POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WARREN’s home state support — BAKER and WALSH break on MBTA — Can the SEAPORT survive?



WARREN’s home state support — BAKER and WALSH break on MBTA — Can the SEAPORT survive?


Jun 19, 2019View in browser
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
WARREN'S HOME STATE SUPPORT — Nearly 20 elected officials from Massachusetts have endorsed a bill filed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren that she says would provide families with "free, high-quality childcare and early learning options."
The Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act was endorsed by some lawmakers who are supporting Warren in the 2020 election, and others who have not yet said which candidate they prefer. Fellow Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and 2020 competitor New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker are among the bill's cosponsors.
As it stands, the state legislature isn't in lockstep behind either of Massachusetts' home state candidates — Warren or Rep. Seth Moulton. And that has marked a difference between Warren and some other presidential candidates. More than a dozen state lawmakers attended a fundraiser for former Vice President Joe Biden in Boston earlier this month, and other elected officials have announced their support for South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg, including Senate Ways and Means chair Michael Rodrigues.
Home state endorsements are a way for candidates to prove they've got political muscle back home as they step onto the national stage. Sen. Kamala Harris rolled out endorsements from a number of Democrats in her home state of California shortly after her campaign launch, and Booker locked up many New Jersey Democrats soon after jumping in the race. Biden was quickly endorsed by the Delaware delegation when he announced he would run for president.
Although endorsing legislation is not the same thing as endorsing Warren's presidential bid, this bump from elected officials across the state is proof they've got faith in her ideas — and that she's able to coordinate with officials at home as she crisscrosses the country to woo Democratic voters.
Here's one to watch: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, as CommonWealth's Andy Metzger points out. Walsh is backing Warren's childcare bill, though he is waiting to endorse a 2020 candidate. The mayor is close with Biden, has a relationship with Warren and calls himself a Harris fan.
The list of bill supporters also includes some 2016 Bernie Sanders backers, like state Sen. Jamie Eldridge. Eldridge had lunchwith the Vermont senator and a group of state lawmakers on Beacon Hill in April. Other state lawmakers who have backed Warren's proposal include Warren 2020 supporter Sen. Eric Lesser, as well as Sen. Jason Lewis, Rep. Alice Peisch, Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis, Rep. Sarah Peake, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and Rep. Jon Santiago.
Among city officials, supporters of the bill are Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux, Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell, Boston City Councilors Michelle Wu and Lydia Edwards, Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, North Adams Mayor Thomas Bernard, Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty.
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 is honored by the Environmental Business Council of New England in Newton. Lt. Gov. Karyn Politochairs a weekly meeting of the Governor's Council, and announces five winners of the MassNextGen Initiative in Cambridge. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends a Boston Police Academy graduation. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu speaks at a volunteer summit for Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign.
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DATELINE BEACON HILL
- "On MBTA, a rare rift between Baker and Walsh," by Matt Stout and Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "Forged four years ago amid a snow-fueled MBTA debacle, the bipartisan "bromance" between Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin J. Walsh has helped drive policy making, political chatter, and even parody. But the T's latest woes have seemingly opened something else between the Republican and Democrat — a rare fissure. As Baker defends his administration's ability to steady the T, it's Walsh who's suddenly providing some of the fiercest fire, lambasting the agency's planned fare hikes and, on Tuesday, directly criticizing the work of Baker's appointees on the T's oversight board following last week's Red Line train derailment."
- "House aims to pass Greenworks bill this summer," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "GOV. CHARLIE BAKER'S bill to fund climate change adaptation would allow the state to assist private property owners and it includes a revenue source - two features that are not included in the so-called Greenworks bill backed by House Speaker Robert DeLeo, which is on track for a floor vote in the next couple months. After hearings on both bills on Tuesday, the speaker's office said the House would take up his climate change bill this summer and expressed reservations about the governor's approach. For his part, the governor was quite deferential about the Greenworks bill."
- "Tipped workers press for 'one fair' minimum wage," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "Eliminating the separate, lower minimum wage for tipped employees would help workers achieve greater financial stability and reduce exposure to harassment, advocates said Tuesday. While state law holds that employers are required to make up the nearly $7 per hour difference between the standard and tipped minimum wages if gratuities are insufficient, workers who shared their personal stories at the Statehouse said they are "exploited" by the existing system. Relying on tips, they said, creates uncertainty about actual take-home pay levels, and many employees said they often have to endure rampant sexual harassment because speaking up risks losing out on key gratuities."
- "Despite Passage of Law, Advocates Say State Is Still Slow To Allow Compassionate Release," by Arjun Singh, WGBH News:"Alexander Phillips was the first inmate to be released from prison in Massachusetts under the state's "compassionate release" law. Diagnosed with terminal cancer and imprisoned for homicide, Phillips' initial application to the Department of Corrections was rejected, but after a second attempt with the help of lawyer Ruth Greenberg, Phillips was released in November 2018. He died 24 days later. Though Massachusetts is looked at nationally as a bellwether state for progressive legislation, it was one of the last states to pass a compassionate release bill, which was part of last summer's omnibus criminal justice reform package."
ANOTHER OF CHARLIE BAKER POLITICAL HACKS! ARTICLE BELOW 
- "Severance agreement turns into consulting contract," by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "JOHN CHAPMAN, the former undersecretary of consumer affairs and business regulation in the Baker administration, seems to live a charmed life. The Republican landed his job in 2015, shortly after losing a race for Congress to Rep. William Keating. Four years later he left, with the agency issuing a press release quoting him as saying "it is time to pursue new projects and give others the opportunity to take on leadership roles." A source at the agency, however, said the parting of ways was not amicable. Still, Chapman landed on his feet."
- "Legislators challenge nondisclosure agreements on Beacon Hill," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Two women legislators — both self-identified survivors of sexual misconduct — are calling out House Speaker Robert DeLeo for keeping nondisclosure agreements as an option they say will "silence victims" on Beacon Hill. "These agreements continue to be abused across state government, using taxpayer dollars," state Sen. Diana DiZoglio said. The Methuen Democrat said DeLeo's policy on sexual harassment is filled with loopholes. She said victims can choose a nondisclosure agreement if DeLeo and his appointees "believe the victim's claim of sexual harassment." For harassment claims that are not approved, DiZoglio added citing her own alleged harassment case eight years ago, they can be required to take a nondisclosure agreement and waive their rights to file lawsuits or to speak out."
- "Payroll tax to fund family and medical leave will be higher, begin later than planned," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "The payroll tax intended to fund paid family and medical leave benefits will kick in later than first expected and at a higher rate than initially authorized by the Legislature. Lawmakers and Governor Charlie Baker last week imposed a three-month delay, until Oct. 1, on the start of payroll tax contributions to fund the estimated $800 million paid family and medical leave program launched so workers can more easily take care of themselves and their families without facing financial crises."
- "Boys in the boardroom, consider yourself warned," by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: "Boys, consider yourself warned. Time's up on self-regulation. Spilka, now Senate president, and Haddad, the House's number three leader, are back at it again. But this time they're pushing a pair of bills to mandate women on boards of public companies headquartered in Massachusetts, as well as on state commissions. In other words, gender diversity in the boardroom would become law. The reality is that the bill requiring public-sector boards to reach gender parity by 2022 will probably have an easier time passing than one mandating women on corporate boards. It may shape up to be a redux of the 2016 battle royale to pass the state pay-equity law."
- "'Food Is Medicine' Report Outlines Menu Of Options," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "At a time when consumers are paying more attention to nutrition and the source of their food, the state could do more to integrate food into health care as a way to address chronic conditions and avoid some health care spending, a new report found. The Food is Medicine State Plan, a joint effort of the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School and service provider Community Servings, focused on nutrition's link to chronic diseases like diabetes or cardiovascular disease, and the notion that food can act as medicine when meals are tailored to meet the specific needs of people living with or at risk for certain serious health conditions."
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.
FROM THE HUB
- "The feds are looking into the sale of the Harvard fencing coach's house," by Joshua Miller and Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "A federal grand jury is investigating the Harvard fencing coach's sale of his Needham house to a wealthy Maryland businessman whose teenage son was eyeing admission to the prestigious university. The US attorney's office for Massachusetts sent a subpoena in April to the Needham Board of Assessors, ordering the town to turn over years of documents and records relating to the valuation of the property. The subpoena, which the Globe reviewed this week, was sent by Assistant US Attorney Eric S. Rosen, the lead prosecutor in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal that has ensnared Hollywood celebrities, wealthy investors, and college coaches and consultants."
- "An issue-oriented council race," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "When at-large City Councilor Michelle Wu teamed up with District 7 Councilor Kim Janey and at-large candidate Alejandra St. Guillen to open a joint campaign office in Dudley Square Saturday, it was the first time in 10 years a slate of candidates has worked together in a local Boston election. "A campaign office should be about building a movement, about bringing people in, about collaborating, about staying true to the vision," Wu said, 'so that after Election Day, you're going to have a team ready to go, ready to make it happen.'"
- "Walsh charges 'there's absolutely no checks and balances right now' at MBTA," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "A day after MBTA leaders rejected his calls to halt a planned fare hike, Mayor Martin J. Walsh escalated his attacks on the transit agency and charged that its deteriorating performance is hurting the rapidly growing city. "There's absolutely no checks and balances right now," Walsh said Tuesday of T leadership, offering that its governing board has made "difficult decisions" to solidify the T's financial picture since its creation in 2015 but is falling short in delivering basic service. "Getting your fiscal house in order is one thing. Now it's about getting the actual trains running," he said at an unrelated event in the North End."
- RELATED: "Moderate Marty suddenly dials it up," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "TRYING TO PROTECT HIS left flank, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh jumped into the debate over the MBTA by calling for a local seat on the transit authority's next oversight board and demanding that the July 1 fare increase be put off until the T is fully operational. Neither of his requests went very far. Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and Joseph Aiello, the chair of the T's Fiscal and Management Control Board, rejected out of hand the idea of putting off the long-planned fare hike. And the T governance issue hasn't even come up for debate yet on Beacon Hill."
- "Boston Built a New Waterfront Just in Time for the Apocalypse," by Prashant Gopal and Brian K. Sullivan, Bloomberg: "On a balmy June morning, a gathering of local dignitaries welcomed the latest glittering jewel to Boston's new Seaport District: a 17-story tower that will house 1,000 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. employees. In a display of artistry and engineering, the $240 million building will have an undulating glass facade designed to reflect the harbor's rippling waters, as if it had risen fully formed from the ocean's depths. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker marveled that he'd officiated at three or four groundbreakings here in just a few weeks. "Do you get to keep all that tax revenue?" he joked with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh."
- "Looking to rent an apartment in Massachusetts? You might need more than one job," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "To afford rent on a typical two-bedroom apartment in Massachusetts, you need to earn almost three times the state's $12-an-hour minimum wage, according to a study released Tuesday. The report, from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, estimates that a household needs $33.81 an hour to comfortably afford an average two-bedroom here, giving the state the third highest so-called housing wage in the country. In Greater Boston, that wage is even higher — $42.19 per hour — and far outpaces not just the minimum wage but the earnings of a typical renter, at just over $20 an hour."
- "With an ex-priest as her top aide, Althea Garrison seeks to challenge council from the right," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "They are an unlikely pair, even in politics, brought together under equally unlikely circumstances. Althea Garrison was a perennial candidate for three decades until a vacancy led to her appointment to the City Council in January. Mark Murphy served in the Massachusetts National Guard for 10 years and was an ordained Roman Catholic priest until he left the ministry in 2018. Last fall, amid a changeover on the council that elevated Garrison to the seat, Murphy sent her a letter praising her tenacity and advocacy, specifically for veterans. She sent him a Christmas card. They met for the first time over coffee at Caffè Nero in Downtown Crossing."
ON THE STUMP
- "US Senate candidate Shannon Liss-Riordan testifies in favor of eliminating sub-minimum wage for tipped workers," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Democratic attorney running for U.S. Senate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, testified before a Massachusetts legislative committee on Tuesday in support of a bill that would eliminate the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers. "It is unfair that workers have to depend on the whims of their customers for their livelihood," Liss-Riordan said in an interview. The Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development held a hearing on H.1617, a bill sponsored by Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, that would gradually require tipped workers be paid the same minimum wage as any other worker."
DAY IN COURT
- "David Ortiz case a high-profile test for troubled Dominican criminal justice system," by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe:"Closed-door hearings inside a mobile trailer. Suspects held for up to a year while investigators scour for evidence. Allegations of police beatings designed to coerce confessions. At the center of it all, a nation scrambling to find out who wanted to kill a national hero and why. The high-profile investigation into the plot to kill David Ortiz will test the Dominican Republic's troubled and under-funded criminal justice system under the harsh glare of the international spotlight."
WARREN REPORT
- "Elizabeth Warren will introduce legislation to cancel student loan debt for most borrowers," by Annie Nova, CNBC:"Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren isn't waiting for the election to push forward her proposal to erase the majority of the country's outstanding student debt. The Massachusetts senator and Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.) announced on Wednesday their plan to introduce legislation in the Senate and House to eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt for 42 million Americans. "It's time to decide: Are we going to be a country that only helps the rich and powerful get richer and more powerful, or are we going to be a country that invests in its future?" Warren said, in a statement ."
- "As Elizabeth Warren makes gains in the primary, Trumpworld takes notice," by Liz Goodwin and Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: " In a presidential campaign defined by sudden surges and by former vice president Joe Biden's dominance in the early polls, Senator Elizabeth Warren has done something unique: posted a steady rise through a crowded field. But she doesn't want to talk about it. As Warren took the microphone in a restaurant on her 11th trip to New Hampshire on Friday, she pressed on with the policy talk that has powered her momentum, drawing hearty applause from Democrats here as she explained her marquee plan to tax the richest Americans — and left it to her supporters to celebrate the apparent success of her strategy."
"Warren emerges as potential compromise nominee," by Natasha Korecki and Charlie Mahtesian, POLITICO: "There was a time not so long ago when leading Democrats warned that Elizabeth Warren's "fantasy-based blue-state populism" risked leading the party to ruin.
But in a revealing tell of how far her campaign has come since its early February launch, some unlikely voices in the center of the party are growing more comfortable with the idea of Warren as the nominee."
TRUMPACHUSETTS
- "Remember the Globe Opinion satirical Trump front page? He's moving closer to making it a reality," by Martin Finucane, Boston Globe: "President Trump tweeted Monday night that US immigration agents are planning to make mass arrests to round up migrant parents and children in a blitz operation across major cities. "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States," Trump wrote, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "They will be removed as fast as they come in." Strangely, the move takes Trump one step closer to making a mock front page created by the Globe's opinion section in April 2016 a reality."
- "Marty Walsh: Trump's trolling us with ICE tweet," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Mayor Martin Walsh said he isn't falling for President Trump's tweeted threat of an impending immigration crackdown — though an advocate against illegal immigration says he could be serious this time. "The president plays us all," Walsh said Tuesday. 'It's all a game to him, and I think anytime he feels a little heat by some news, he goes back to the immigration thing to get his base riled up — and I wish they would see through that.'"
THE CLARK CAUCUS
- "Clark tours Malden's South Cove Community Health Center," WickedLocal Malden: "Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Congresswoman Katherine Clark visited the South Cove Community Health Center on Sunday, June 16 to tour the new facility, meet with providers and staff, and discuss the U.S. House of Representative's recent actions to defend health care coverage. Clark's visit was part of a national "Health Care Weekend of Action" that more than 140 members of Congress participated in from June 14 to June 17. "The House is advancing critical, lifesaving legislation to lower the cost of health care and the price of prescription drugs and protect people with pre-existing conditions," said Clark."
ABOVE THE FOLD
— Herald"MARTY DIGS IN!"  Globe"MBTA woes could derail leaders' close ties," "Grand jury scrutinizes home sale by coach," "BACK TO CANDIDATE TRUMP."
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
- "Electric Planes to Debut for Airline Serving Nantucket, Vineyard," by Tara Patel, Bloomberg: "Electric-plane company Eviation Aircraft Ltd., which just signed up its first customer, predicts that in a few years it may not be able to keep up with orders. "We'll have a supply issue, not a demand issue," Chief Executive Officer Omer Bar-Yohay said in an interview at the Paris Air Show. The founder of the Israeli venture capital-backed developer said U.S. regional airline Cape Air has agreed to buy a "double-digit" number of planes. The carrier flies some 88 Cessna turbo-props on routes such as Boston to Martha's Vineyard and New York to Nantucket."
FROM THE 413
- "Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno vetoes ordinance calling for election reminder postcards," by Peter Goonan, Springfield Republican: " Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has vetoed a City Council proposal to send postcards to all voters ahead of municipal elections, which was hoped to increase voter turnout. "Are we now talking about publicly financing campaigns — is that our next step?" Sarno said in his veto message Tuesday. "There are certainly a lot of unanswered questions. Is this now going to lead to other elections including special elections, referendum questions, and/or state elections too?" The council could override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The ordinance passed by an 11-2 vote Monday.
- "Hampden County's Pepper Spray Problem," by Seth Kershner, Shoestring: "In a video posted on Masslive last year, Sgt. Joseph Celetti, a Hampden County Sheriff's Department employee and academy commandant at the Western Massachusetts County Correctional Officer's Training Academy, described OC as "one of the tools that we utilize at the sheriff's department to gain compliance for inmates who are actively resisting." Along with knee and fist strikes, chemicals—carried in a spray can by supervising officers who have received special training—are considered a key part of the jailer's use of force tool kit. Commonly known as pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum, or OC, is the chemical agent used most frequently by correctional officers in Massachusetts and around the country. An analysis of hundreds of pages of use of force reports released under the Massachusetts public records law raises questions about how frequently and under what conditions the Hampden County Sheriff's Department uses pepper spray against prisoners—many of whom are passively resisting or in the midst of a mental health crisis."
THE LOCAL ANGLE
- "Compressor foes state their case at hearing," by Jessica Trufant, Patriot Ledger: "Staff from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration held a hearing at Abigail Adams Middle School on Monday night to hear from residents and officials who are angry and concerned about a proposed natural gas compressor station in the Fore River Basin. The agency held the hearing at the urging of U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch and local officials who wanted safety regulators to hear the concerns raised by health experts, citizens groups and neighbors of the proposed compressor station."
- "Cuttyhunk's last remaining student 'in a class by herself,'" by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: "When Gwen Lynch, an eighth-grader at Cuttyhunk Elementary School, moved the tassel of her graduation cap Monday, it marked the start of a new chapter in her life, as well for the island she has called home. Gwen is the lone student in the Class of 2019 at the one-room schoolhouse on Cuttyhunk, a small island at the end of the Elizabeth Islands chain. On Monday, with more than 100 people crammed into the island's small church, she graduated and plans to head off-island for high school. In some communities, an eighth-grade graduation might not seem like a big deal, but on Cuttyhunk, a tiny and tight-knit island, it was one of the biggest events of the year, and some in attendance were holding back tears. "I ran out of tissues," Gwen's father, Duane, said after the ceremony."
- "Worcester residents demand gas leak repairs near schools," by Chris Van Buskirk, Telegram & Gazette: "Residents and advocates filed into City Hall Monday demanding that public utility Eversource fix five natural gas leaks near five schools in the city, citing health concerns surrounding asthma. Councilors on the Standing Committee on Public Health and Human Services filed an order asking the full council to require Eversource to fix the leaks and kept the matter on the agenda for future meetings. Massachusetts law dictates that gas companies prioritize repairing leaks within a school zone, or within 50 feet of a public or private school, preschool or Head Start."
- "Feds delay Vineyard Wind assessment one month," by Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times: "The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has delayed for one month the release of its final assessment of Vineyard Wind's offshore wind farm plan. But the bureau still intends to meet an August deadline to decide yea or nay on the proposal, an agency spokesman said. The bureau was to issue the final environmental impact statement on June 7 before following with a final decision on the plan — called a record of decision — on Aug. 16, according to the agency's timeline in March. Now the bureau says that it will issue the final impact statement in early July. It still plans to meet the Aug. 16 decision date. The one-month delay gives the bureau more time to review and analyze public comments on the draft version of the report, Vineyard Wind spokesman Scott Farmelant said."
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MEDIA MATTERS
- "Proposed State Commission Would Study The Local News Crisis And What To Do About It," by Dan Kennedy, WGBH News:"Can government play a role in helping to solve the local news crisis? Not directly, perhaps. But indirectly, government can shine a light on the issue, call attention to worthy projects that might inspire others, and offer some policy recommendations. That's the goal of House Bill 181, which would create a special commission to study local journalism in underserved Massachusetts communities. Sponsored by Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, and Sen. Brendan Creighton, D-Lynn, the bill was the subject of a public hearing Tuesday before the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses ."
TRANSITIONS - Nicole Herendeen was promoted to senior public affairs associate at Benchmark Strategies.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to HubSpot's Katie Burke.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Twins beat the Red Sox 4-3.
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Severance agreement turns into consulting contract

Chapman lands consulting job with Mass. Tech Collaborative


JOHN CHAPMAN, the former undersecretary of consumer affairs and business regulation in the Baker administration, seems to live a charmed life.
 The Republican landed his job in 2015, shortly after losing a race for Congress to Rep. William Keating. Four years later he left, with the agency issuing a press release quoting him as saying “it is time to pursue new projects and give others the opportunity to take on leadership roles.”
A source at the agency, however, said the parting of ways was not amicable. Still, Chapman landed on his feet. A paper trail obtained through public records requests indicates Chapman, an employee at will entitled to no additional compensation, received a severance agreement entitling him to $38,250 spread out over three months, plus additional money for unused personal days and vacation time.
 The severance agreement, which was negotiated prior to Chapman’s departure, included the wording of the press release.
 Three weeks into the severance deal, Chapman and the Baker administration agreed to void their earlier agreement with no additional money changing hands. That same week Chapman signed a contract to serve as a consultant to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative at a rate of $85 an hour plus expenses, up to a maximum of $39,000 for a four-month project.
 The contract said Chapman was hired to “support the growth of the financial technology sector in Massachusetts.” The agency said he will provide expertise to the MassTech’s innovation institute in the area of “fin tech.” The contract was not put out to bid and Chapman submitted no proposal to land the job.
 At least five other key officials in the Baker administration left office this year, but Chapman was the only one who got a severance package.
 Chapman did not return phone calls, and officials within the Baker administration and at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative declined comment other than to confirm Chapman had landed a consulting contract.

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