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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
PATRICK'S EMAIL BLAST FROM THE PAST — While the Democratic presidential candidates talked about the future on the debate stage last night, former Gov. Deval Patrick took a trip down memory lane.
Patrick's campaign sent out a medley of his greatest hits circa 2008-2014 to reporters on his email list as the evening unfolded. He wasn't able to herald his accomplishments in the debate since he didn't meet the fundraising or polling thresholds to qualify.
When candidates discussed the environment, Patrick blasted out a press release touting a bill he signed to reduce emissions and boost green jobs. The date: Aug. 13, 2008.
Democrats talked about electability, and their ability to beat Republicans in the general election. Patrick sent around a WBUR story that was published Nov. 2, 2010, after he was one of the few Democratic incumbents to withstand the GOP tide that year.
When health care was the subject of debate, Patrick's campaign emailed reporters again. Aides sent the link to a MassLive story that covered Patrick signing a bill to limit health care costs. The date: Aug. 6, 2012.
And when education came up on the debate stage, Patrick had a clip for that, too. The campaign sent a press release from the National Education Association, which covered Patrick being honored with its "America's Greatest Education Governor" award. The date: July 3, 2014.
The email blast from the past underscores Patrick's greatest challenge — getting his message out. The former governor has a long record, but he does not have yet have the platform to tout those accolades as the other Democrats in the race. And because Patrick entered the Democratic contest so late, he is running out of time to introduce himself to voters before they caucus in Iowa on Feb. 3, and vote in New Hampshire on Feb. 11.
The ex-governor joined other candidates who have failed to make the debate stage and handled it in creative ways. Rep. Seth Moulton invited reporters to watch the debate with him in an Airbnb in June, for example, and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard threatened to boycott a previous debate she was unlikely to qualify for.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MERMELL RELEASES PRESSLEY CLIPS — Congressional candidate Jesse Mermell is rolling out a series of videos today that feature Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Pressley endorsed Mermell in the race to fill Rep. Joe Kennedy III's seat in Congress in October.
"Jesse is for the people, always has been, always will be. I am so blessed, so fortunate to call her my sister friend and I cannot wait to call her my colleague," Pressley says. The campaign will send the clips to supporters in an email today.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: DEMOCRAT TO CHALLENGE O'CONNOR — Republican state Sen. Patrick O'Connor will face a Democratic opponent for the second election cycle in a row.
Meg Wheeler, a Cohasset resident, will challenge O'Connor for his Beacon Hill post. Wheeler plans to focus her campaign on health care, infrastructure and environmental issues. She is a member of the Cohasset Advisory Committee and the town's Democratic Committee.
"As a working mother and small business owner, I know first-hand the issues impacting our South Shore families. It's time for someone in the State House to stand up for us," Wheeler said in a statement. Wheeler is the founder of an online women's community and podcast focused on gender inequality.
O'Connor faced a challenge from Democratic pediatrician Katie McBrine in the 2018 midterm election. He was first elected in a 2016 special election.
IOWA ALERT — Rep. Ayanna Pressley will travel to Iowa to stump for Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, the day of the caucus. Warren named Pressley as a national co-chair of her campaign in November. Tweet.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish on Monday, Jan. 20. I'll be back in your inbox on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council. Polito attends a meeting of the STEM Advisory Council Committee. Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia delivers her maiden speech at City Hall.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- SHOT: "Theoharides on TCI: Full-Court Press for Option A," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "As a regional transportation emission reduction pact has started to show cracks, Energy Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said Monday that the Baker administration is in "full-court press mode" to keep the coalition of eastern states together. Theoharides testified on Tuesday before a legislative committee considering carbon pricing proposals, including bills that would assess a fee on vehicle and home heating fuels and return some of the penalty revenues as rebates to residents."
- CHASER: "NH Gov. Sununu predicts TCI failure, as Mass Legislature floats Plan B," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu predicted the downfall of the Transportation Climate Initiative and a replacement for it in an exclusive interview with the Herald Tuesday as Massachusetts Legislators questioned the Baker Administration about a Plan B. "If you can't get Connecticut and Maine on board and Vermont, I mean, come on. My sense is it all falls part," Sununu told the Herald. "I think they're going to try another iteration." Sununu couldn't say what that iteration might look like."
- "Rent control draws crowd to State House," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "A LYNN WOMAN told lawmakers she may have to move her family after a 35 percent rent increase. A Mattapan great-grandmother said she will go to court to fight a $700 rent hike that she cannot afford on a fixed income. A Chelsea college student worries about becoming homeless. The solution, they all said, is to revive local rent control options that were banned statewide by a 1994 ballot question, allowing their hometowns to place restrictions on how much landlords could hike costs."
- "Health Policy Commission identifies 3 troubling cost trends," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE STATE'S HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION identified three industry trends on Tuesday that are driving up commercial health care costs in surprising ways, and two of the trends have a direct link to the state's most expensive health care provider, Partners HealthCare. One major trend is that more and more surgeries are being done on an outpatient basis, meaning the patient checks in for the procedure and then leaves later that day. Outpatient procedures, as long as they can be done safely, are good in a policy sense because they cost a lot less than the same procedure done on an inpatient basis."
- "Mass. Lawmakers Eye Ways to Ease Educational Transition For Foster Care Youth," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "The educational records of children in foster care in Massachusetts would travel with them in a new electronic system under a bill that supporters say would ease one of the challenges facing a population of youth with higher school transfer and dropout rates. "We can't use technology to undo much of the damage that has been done to our children in foster care, to eliminate the trauma, to cure the pain — physical and emotional — that our children in foster care often suffer," Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump told the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities at a Monday hearing."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Boston Airbnb listings drop by a third after agreement kicks in," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The number of active Airbnb listings dropped by a third last month after Boston's agreement with the big short-term rental company fully kicked in. Airbnb had 5,500 listings when December started, a number that dropped to 3,780 over the course of the month, according to data provided to the city by Airbnb at the start of this month. Airbnb in December began requiring city-issued registration numbers in order to post rental units."
- "New State Police contract calls for raises, GPS tracking of police cruisers," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "The State Police union has reached a contract agreement with the state that gives troopers modest pay raises in exchange for adopting GPS technology that tracks the location of police cruisers — a measure pledged in the wake of the agency's overtime corruption scandal. The State Police Association of Massachusetts, which represents the vast majority of the 2,200-member police force, agreed to the contract terms in recent weeks, according to officials on both sides of negotiations. Troopers had been working for two years under an expired contract."
- "Mayor calls Boston EMS graduates 'real life super heroes,'" by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh congratulated the latest class of Boston Emergency Medical Services recruits at their graduation ceremony Tuesday morning, calling them "real life super heroes." Walsh joined Boston EMS Chief James Hooley, Boston Public Health Commission interim executive director Rita Nieves and other officials in the Great Hall at Faneuil Hall to celebrate the graduation of the 24 newly-minted Boston EMS emergency medical technicians. Walsh noted that women made up half the class."
- "Correction Officers, Prisoners' Advocates Disagree On Cause Of Violence At Max Security Prison," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "A prisoners' rights group is criticizing the state's correction officers union for its claim that criminal justice reform is to blame for a violent incident at a Shirley maximum security prison last week that left three officers injured. "This is a direct result from the recently enacted Criminal Justice Reform Act legislation, which was promulgated by Inmate rights groups and activists," the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) said in a statement."
- "Man who helped spark crackdown on 'Methadone Mile' is behind bars on gun and drug charges," Boston Globe: "The man who allegedly attacked a Suffolk County deputy sheriff last summer, in an incident that led to a controversial crackdown on homeless people and substance abusers in the South End, is now behind bars again, facing gun and drug charges,according to court records and police. At the time of his latest arrest on Jan. 3, Robert Lee White Sr. was free on $250 cash bail imposed in Suffolk Superior Court, where he was facing charges for allegedly attacking the deputy sheriff in August on Atkinson Street."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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OUT OF STATE ENDORSEMENTS IGNORE KENNEDY'S MASSACHUSETTS' FAILURES.
SENATOR MARKEY ATTENDED THE PUBLIC HEARINGS REGARDING COLUMBIA GAS EXPLOSIONS THAT DESTROYED HOMES. WHERE WAS KENNEDY?
SENATOR MARKEY HAS SPOKEN OUT ABOUT THE DECOMMISSIONING OF PILGRIM NUCLEAR.WHERE WAS KENNEDY?
SENATOR MARKEY HAS SPOKEN OUT ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE...WHERE WAS KENNEDY? SENATOR MARKEY HAS SPOKEN OUT ABOUT ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY AFFECT MASSACHUSETTS AND KENNEDY HAS BEEN UN-INVOLVED AND REMAINED SILENT
- "John Lewis, Joaquin Castro, and 16 Other Dems Just Endorsed Joe Kennedy," by Alyssa Vaughn, Boston Magazine: "To kick off 2020, Joe Kennedy is ramping up his campaign to unseat incumbent Senator Ed Markey—and today, the 4th district rep's campaign shared a long list of formal endorsements for the candidate from prominent House Democrats. The endorsements, from a wide range of Kennedy's colleagues, cite his strong stances on health care, civil rights, immigration reform and other critical issues. The biggest name on the list? Georgia congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Boston police officer allegedly mailed threatening note, fake ticket after road rage incident," by Gal Tziperman Lotan, Boston Globe: "A Boston police officer is accused of mailing a fake $790 State Police citation and a crude handwritten note to the home of a driver he said cut him off on Interstate 93. "Try fighting this... I dare you!" the note read. "What happens when you try and run an officers truck off the road on 93S. Hope it was worth it. See you in court." Christopher Curtis was arraigned Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of forgery, witness intimidation, and misleading an investigation.."
- "Lynnfield father charged with tax fraud in 'Varsity Blues' college admissions scandal," by Andrew Stanton, Boston Globe: "A Lynnfield father charged in the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal was indicted on a new charge Tuesday for allegedly filing a false tax return, federal prosecutors said. John Wilson, 59, allegedly paid $220,000 to get his son admitted to the University of Southern California as a water polo recruit, the U.S. attorney's office for Massachusetts said in a statement. He then allegedly deducted the money from his 2014 tax returns as charitable donations and business expenses, prosecutors said."
- "IRS employee in Andover charged with filing hundreds of false tax returns," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "A 44-year-old Lawrence woman who works at the IRS Service Center in Andover was charged Tuesday with filing more than 500 false tax returns for herself and others, according to federal prosecutors. Jennifer Beth True was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and she was expected to make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Tuesday, according to the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts. If convicted, she could face more than 20 years in prison and a six-figure fine, authorities said."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren appears to rebuff Sanders handshake amid sexism feud," by Christopher Cadelago, POLITICO: "The buzziest moment of Tuesday night's Democratic debate didn't happen until after it was over. As candidates exchanged pleasantries and handshakes on stage, Elizabeth Warren approached Bernie Sanders, who stretched out his hand for her to shake. But Warren either didn't see him or rebuffed him, and a tense exchange followed. Warren gestured with her right hand, then clasped both hands together while addressing a seemingly surprised Sanders."
- "Sanders camp admits anti-Warren script was deployed in multiple early states," by Alex Thompson and Holly Otterbein, POLITICO: "The controversial talking points attacking Elizabeth Warren that Bernie Sanders' campaign deployed were given to teams in at least two early voting states on Friday, three Sanders campaign officials confirmed. Volunteers and staffers used the script on Saturday while canvassing for votes. But later in the day, after POLITICO reported on language in the script describing Warren's appeal as limited to the highly educated and financially well off, the campaign pulled it back. The script mostly focused on Sanders' ability to beat President Donald Trump in a general election."
- "Warren Says Federal Power To Forgive Student Loans Already Exists," by Saraya Wintersmith, WGBH News: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren has added details to her far-reaching plan to forgive college student debt and called for an investigation of racial disparities in how much students borrow. The update outlines how she would implement her campaign proposal to cancel up to $50,000 in debt for 42 million people. Her proposed wealth tax on the 75,000 richest families, the campaign has said, would cover the cost."
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| TWEET OF THE DAY |
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Trump vows to veto 'forever chemicals' bill," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: " President Donald Trump is vowing to veto a bill to remove contamination from cancer-linked "forever chemicals" in groundwater, drawing criticism from environmentalists and members of the state's congressional delegation. The proposal, which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, would limit the production of new PFAS chemicals, require the cleanup of contaminated sites and set air emission standards. It also seeks to limit human exposure to PFAS by establishing drinking water standards and giving communities federal funding to fix impacted water systems."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "YOU'RE OUT!" — Globe: "Cora out over cheating scandal," "Heavy pot use before age 16 tied to worse driving in study." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Briefings: Velis Launches & the Senate Battle Begins," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "In one sense, the State Representative John Velis' kickoff for State Senate was a formality. He had been running unofficially since last spring and officially since Don Humason announced his resignation, shortly after winning the mayoralty here. Still, the launch was both a show of force and of the hunger to return the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire Senate district to Democratic hands. Supporters packed a room at the Shortstop Bar & Grill, an ex-Ford dealership-turned watering hole/batting cage facility and Velis political haunt."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Campaigning As A Woman: How A Newly Elected Mass. Councilor Recalibrated Her Persona For Voters," by Stephanie Leydon, WGBH News: "When Stephanie Martins lost her first bid for a seat on Everett's City Council two years ago, it was less the end of one campaign and more the beginning of her next one. "My secret is, I never went away," said Martins, 31. "I continued to be a part of the community. I continued to be involved in all the things I was passionate about." It worked. Martins, who was born in Brazil, was sworn into the Everett City Council this week — part of a small wave of diversity on the previously all-white 11-member board. Instead of one woman, it now has three — and also includes members who are black and Asian."
- "'We want to reflect the community, not a quota'; Worcester making progress in hiring diverse-looking set of employees," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.com: "At an opportunity fair for jobs with the Worcester Police Department, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. glanced across the city's emergency communication center and noticed something about the 99 people in the room. "It looked like the city," Augustus recalled of the 2019 fair. "It looked like the diversity of the city in that room. It was very heartening to see." That picture is what Worcester officials say they hope to see more of in an ongoing effort to make the city's workforce mirror the city's demographics."
TRANSITIONS - Casey Davison joins Rep. Katherine Clark's office as legislative aide and press assistant, and Cierra Smith joins Clark's office as digital press assistant.
- Former state Rep. Kathi Anne Reinstein joins Roca as chief development officer and head of external affairs. Reinstein served in the House representing Revere, Chelsea and Saugus. Link.
- Jeff Leahey joins Strategic Marketing Innovations as a vice president. Leahey comes to the firm from the National Hydropower Association.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Pittsfield City Councilor Helen Moon and Omar Sedky.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Blue Jackets beat the Bruins 3-0.
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POLITICO Pro's Top 10 Policy Storylines of 2020. Nothing gets done in an election year, right? NONSENSE! We are preparing to cover an intensive year of market-moving legislation, regulation, court cases and executive orders. Check out POLITICO Pro's top ten storylines for 2020.
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