Another super PAC enters the chat

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is slated to get more super PAC support.

Malia Lazu, a consultant and former bank executive, filed paperwork on Friday to form a super PAC that aims to “support progressive candidates and oppose more conservative candidates in cities throughout Massachusetts.”

But the group’s focus this fall will be in Boston, where Wu is looking to bury her challenger, Josh Kraft. The Sept. 9 preliminary will narrow the field of four – Wu, Kraft and two other candidates – to two finalists who will face off in the November election. The incumbent mayor has kept training fire on political newcomer Kraft and his campaign financing missteps.

“Why bike lanes were becoming a big issue in Boston politics was confusing to me,” Lazu said in a reference to one of Kraft’s signature criticisms of Wu. Kraft has said he supports bike lanes while lambasting the Wu administration for the way they’ve been implemented.

The name of the super PAC, “We Are Different,” is a nod to the Boston Celtics marketing campaign, “Different Here.” The super PAC plans to target Black and brown voters through digital media and working with local influencers, Lazu said.

The super PAC, still in the embryonic stages, will be entering the mayoral field as two other outside groups have spent months bolstering their respective candidates and attacking the other side. Bold Boston, aligned with Wu and backed by unions and environmental groups, has pulled in hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Your City Your Future has drawn on wealthy friends of Robert Kraft, Josh’s father, to bankroll its multimillion-dollar efforts.

Lazu told MASSterList that her super PAC is also interested in supporting a slate of progressive candidates running for at-large – or citywide – seats on the 13-member City Council. She singled out incumbent city councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia and Henry Santana for support.

The super PAC plans to jump into Boston politics once the preliminary is over. A total of 10 at-large candidates qualified for the ballot. The preliminary will narrow that field down to eight competing for four seats.

Lazu said the super PAC may also get involved in the post-preliminary race for the District 7 seat, which opened up. Tania Fernandes Anderson resigned in July after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Early in her career, Lazu co-founded the nonprofit advocacy group MassVOTE. She recently worked as executive vice president and regional president at Berkshire Bank. On the super PAC, she is working with Wilnelia Rivera — a fellow consultant who has handled projects with Boston City Hall departments — as well as several political players to be named later.

I predicted earlier this year that super PACs would make a big comeback in Boston. Any other groups getting in the pool? If you know, let me know: gin@massterlist.com.

HAPPENING TODAY

10:00 | MBTA Board of Directors meets with an agenda that includes a report from General Manager Phil Eng, a safety program update and transit safety plan, and a 20-minute block during which advisors will discuss the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Eng then joins Gov. Maura Healey at 12:30 p.m. for an announcement on the T’s fall schedule. | 10 Park Plaza, Boston | Agenda and Access

10:45 | Sen. Ed Markey hosts small business walking tour with leaders from OpenCape and the Falmouth community “to discuss the importance of reliable, affordable broadband to small business development and to communities.” | Eight Cousins Books, 189 Main St, Falmouth

1:00 | Attorney General Andrea Campbell tours a new workforce housing site at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. | 490 Edgartown Vineyard Haven Road, Edgartown

FROM BEACON HILL

MORRISSEY’S EMAILS: Michael Morrissey, the Norfolk County DA, asked state lawmakers in 2024 for $1 million to help cover the cost of the second attempt at the prosecution of Karen Read, according to a review of emails from his private iCloud account. – NBC 10 Boston

MASSDOT LAWSUIT: Global Partners, upset over losing a contract to renovate 18 service plazas, is taking the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to court, saying its officials are lagging in responding to several public records requests. The company is seeking information on how it fared against winning bidder Applegreen. – Boston Business Journal

WITHOUT FANFARE: It was an email that could have been a press conference. Gov. Maura Healey quietly announced the “end” of the shelter emergency on a Friday afternoon in August. – WBUR

VANDALISM ARREST: An Everett man linked to a pro-Palestinian group was arrested after the front gate of the State House was vandalized last month. – WCVB

NEWS NEXT DOOR

BROOKLINE TAXES: Boston University, which has struggled with budget cuts and layoffs, again agreed to pay Brookline more than $1 million a year in voluntary tax payments. – Brookline.News

STRINGS ATTACHED: Boston City Hall plans to go for a $12 million federal grant, though it comes with a requirement that 10% go towards backing local law enforcement’s collaboration with federal immigration officials. Mayor Michelle Wu said the city can deploy the funds without violating a city ordinance called the Trust Act. – The Flipside

UNION SHIFT: The Teamsters are ramping up political donations to GOP candidates, including money sent to congressional candidates in battleground districts, the NRCC and the Republican Attorneys General Association. – Politico

GRANT YANKED: Citing the Marblehead’s noncompliance with the MBTA Communities law calling for more multifamily zoning, state officials took away a $50,000 grant for the town’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. – Marblehead Current

SLEEPY CYCLE: Years of busy municipal contests in Holyoke have given way to a quieter ballot, as Mayor Joshua Garcia faces no opposition for another four-year term. –Western Mass. Politics and Insight