The green Y indicating “yes” next to Rep. Vanna Howard’s name on the House roll call board was on, but did she cast the vote?
A source in the House chamber on Tuesday, Nov. 18, alleges she did not, but would not say who hit the button for her in the late afternoon. Howard had a kick-off for her state Senate campaign that evening at 5:30 p.m., inside a restaurant in Lowell.
Italo Fini, a political consultant who works for Howard, initially declined comment when asked earlier this week about the incident and refused to make her available for an interview. He later sent a statement from Howard, who said, “I was in [the] House session on Nov. 18 and arrived late to my campaign kickoff fundraiser that night.”
A review of a video recording of the House session does not appear to show Howard at her seat during the roll call vote. Rep. Paul Donato, wielding the gavel, reminded lawmakers several times to stay in the chamber for roll call votes. At one point, the video appears to show another lawmaker lean over Howard’s desk and push a button.
Fini, Howard’s consultant, did not respond to additional questions asking whether she personally cast all the roll call votes from the House floor that day. He also did not respond to a follow-up inquiry about the video footage.
Howard is running against fellow Rep. Rodney Elliott in a special election. Sam Meas, who has previously run for office, filed paperwork with campaign finance regulators indicating that he was also seeking the Senate seat, which is vacant after the October death of Edward Kennedy. The primary is set for Feb. 3 and the election will take place March 3.
Under House rules, no member can cast a vote for any other member, nor can House employees. There are some exceptions, but they are for serious illnesses and a malfunction of the electronic voting system. (The Senate, unlike the House, allows remote voting.)
There is no specific penalty for violating that House rule, but members are encouraged to open a complaint if they see something amiss. It’s unclear if a complaint has been filed since House officials do not confirm or deny such investigations.
A spokesperson for House Speaker Ron Mariano’s office pointed to the House rules on what’s known as “phantom voting.” “The Speaker was not aware at the time of this specific incident. However, he’ll remind Representatives at the next caucus that voting on behalf of another Representative is prohibited under the House Rules,” the spokesperson said.
The House chamber source alleged that Howard was not present for at least one roll call, despite the board showing her “yes” votes.
House lawmakers voted in quick succession of roll calls just before 5 p.m. that afternoon, amending and passing a bill authorizing long-term borrowing for public colleges and universities, and accepting a conference committee report on a $2.3 billion close-out fiscal 2025 spending bill.
The House has a history of what’s known as “phantom voting.” In 2008, then-Rep. Charley Murphy was on vacation in St. Croix but managed to vote on seven roll calls, according to State House News Service archives. The person casting his votes for him was never publicly identified, but the ensuing headlines drew a review of voting procedures and rules changes.
House lawmakers sit at 1890s-era desks, which received an upgrade in 2024, and now feature voting buttons, electrical plugs, a charging port and a microphone.
Trivia question: Looking back to 2008, things turned out okay for Rep. Murphy after his votes from St. Croix, at least temporarily. He later ascended to the Ways and Means chairmanship. (He was then defenestrated amid speculation that he had his eye on the House speaker’s chair.) Who succeeded him as Ways and Means chair? If you know, let me know: gin@massterlist.com.
HAPPENING TODAY
8:00 | The Mass. Health & Hospital Association holds 2025 annual women leaders health care conference. Aimee Brewer, CEO of Sturdy Health, will moderate a panel with Yvonne Hao, CEO of Flagship Pioneering; Dallas Ducar, executive VP of donor engagement and external relations at Fenway Health; Lindsay Gainer, CEO at MGB Medical Group; and Dorosella Green, an Aspen Ideas Health Fellow. | Westin Seaport, Boston | Register
11:00 | The MBTA is hosting its 25th annual Fill-A-Bus with Gifts program. Employees from the MBTA and MassDOT have donated gifts that will be distributed by Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Boys and Girls Club of Boston and Heading Home. | 10 Park Plaza, Boston
11:30 | The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce holds its 150th annual meeting. Consul General of Canada in Boston Hon. Bernadette Jordan will give a keynote speech. Program agenda includes the election of officers and chamber directors and an update on its “Recruit, Retain and Incubate” agenda, according to organizers. Registration and networking begins at 11:30 a.m. and programming runs between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. | DCU Center, 50 Foster Street, Worcester | More Info
2:00 | U.S. Sen. Ed Markey joins striking Starbucks workers. | 259 Centre St., Newton
5:00 | Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the MTA Ethnically Marginalized Affairs Committee (EMAC) Conference. | Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center, 1657 Worcester Rd, Framingham
POLITICAL INTEL
…As she relaunched a push for her property tax shift proposal, Mayor Michelle Wu held a call with key supporters Tuesday evening, noting that South Boston’s Nick Collins was among the senators who helped kill the bill last year after he initially agreed to bring it to the floor for a vote. Tom Tinlin, Mayor Tom Menino’s former transportation chief with deep ties to South Boston, delved into history of a similar proposal from Menino that lawmakers approved more than 20 years ago. That prompted one of the other attendees to jokingly encourage a “Tinlin for Senate” campaign. Tinlin shot back, “No, I’m smarter than that,” while Wu merrily suggested she would sign his nomination papers….
….David Traub, who was hired by Regan Communications roughly a year ago as a vice president for media, left the firm on Nov. 26. Before joining the firm last year, he worked for decades inside the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office. He came in under DA Bill Keating and remained under Michael Morrissey. Traub was also previously a state Senate staffer and a reporter for MetroWestDaily News when it was called the Middlesex News. “I’m looking to be thoughtful of where I land next,” he said when reached for comment. A company spokesman, Erik Foster, wished Traub well in a statement….
….MBTA GM Phil Eng agreed to a larger portfolio and an additional title when he became Gov. Maura Healey’s interim secretary of transportation earlier this year. Bill Berardino, vice president of the carmen’s union Local 589, this week offered up another title: “Gift from God.” Berardino made the comment at a ceremonial bill-signing inside Nurses Hall for a law that adds public transit workers to laws on assault and battery against public employees. Citing Eng’s ongoing turnaround of the MBTA, Berardino thanked God, and then quickly added his thanks to Healey for hiring Eng….
….Patrick Bench, the founder of consulting firm Benchmark Strategies, plans to launch in 2026 what he called an “accelerated research platform” called “Benchmark Intelligence.” It’ll be available to his clients, he said in a LinkedIn post, adding, “This isn’t a bolt-on AI feature. It’s a ground-up intelligence engine built specifically for how Benchmark works — and how our clients make decisions.” Its client list includes tech companies like Microsoft and UKG….
…The public affairs firm Rasky Partners this week announced the promotion of its long-time senior strategists, Graham Shalgian and Andy Hoglund. Both were named partners. Shalgian, a federal lobbyist, still leads the government relations group, while Hoglund, a public relations expert who focuses on energy and financial markets, will keep his same focus as well. Rasky said it was their “the first major leadership announcement at the firm since the death of founder Larry Rasky in 2020.”
FROM BEACON HILL
META SUIT: The Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments this morning tied to Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram parent Meta. The suit alleges the company violated state consumer protection laws. – CommonWealth Beacon
ESCALATING QUICKLY: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Sen. Nick Collins is “either badly misinformed or purposely misleading voters” on her property tax shift proposal. She noted he stayed silent during a meeting of the various camps inside Senate President Karen Spilka’s office last year. – Boston Globe
TRANSFER TAX: Efforts are underway again to install a fee on home sales on the Cape and Islands that would go towards paying for housing affordability programs. The idea has the support of the Cape’s chamber of commerce, but needs Beacon Hill’s sign-off. – Boston Business Journal
NEWS NEXT DOOR
DISINFO BATTLE: Dr. Robbie Goldstein, the state’s public health commissioner and an infectious disease specialist, says 90% of his job “on any given day” is spent on fighting disinformation in the public sphere. – MassLive
ANALYZING AYANNA’S EXIT: GBH’s Adam Reilly takes a deeper look at what Ayanna Pressley’s decision to not jump into the U.S. Senate race means for Ed Markey and Seth Moulton. – GBH News
CUSTODY BATTLE: Court records and more show the brother of White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was in a bitter custody battle with his ex, who is now in ICE custody. – WBUR
CELL TOWER DISPUTE: A cell tower and a Pittsfield panel are at the center of a case before the Supreme Judicial Court. – Berkshire Eagle
COP INDICTED: A Suffolk County grand jury recently indicted a former Boston Police detective who allegedly backed a city-owned truck into another vehicle, and attempted to drive away while intoxicated. – Boston Herald
STORE SALE: The Worcester liquor store founded by the parents of Rep. Jim McGovern sold for more than $1 million last month. – Worcester Telegram
MORE HEADLINES
Family sues State Police over death of woman struck by trooper
Newton approves 755-unit project by MBTA’s Riverside Station
THE SUNDAY SHOWS
KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. The station is running an encore edition of the show hosted by political analyst Jon Keller. The guest is Mike Kennealy, Republican candidate for governor. They discuss his candidacy and qualifications, his solutions for the housing crisis, the cost of the recent surge in migrants coming to Massachusetts, and the future of the state Republican Party.
@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard interviews Rep. Bill Keating.
ON THE RECORD:11 a.m., WCVB. The guest is GOP candidate for governor Michael Minogue.