Read-ing the tea leaves

District Attorney Michael Morrissey on Monday said he isn’t running for another term, answering the persistent question that’s kept coming up in Norfolk County, where he’s been the DA since 2010, and his old stomping grounds on Beacon Hill, where he served for decades as Quincy’s state senator and rep.

Morrissey’s statement came days after another turn in the Karen Read saga, which has dogged his office through a mistrial and a retrial that ended in a murder acquittal. She was found guilty of operating under the influence, amounting essentially to a very expensive drunken driving case.

Campaign finance filings showed she and her legal team were all in on one of Morrissey’s opponents: Adam Deitch, a former federal prosecutor who was among the investigators who looked into local law enforcement’s handling of the Read case.

It was a reminder that Morrissey, if he had run again, would be constantly litigating the case on the campaign trail instead of the courtroom. He had more than $400,000 in his campaign account, but he barely raised anything last year. Insiders in the last few weeks heard different things about his future, depending on the day.

“I believe the time is right for me to start a new chapter in my life,” Morrissey, 71, said in a statement blasted out to the media hours after rumors of his retirement plans made their way through legal circles.

Deitch aside, several other DA candidates are also already in the race, spurred by the controversies surrounding the Read case and that of Sandra Birchmore. Federal prosecutors say Birchmore, a pregnant woman, was killed by a former Stoughton police officer.

“Michael Morrissey’s decision to not seek re-election is the right one,” Djuna Perkins, one of the candidates, who has served as an assistant attorney general and assistant DA, said in a statement. “Now, residents of Norfolk County have the opportunity to elect a qualified District Attorney committed to the pursuit of justice — free from bias, conflict, and political entanglements.”

Deitch, the former federal prosecutor who looked into the Read case, said he wished Morrissey “only the best as he moves on.” “Norfolk County deserves a new, credible, outside perspective to restore faith and confidence and build a DA’s Office defined by fairness, integrity, and professionalism,” he said.

While Deitch and Djuna have been the top fundraisers, two other candidates are also in the race: Cohasset School Committee Craig MacLellan, also a former prosecutor; and defense attorney Jim Barakat.

Running in a wide open race, of course, is different from running against someone embedded for decades in local politics. Close observers expect others to consider jumping in, given Morrissey’s exit, whether it’s someone from his office or a current or former elected official inside Norfolk County. Jay Davis, a Quincy attorney who served as a city councilor between 2004 and 2010, is among those weighing a run.

Are you considering a run for Norfolk DA? Drop me a line if so: gin@massterlist.com.

HAPPENING TODAY

9:30 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Superintendent Mary Skipper and the Strider Education Foundation unveil the All Kids Bike Program, which seeks to teach young kids how to ride a bike through a developmentally-appropriate curriculum. | Beethoven Elementary School, 5125 Washington St., West Roxbury

11:00 | Attorney General Andrea Campbell joins GBH Radio‘s “Boston Public Radio” for a regular “Ask the AG” segment. | Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston St., Copley Square | GBH 89.7 FM

11:00 | Sen. Jake Oliveira and Labor Secretary Lauren Jones hold a roundtable discussion at the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. Lawmakers, college presidents and career center and workforce development leaders plan to attend. | 333 Bridge St., Springfield

11:30 | New England-based conservative think tanks hold online press conference to discuss a new study by Isaac Orr of Always On Energy Research. | Zoom link will be provided upon RSVP to pfgangi@fiscalalliancefoundation.org

1:00 | The Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets holds a public hearing on Gov. Maura Healey‘s $2.9 billion environmental bond bill (S 2542). The proposal cleared the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Dec. 15, four months after it had a hearing. | Room A-2, State House, Boston | Agenda and Livestream

6:00 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll gives remarks at Amesbury Mayor Kassandra Gove’s State of the City address and ceremonial swearing in of newly elected officials. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is also slated to attend. | City Hall, 62 Friend Street, Amesbury

MEETING PHIL ENG?

Were Phil Eng, the MBTA general manager and the state’s interim transportation chief, and Brian Shortsleeve, the MBTA’s GM under Charlie Baker, two trains passing in the night?

Shortsleeve, hoping to be the GOP nominee for governor and take on Eng’s boss, Maura Healey, has offered two different answers when asked whether he’s met Eng, who remains popular on and off Beacon Hill for his ongoing turnaround of the troubled transit agency.

In a media appearance on “Inside Lowell” chat show in December, when asked if he had met Eng, Shortsleeve said, “I have met Phil, yeah.” He added, “Look he’s in a tough job. I mean, believe me, I know.”

Eng is doing a “great job” on the Red Line, according to Shortsleeve, but “spending is completely out of control.”

In an interview days later with NBC10 Boston, which aired on Dec. 29, Shortsleeve said he hadn’t met him. When asked the question of whether he would keep Eng if elected, Shortsleeve said, “You know I haven’t met Phil but I’d love to. And when I’m elected I’d love to meet him and talk about his plans.”

“There are some good things happening at the T,” he acknowledged, but reiterated that operating costs are out of control.

Asked about the discrepancy, Shortsleeve spokesperson Holly Robichaud said in an email that Shortsleeve met Eng at a retirement party for Jeff Gonneville, who left in May 2024 after 23 years at the T. Gonneville served in a variety of roles, including several times as interim GM.

“They have met,” Robichaud said of Eng and Shortsleeve. “Brian has not spoken with him directly on the T’s financial situation. He would like to see a balanced budget and how the T is going to get costs under control.”

FROM BEACON HILL

NEW VET SEC: Gov. Maura Healey has tapped Eric Goralnick as her new veterans secretary. Goralnick, who replaces a position left vacant by Jon Santiago’s departure, works for Mass. General Brigham and is a U.S. Navy veteran. – State House News Service

STEWARD FALLOUT: Rep. John Rogers and Sen. Michael Rush filed a bill that would have the state taking Steward Health Care’s former Norwood Hospital by eminent domain. – Boston Globe

ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: TransMedics, a tech company aimed at helping coordinate organ transplants, is receiving $36 million in tax breaks to relocate from Andover to Somerville’s Assembly Square. – Boston Business Journal

YOUR 2026 CAMPAIGN FIX

WARREN SPEECH: In a Washington, D.C. speech, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Democrats should double down on progressivism in the approaching midterms and not “sand down our edges to avoid offending anyone, especially the rich and powerful, who might finance our candidates.” – MassLive

JEHLEN SEAT: Six-term Rep. Christine Barber of Somerville said she will run for the seat held by Sen. Pat Jehlen, who is retiring. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

HARVARD ENROLLMENT: Even as it’s fighting a war over visas and funding started by the Trump administration, Harvard University has seen a record number of international students enroll, the most since 2002. – Bloomberg

BOSTON CITY COUNCIL: The drama surrounding the Boston City Council, or at least this round of it, seems to be nearing an end, with committee assignments. City Council President Liz Breadon has tapped Gabriela Coletta Zapata for both vice president and chair of operations. – Boston Herald

MBTA REDEVELOPMENT: Citing market conditions, the MBTA has cancelled a procurement process to redevelop 30 acres of land around the Red Line’s Alewife Station, which is nearing the end of its useful life. The T was planning to find a joint development partner for the property. – MassStreetsBlog

BROOKLINE FINANCES: Brookline’s former finance director for its public schools is suing the town, saying she was fired illegally after a deputy superintendent requested that she falsify information. – Brookline.News