Happening Today
Preliminary elections, lobster tariffs, and more
— Preliminary elections will be held in a number of communities today, including in Fall River, where incumbent Mayor Jasiel Correia II — who faces a range of federal fraud and extortion charges —is being challenged by Paul Coogan and Erica Scott-Pacheco.
— Senate President Karen Spilka joins Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito for a roundtable discussion on Eastern equine encephalitis, with a press conference following the event, MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Campus, Medical Arts Building, 85 Lincoln Street, Framingham, 11 a.m.
— Joint Committee on Export Development hosts a hearing on Massachusetts’s lobster exports and the effects of China’s tariffs on U.S. lobsters, Hearing Room B-1, 1 p.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Secretary of Administration and Finance Michael Heffernan and others celebrate a $24 million dredging grant for the City of New Bedford, New Bedford Whaling Museum, Harbor View Gallery (Upper Floor), 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, 1:30 p.m.
— Gov. Charlie Baker visits Raw Seafoods, Inc. to highlight the Foster Innovation for Seaford and Handling project, which has received support through the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, 421 Currant Road, Fall River, 3 p.m.
— The SouthCoast Chamber hosts a dinner at which Gov. Charlie Baker will deliver remarks,, White’s of Westport, 5 p.m.
For more calendar listings, check out State House News Service’s Daily Advances (pay wall – free trial subscriptions available) and MassterList’s Beacon Hill Town Square below.
Today’s Stories
Voters to cull more mayoral fields today – including in Fall River
Here we go again. Another batch of Bay State cities will whittle their mayoral and city council fields today, with closely watched races in Brockton and Fall River, where, of course, twice-indicted Mayor Jasiel Correia II faces two challengers trying to pry the controversial mayor from his office. Tori Bedford at WGBH has more on the Fall River race.
In Brockton, voters will choose two candidates to advance to the November election to fill the seat left vacant by the sad death of Mayor Bill Carpenter in July. Ben Berke at the Enterprise digs into campaign finance reports to see where the cash is flowing. Amanda Drane at the Berkshire Eagle sets up Pittsfield’s primary, where incumbent Mayor Linda Tyer faces three challengers. Breanna Edelstein at the Eagle-Tribune got the four mayoral candidates in Methuen to weigh in on the major issue facing the community. Officials in Braintree, meanwhile, are predicting low turnout ahead of that city’s vote, where a field of three is competing for the open mayor’s seat, reports the Patriot Ledger.
MIT scientist quits posts amid controversial remarks in Epstein case
Richard Stallman has quit his posts as president of the Free Software Foundation and as a visiting scientist at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory following his controversial remarks about rape, female willingness and, of course, it’s all tied directly or indirectly to the Jeffrey Epstein-donations controversy. Universal Hub’s Adam Gaffin has the details.
Meanwhile, the Globe’s Larry Edelman has some advice for Harvard as it explores its own financial ties with Epstein: Come clean and pay up. Finally, we inaccurately wrote yesterday that U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton was donating campaign funds from Epstein to charity – when, in fact, he’s donating funds from a hedge fund manager with ties to Epstein. Sorry about that, congressman.
Just in case: Goldberg files papers for possible run for Kennedy’s seat
SHNS’s Matt Murphy and Colin Young report that state Treasurer Deb Goldberg has filed a statement to create the “Deb Goldberg for Congress Committee,” while aides say that, yes, she’s indeed mulling a possible run for Congress – if U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III vacates his seat to challenge U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Speaking of a possible Kennedy-Markey showdown, the Globe’s Victoria McGrane reports that Kennedy’s years of helping out other Dem candidates around the country could come in handy if, or when, he decides to challenge Markey.
Baker proposes selling Hynes to pay for expansion of Seaport convention center
Is anyone taking bets on the likelihood of this happening? From Nik DeCosta-Klipa at Boston.com: “Gov. Charlie Baker wants to sell the Hynes Convention Center and use the money to fund an expansion of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the Seaport.” But some are saying whoa-nellie to the idea – at least for now. Among them are U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, who describes himself as “persuadable but not persuaded” on the idea, reports the Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter.
‘Polito’s judicial jobs pipeline’
It’s the Herald’s turn today to take shots at the Baker administration’s recent clerk-magistrate nominations, all of which seem to trace back to Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and her central Massachusetts base. Gov. Charlie Baker is defending the nominations, reports Mary Markos at the Herald. But the Herald’s Joe Battenfeld writes that the Republican governor “has a way of denying reality even when presented with abundant evidence of patronage in his administration, especially in the high-paying court branch.”
The cause of the Red Line derailment? A broken axle
No, the wheels didn’t fall off, but the axle did break. And Gov. Charlie Baker and other administration officials were on the defensive yesterday following a report that says last June’s major Red Line derailment was the result of a brittle axle that snapped on the train that ultimately mangled a T signal station and caused service delays galore. Boston Magazine’s Spencer Buell and SHNS’s Chris Lisinski (pay wall) have the details.
Worcester raises stink over unclaimed bodies languishing at mortician’s funeral home
The state’s Division of Professional Licensure is getting dragged into a dispute between the city of Worcester and a local mortician over the latter’s past handling of unclaimed bodies before their cremation, allegedly stockpiling decomposing bodies “in a room that was not suited for them, causing the bodies to decompose to a gelatinous state that gave off horrendous odors and attracted flies,” reports Brad Petrishen at the Telegram. The mortician is not a bad guy, btw. He’s trying to do the right thing – albeit apparently in the wrong way.
The RMV reporting scandal: The number keeps going up and up
So we’re no longer talking hundreds and hundreds of motorists who shouldn’t have been on roadways. We’re talking thousands and thousands. From Steph Solis at MassLive: “The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicle has issued license suspensions for more than than 5,200 motorists during its records review in the wake of a deadline New Hampshire crash that killed seven people.” SHNS’s Chris Lisisnki (pay wall) has more on the RMV records-keeping scandal.
Existential battle: ‘Packies’ vs ‘Cumbies’
This is going to be epic. The state’s liquor stores are gearing up to do battle over a potential 2020 ballot question that would allow convenience stores, such as Cumberland Farms, and supermarkets to offer beer and wine sales, Christian Wade reports at the Salem News. The Massachusetts Package Store Association says the change would pose an existential threat to its independent retailers.
Healey: I have not yet begun to fight Purdue
Following Purdue Pharma’s expected filing for bankruptcy, Attorney General Maura Healey yesterday held a press conference to explain why her office didn’t partake in a multibillion-dollar settlement case with the maker of the painkiller OxyContin, effectively saying there’s still plenty of money to pry from the Sackler family and justice still to be served. Sarah Betancourt at CommonWealth magazine has the details.
Meanwhile, Gov. Charlie Baker yesterday reiterated his support for Healey’s decision to keep fighting Purdue and the Sacklers, calling the recent multi-state settlement a “bad deal,” reports Shira Schoenberg at MassLive.
Chelmsford raises, then lowers, PRIDE flag hopes
Some cheered when the Chelmsford Board of Selectmen recently proclaimed June as “Pride Month” and approved the flying of rainbow Pride flags outside town buildings, as Luke O’Roark reports at the Lowell Sun. But some weren’t cheering – and others feared potential lawsuits – and so the selectmen are now backing off the flag-flying idea.
Warren draws big crowd in Big Apple
As many as 20,000 people turned out in New York City Monday night to hear U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren unveil her latest policy proposal–a sweeping anti-corruption plan aimed directly at President Trump and his fellow travelers. Poltico reports Warren used the backdrop of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to emphasize her campaign’s focus on empowering women and to call Trump “corruption in the flesh.” Kimberly Atkins of WBUR has more details on Warren’s anti-corruption plan.
Is Bernie in early-stage panic mode in NH?
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders has overhauled his New Hampshire presidential campaign operations, with aides saying he’s trying to better position himself for the longer-term Dem primary battle, the NYT reports. But the move does come as U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is surging in the Granite State and elsewhere and so … Anyway, the NYT also reports that Warren yesterday picked up an endorsement from the Working Families Party, the labor-aligned progressive group that had backed Sanders four years ago.
State police union loses another leader
More turmoil. The head of the State Police Association of Massachusetts resigned on Monday rather than face a recall vote scheduled for Wednesday, Danny McDonald reports at the Globe. Mark Lynch, a State Police sergeant, succeeded Dana Pullman after his resignation last year and was supposed to help rebuild the reputation of the agency in the wake of several high-profile scandals.
Baker: My education funding plan is better
Gov. Charlie Baker has an opinion piece in the Globe this morning touting his education funding and reform plan over a competing proposal on Beacon Hill, saying his money will go further without raising taxes.
The Kavanaugh impeachment push: Good or bad politics?
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley plans to introduce a House resolution today calling for an impeachment inquiry into the latest allegation about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s sex-fueled exploits while he was in college, reports the Globe’s Danny McDonald.
But the Globe’s Joan Vennochi writes that the Kavanaugh impeachment push is yet the latest dumb Dem idea heading into the 2020 election. Meanwhile, Politico reports that “senior Democrats are moving quickly to snuff out calls to impeach Brett Kavanaugh, arguing those tactics are unrealistic and politically harmful.”
Old North Speaker Series: Kellie Carter Jackson – Forcing Freedom
Her book Force & Freedom examines one of the perennial questions in political thought: is violence a valid means of producing social change? In her lecture, Kellie Carter Jackson address how black abolitionists answered this question.
Old North Church & Historic Site
Boston Trade Compliance & Policy Seminar 2019
International trade regulations change constantly—old rules are updated and new regulations are added every day. Attend one of the full-day seminars in a location close to you to stay up to date on the latest information. Learn about changing international trade regulations with industry experts—C.H. Robinson’s Kevin Doucette and Jeff Simpson—who are passionate about the subject.
Boston Speakers Series: John Kerry
Kerry served as United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s second term. He represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate for nearly thirty years, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2004.
12th Annual Public Performance Conference
This year’s National Center for Public Performance (NCPP) Public Performance Conference marks the 12th year the nation’s top government and nonprofit performance professionals and academics will convene to emphasize the use of data to improve efficiency and efficacy of public services.
ADL’s Breaking Barriers Speaker Series Presents: Survivor’s Club with Michael & Debbie Bornstein
ADL’s Breaking Barriers Speaker Series presents: Survivors Club with Michael and Debbie Bornstein. Please join us on Thursday, September 26, 2019 to hear from Michael Bornstein, one of the youngest survivors of the Auschwitz death camp, and his daughter Debbie Bornstein, co-author of Survivors Club. Register by Wednesday, September 25: www.adl.org/breakingbarriers2019
Starr Forum: Iran Reframed
A discussion about the evolution of the Islamic Republic and its reaction to President Trump’s Iran strategy
MIT Center for International Studies (CIS)
Boston Speakers Series: John Kerry
Kerry served as United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s second term. He represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate for nearly thirty years, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for president in 2004.
Today’s Headlines
Metro
‘Yang gang’ comes out for Andrew Yang in Cambridge – Boston Herald
City breaks ground on new $23.5 million firehouse in Roxbury – Boston Globe
Massachusetts
Proposed state law would put solar panels on new homes, commercial buildings – MetroWest Daily News
Springfield City Council approves agreements for first 4 recreational marijuana companies – MassLive
Nation
Pedestrians die every 90 minutes in the U.S., and low-income areas are hurt most – Los Angeles Times
GM workers say they sacrificed and now they want their due – New York Times
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