Keller on the politics of snow storms

Keller at Large

“All people must remain in their homes.”

– Gov. Michael Dukakis during the Blizzard of ‘78

“We really worry about people being outside.”

– Gov. Maura Healey last Friday

Gee, storm politics sure have changed in the past 48 years.

Dukakis could be more insistent back then because he didn’t have to deal with the lesson of the COVID pandemic – that if you caution people not to place their hands on a red-hot stove, a substantial number of them will do so anyway and denounce you for warning them. And he was blessed to serve in the days before the oxymoronically named “smart” phone, through which some of us will be persuaded it’s OK to venture out at the height of the storm because the whole thing is a false flag.

But some things haven’t changed. Most notably, allegedly hardy New Englanders still mob the supermarkets ahead of any forecast storm, gouging the eyes out of anyone even thinking about cutting in front of them for that last jug of milk.

For a piece on the old Channel 56 news we once staked out the milk section of a local market on the eve of a big snowfall and asked a woman wedging eight gallons into her cart if she had a big family to keep milked up.

“No,” she said. “It’s just me and my husband.”

Do you two fancy a milk bath together?

“No, it’s just something I always do when it’s going to snow.”

Why?

“Maybe because….snow is white, and milk is white too?”

We always wondered if she also binge-shopped for chocolate milk during a blackout.

Another thing that hasn’t changed is how big storms can pose political peril for pols who don’t handle them properly.

CONTINUE READING…

HAPPENING TODAY

9:30 | Advisory Board to the Comptroller plans to meet remotely to review the Statutory Basis Financial Report for fiscal year 2025. State law requires the state comptroller to file the annual Statutory Basis Financial Report by Oct. 31 but the report can’t be assembled until the final fiscal 2025 supplemental budget is signed. The Legislature did not close the books on fiscal 2025, which ended June 30, until mid-November. | Agenda and Access Info

1:00 | Senate Art Committee meets virtually. The panel is working on selecting a woman to be honored with a statute in the Senate Chamber. Agenda includes discussing a second-round artist proposal and developing a consensus recommendation. | Agenda and Livestream

NOTE: Due to forecasted inclement weather, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Keller @ Large LIVE program with Senator Elizabeth Warren scheduled for TODAY (Monday, January 26) at the MCLE. We look forward to rescheduling this fireside chat for a later date.

DAVID HOGG’S GROUP BACKS LYNCH CHALLENGER

A group co-founded by David Hogg, the anti-gun violence activist who has turned to intra-Democratic Party politics, is out today with an endorsement of Patrick Roath, the Jamaica Plain lawyer challenging longtime incumbent Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston).

“Leaders We Deserve” launched last year with the goal of electing young progressives, and has backed Zohran Mamdani for New York mayor and Graham Platner for U.S. Senate in Maine. Hogg briefly served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee before drawing fire over his desire to intervene in Democratic primary challenges.

“When my dad was sick with Parkinson’s, the Affordable Care Act took care of him and kept my family out of debt. I’m beyond proud to endorse Patrick Roath, a candidate who can finally kick Stephen Lynch out of office,” Hogg said in a statement. “Patrick is a young father who actually understands the affordability crisis we’re in, rejects corporate checks, and has fought corruption in the courts.”

Lynch is the last Democrat still in Congress who voted against the Affordable Care Act, though his campaign website notes he has also fought dozens of Republican attempts to repeal it. He also supports creating a public option.

Lynch, who was first elected to the seat in 2001, has beat back past primary challengers over the years, as well as various Republicans.

Roath launched his campaign in May 2025 and recently announced an endorsement from former Gov. Deval Patrick, a former boss. Alongside Roath, Lynch has also drawn a challenger in Andrew “AJ” Zylberfink, according to a Federal Elections Commission filing.

“Voters in this district are ready for change,” Roath said in a statement. “We need bold and urgent leadership on the things that really matter: bringing down housing costs, making childcare affordable, and defending our democracy. That’s what our campaign is ready to deliver.” – Gintautas Dumcius

FROM BEACON HILL

HEALEY CALLS ICE A ‘REAL THREAT’: As federal agents have contributed to an increase in Minneapolis’s homicide rate, a reporter asked Gov. Maura Healey about the killing of ICU nurse Alex Pretti. At a snow storm presser, Healey called on President Trump to pull ICE out of Minnesota. “This is now an agency that poses a real threat to Americans across this country. It’s got to stop.” She added: “Obviously training is in order but I don’t think this is just a training issue. It’s a problem with a culture and a mentality right now.” Earlier, Bay State faith leaders said they are looking to meet with Healey in the coming weeks to discuss protections for residents against ICE as she faced criticism from some quarters for not backing legislation to deal with ICE in Massachusetts. Over the weekend, the state’s other elected officials weighed in on the killing of Pretti – Rep. Seth Moulton called federal immigration agents “cowards” – as video analyses from the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal undercut statements put out by the Department of Homeland Security. – NBC10 Boston, WBUR, and MassLive

SHELTER SPENDING: Tighter rules on shelter have prevented pregnant women and homeless families from eligibility as the state pays for empty beds. Meanwhile, GOP candidates for governor are sparring over Mike Kennealy’s role in the shelter system mess when he was Gov. Charlie Baker’s housing and economic development chief. – Boston Globe and MassLive

SIGN OF BUDGET TIMES: Gov. Maura Healey’s budget proposal is expected to provide a 2.5% increase in unrestricted general government aid for cities and towns, well below the 26.5% local officials, through the Mass. Municipal Association, had proposed after calculating that state aid has not kept up with inflation. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

ROXBURY PARCEL: Developer HYM Investment Group and its nonprofit partner are pushing Boston City Hall officials to extend a deal allowing them to develop a Roxbury parcel, after officials said they’re moving to use the site for a new Madison Park High School. – Boston Business Journal

WILD WEST: Liberals and leftists are fighting in Northampton, with the city’s mayor, Gina-Louise Sciarra, at the center. – Boston Globe

CRIME PREVENTION GRANTS: Western Massachusetts cities are seeing cutbacks in gang violence prevention grants from state officials, with Springfield’s grant dropping to $861,000 this year, down from $1.24 million. – MassLive

FAMILY REUNIFICATION PROGRAM: A federal judge in Boston ruled that the Trump administration cannot throw out people who are already in the U.S. through the Family Reunification Parole program as the administration tries to completely eliminate it. – Universal Hub

LAWRENCE SCHOOLS: The Lawrence public schools system has a new receiver in Lauren Woo, deputy education commissioner. The shift to an individual, and away from a nonprofit with a six-member board, comes as the city is 15 years into state receivership. – Boston Globe