red Line derailment still a mystery and as customers question the safety of the trains they rely on, the MBTA's oversight board on Monday announced the formation of a panel that includes a former U.S. transportation secretary to review MBTA safety practices and incidents. The announcement of the new Safety Review Panel -- which will include former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, former acting administrator of the Federal Transit Administration Carolyn Flowers and former New York City Transit President Carmen Bianco -- came as the T seeks to examine a recent spate of derailments and broader safety questions."
- "Baker nominates psychologist to continue serving on parole board," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Gov. Charlie Baker nominated a psychologist to continue serving on the parole board Monday, just days after members of the Governor's Council raised concerns that the body is prosecutor-heavy. Asked if he was sending a message to the Governor's Council with his nomination of Charlene Bonner, Baker said she deserved another term. "Charlene Bonner has been serving on the Parole Board for quite a while and, in fact, sits in a position that requires a certain set of skills — specific requirements — to serve on the board and I think based on the review of her work, people felt it was appropriate to re-nominate her," Baker said."
- "State Funding For Electric Vehicle Rebates Dries Up," by Craig LeMoult, WGBH News: "After September, Massachusetts won't give rebates to people who buy electric vehicles. The state program behind the rebates is running out of money. For the last five years, the state has been giving $1,500 rebates to people who buy electric vehicles. The MOR-EV program has given over $30 million to more than 14,000 electric vehicle buyers. But as electric vehicles get more popular, money for the program has been running dry, and state lawmakers have failed to extend the program."
- "More dysfunction than diversity," by Jean Trounstine, Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism: "It was quite a show in Room 157 of the Massachusetts State House last Wednesday. Not exactly a typical Governor's Council hearing. It's not usual for arguments to break out between councilors, or for a parole board nominee to almost dissolve into tears. But both of those things happened during this highly contentious five-hour event, a precursor to the decision of whether Karen McCarthy will gain a seat on the parole board (the vote is on Wednesday, June 26). In addition to such scenes, there were powerful testimonies about McCarthy, a career prosecutor and parole board nominee from the Hampden County District Attorney's office."
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POLITICO's The Agenda: The New Moon Race issue, presented by Leidos, has landed. America is heading back to the moon, but so is everyone else. This special report brings together POLITICO's growing space expertise with pivotal industry players, including NASA chief Jim Bridenstine, to explore the stakes of the new moon race. Read the full issue now.
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "19-year-old man is killed in officer-involved shooting," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe. Link.
- "'I can't be naive anymore': Targeted by arson fires, Mass. rabbis face anti-Semitism at home," by Deanna Pan, Boston Globe: "Luna Bukiet smelled smoke first. It was late, sometime after 10 p.m on Saturday, May 11, the end of Shabbat. The kids were asleep. Her husband, Rabbi Avi Bukiet, was studying in his office. Luna was reading a novel on the living room couch. Avi, Luna asked, do you smell that? A neighborhood bonfire, perhaps? Or a nearby barbecue? Nothing to worry about. Luna headed upstairs to bed. Nearly an hour later, the fire alarm shrieked. Avi ran out of the office. Luna woke the kids and hurried them into the car. Tendrils of dusky smoke were creeping through the floorboards. The basement was engulfed in a black, impenetrable fog."
- "City Council President Releases Her Own Plan To Make Schools More Equitable," by Kathleen McNerney and Sara Rose Brenner, WBUR: " Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell is calling for 13 steps to improve the city's education system and make it more equitable for all students. Campbell — who does not have any direct oversight of Boston Public Schools — wants the district to increase the number of high quality (so-called Tier 1) seats for students, establish common graduation standards across all high schools, create more transparency on early childhood strategies and place more special education and English language learner programs in high quality schools over the next one to three years, among other things ."
- "We were at the Encore for its first 24 hours. Here are the most interesting things we saw," by Jaclyn Reiss, Boston Globe: "After about seven years of intrigue and controversy, the Encore Boston Harbor in Everett finally opened with fireworks, fanfare, and Frank (Sinatra) on Sunday morning. However, with the many thousands of people traversing the casino complex's grounds on opening day, there were bound to be some interesting vignettes. Here's a look at some of the more curious things our reporters saw, heard, or found out."
- "Why Insulin Defies The Normal Rules Of Economics And Keeps Getting More Expensive," by Callum Borchers, WBUR: "Here's a basic economic principle: The price of a product usually falls over time. That's often because competitors offer alternatives, or new advances make past breakthroughs less valuable. Yet none of the typical pressures have driven down the price of insulin, as Everett resident Joanne Rhoton knows all too well. She's a diabetes patient who sometimes takes less than her prescribed dose, to make her supply last longer."
- "Kendall Square businesses, citing a 'state of emergency,' demand revenue to fix the T," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "Lots of people in Kendall Square are fed up with the poor reliability of the MBTA, which serves many of the workers who commute to the district's businesses. It's an eclectic mix — a group of CEOs and other managers from three dozen or so employers who sent a letter to state officials on Monday complaining about an increasing source of frustration: the daily commute."
- "Was Stop & Shop strike a turning point?," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE STOP & SHOP STRIKE earlier this year cost the company about $100 million and resulted in a contract the workers could agree to, but whether the power on display at Bay State grocery stores was an aberration or a sign of resurgent force in private sector labor is an open question. For decades, private sector labor has been on a decline around the United States, but the Stop & Shop strike gained big buy-in from the public and politicians. Jeff Bollen, who is president of the United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1445, noticed a connection between his union reaching an agreement with Stop & Shop and then later gaining some concessions from Macy's."
- "The American militia movement, a breeding ground for hate, is pulling in cops on Facebook," by Will Carless and Michael Corey, Reveal: "Over the last year, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting identified almost 150 current and retired cops who were members of Facebook groups run by and for Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and other militias. These law enforcement officers are a subset of a larger contingent of cops we identified as members of Confederate, anti-Islam, misogynistic or other extremist groups on Facebook. Inside one Facebook group we briefly joined before being banned, we identified 17 current and former law enforcement officers, including retired cops from Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Arkansas, Illinois and Texas and cops and sheriffs who are still on-duty in New York, Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Another former trooper is sentenced in overtime scandal," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "A former Massachusetts State Police trooper ensnared in the high-profile overtime scandal was sentenced in federal court Monday to one day in prison deemed served. Paul E. Cesan, 51, of Southwick must also serve a year of supervised release and pay a $5,500 fine as well as restitution for collecting for overtime hours he did not work. US District Judge Douglas P. Woodlock sentenced Cesan in US District Court in Boston. Cesan was arrested last June and pleaded guilty in November to collecting more than $29,200 for overtime he did not work in 2016, a year in which his total pay topped $163,000, including more than $50,000 in overtime pay."
- "Bernard Sigh, brother-in-law of former Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick, sentenced to prison on rape, kidnapping charges," by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: "Bernard Sigh, the former brother-in-law of former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, was sentenced Monday after he was convicted of rape, stalking, kidnapping, witness intimidation and other offenses earlier this month. Judge Robert Cosgrove imposed sentences of 5 to 6 years for the kidnapping and rape charges. He then sentenced Sigh to 1 to 2 years to be served consecutively on the stalking conviction, meaning the full sentence would total 6 to 8 years. Sigh also received 15 years probation on the witness intimidation and assault and battery charges."
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| ON THE STUMP |
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- "Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale Endorses Julia Mejia for Boston City Council At-Large," from the Mejia campaign:"Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale, a chapter of Progressive Massachusetts, today announced their endorsement of Julia Mejia for Boston City Council At-Large. In last year's election, the group endorsed and volunteered their support to a roster of candidates who have already begun to shift the landscape of local politics and policies in the city of Boston, including the historical election of District Attorney Rachael Rollins."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "The 2008 Class that Explains Elizabeth Warren's Style," by Michael Kruse, POLITICO: "In the middle of the volatile fall of 2008, with foreclosures skyrocketing and companies failing and unemployment spiking and the stock market sinking, 80 rattled first-semester Harvard Law School students stood outside a classroom and watched the Dow plummet yet again. Then they stepped inside and took their seats for their contracts course with professor Elizabeth Warren. "And professor Warren's like, 'We're actually not going to talk about contracts,'" former student Danielle D'Onfro told me. "'We're going to talk about what's happening in the world.'" Warren ditched the syllabus and instead gave a lecture on the cratering economy and its causes, encapsulating the collapse as she understood it."
- "'These People Are Ready To Bolt': Elizabeth Warren Allies Plan To Target Joe Biden Voters," by Ruby Cramer, BuzzFeed News:"You won't hear Elizabeth Warren say it, but allies at a national progressive group working closely with her campaign will: Joe Biden supporters "are ready to bolt." That's part of the premise behind a new effort by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, launched Monday morning, to highlight and collect information from Democratic primary voters who previously supported another candidate or identified as undecided, but made the move to Warren after seeing her "in action" on the trail."
- "Bernie Sanders faces a new kind of threat in Elizabeth Warren," by Sean Sullivan, Washington Post: "The Bernie Sanders campaign, facing a new challenge in the rise of Elizabeth Warren, has settled for now on a careful if sometimes awkward strategy: emphasizing Sanders's unique position in the liberal movement, while avoiding direct attacks on Warren and rolling out plans that overlap with her attention-grabbing ideas. That approach was on display Monday as Sanders introduced a proposal to cancel all student debt across the country. His plan came about two months after Warren announced her own idea for scrapping student debt, one that would cover fewer people than Sanders's would."
- "How Elizabeth Warren Learned to Fight," by Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times: "It was 1962 in Oklahoma City and Liz Herring, a new student at Northwest Classen High School, was feeling insecure. She was good at school, had skipped a grade, and now, as a skinny freshman with glasses and crooked teeth who had grown up in a town south of the capital, she was hungry to fit in. She joined the Cygnet Pep Club to show her school spirit and the Courtesy Club to help visitors find their way around the school. She became a member of the Announcers Club, reading messages over the school's central sound system. But it was the debate club where she really found herself. At a time when Home Ec and preparing for marriage were priorities for young women, debate was a place where they could compete on equal ground."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Ravelry, the Facebook of knitting, has banned pro-Trump posts over 'open white supremacy,'" by Alex Horton, Washington Post:"Scarves, gloves, shawls, caps — if it can be knit or crocheted, you can probably find a design for it on Ravelry. It just can't resemble President Trump. Ravelry, an 8-million-strong social network known as the "Facebook of knitting" and behemoth of all things soothingly created with needlework, has banned all support for Trump and his administration, it announced Sunday. It's another indication that politics has seeped everywhere — including forums where you can discuss which yarn works best to create crochet bunnies."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Moulton Releases His First Television Ads of the Cycle," from the Moulton campaign: "Moulton for America is releasing our first television ads of the cycle. These 30-second ads will play during or right before the Democratic Presidential Debates in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. In addition, we are releasing an extended 60-second online ad that will be playing on digital platforms in the coming days." 30-second ad.
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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- "New York Times: Whatever Happened to Moral Capitalism?" by Michael Kazin, New York Times: "What kind of economy do Democrats believe in? Joe Biden calls for "stronger labor laws and a tax code that rewards [the] middle class." Bernie Sanders wants to raise taxes on the rich and guarantee every adult a job. Elizabeth Warren has a slew of plans that include giving employees seats on corporate boards and breaking up giant firms like Facebook and Amazon. Kamala Harris urges a big tax cut for ordinary families and "stricter penalties for companies that cheat their workers." Recent polls show that the public is increasingly supportive of proposals like these. Yet no one who hopes to become the nominee has yet come up with a larger vision that would animate such worthy ideas. And without an inspiring way to tie them together, they may come across to voters like items on a mediocre takeout menu: tasty enough but forgettable. So let one loyal, if anxious, Democrat offer a solution."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "State marijuana regulators investigating Holyoke marijuana companies Holyoke Gardens and Positronic Farms," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Cannabis Control Commission is investigating marijuana companies Holyoke Gardens and Positronic Farms, according to a spokeswoman for the state marijuana regulatory agency. The spokeswoman would not comment further because the investigation is ongoing. The news signals mounting troubles for the companies, which had plans to launch a marijuana cultivation business in a former Holyoke paper mill. Last week, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin charged Positronic Farms and its founder David Caputo with violating state securities laws. Caputo has denied wrongdoing."
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A message from JUUL Labs:
We're combating the problem of underage vaping by:
Advocating for raising the legal age to purchase our products to 21+ nationwide.
Stopping the sale of non-tobacco and non-menthol based flavored JUULpods to traditional retail stores.
Enhancing our online age verification process.
Strengthening our retail compliance program with over 2,000 secret shopper visits per month.
Shutting down our Facebook and Instagram accounts and working to remove inappropriate social media content generated by others on those platforms.
And investing in new technologies to further prevent youth use.
JUUL.com/youth-prevention |
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| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Dedicated Bus Lanes Are Making Commutes Faster In And Around Boston, Data Show," by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: "Bus lanes are speeding up commutes in Greater Boston, according to newly compiled MBTA data. Several Boston-area communities have tested out bus-only lanes in recent years, including Arlington, Cambridge, Watertown and Everett. These bus lanes have made buses faster and more reliable, according to BostonBRT, an initiative focused on developing bus rapid transit in the region. BostonBRT is backed by the Barr Foundation, which funded the pilots."
- "T's commuter rail on a roll," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE RED LINE continues to plod along in the wake of the June 11 derailment, but the MBTA's commuter rail system is on something of a roll. From December through May, the system's 14 train lines as a group had their best on-time performance since Keolis Commuter Services began running the system five years ago. The 14 lines as a whole were on time (defined as within five minutes of the arrival time) 90 percent or more of the time over that six-month period. The best month was December at 93.2 percent (the system's best month ever) and the lowest was February at 90 percent. The six month average was 92 percent."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "WHY WAS HE DRIVING?" — Globe: "Latinos bemoan inertia in Democrats," "For driver, an erratic record." |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Buried toxins found in more Dartmouth locations as more soil tests reveal PCBs," by Jennette Barnes, SouthCoast Today:"Contaminated soil has been uncovered at new locations in the Bliss Corner neighborhood as part of a state investigation into industrial waste found in the area last year. Tests show four new places on McCabe, East Wordell and Donald Streets where toxic waste exceeds residential standards, plus additional locations where contaminants were detected but fall within the standards."
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| MEDIA MATTERS |
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- Mike Stanton and Christine Haughney Dare-Bryan are the Boston Globe's new Spotlight fellows. Link.
- Steve Hewitt was promoted to general assignment sports reporter at the Boston Herald. Tweet.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Jeremy Bearer-Friend, acting assistant professor of tax law at NYU School of Law and an Elizabeth Warren alum.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Red Sox beat the White Sox 6-5.
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.
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