Keller gets serious

Keller at Large

“There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt,” the writer Erma Bombeck once noted. Had she been present at yesterday’s South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, she might have amended that to read “no line.”

There’s been so much scorn heaped on the politicians’ efforts to be funny at the breakfast that there seemed less effort than ever to try. No videos, no props, a bare smattering of photoshopped gags. The only sustained shtick came from Congressman Stephen Lynch of South Boston, a former host of the event who suggested his hometown supports President Trump’s musings about seizing Greenland. “We could probably use it for parking…and we can do it peacefully,” he said. “Just fly over there and put out a chair.”

There were a few other very mildly amusing moments. Gov. Maura Healey insisted she wouldn’t pander for political support, then shed her jacket to reveal a bright green T-shirt reading “VOTE FOR ME, I’M IRISH.” She then misheard a spectator to be saying “take off the shirt,” glanced over at Archbishop Richard Henning seated nearby, and replied: “That is not cool. This is his first breakfast, guys, okay, show some respect.”

(Judging from the somewhat stunned look on the archbishop’s face at times as he took in the spectacle, it may be his last one too.)

CONTINUE READING…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Some good news for those who appreciate Jon Keller’s commentaries. After a hiatus of several months, he will be returning to WBZ-TV as a special contributor starting tonight (Monday, March 16) on the early-evening WBZ news. Keller will be providing analysis of important political developments on WBZ’s newscasts and moderating major political debates on the station. His Sunday morning “Keller At Large” interview program, a staple of the city’s public affairs TV scene since 1991, resumes this Sunday at 8:30 a.m. with guest Gov. Maura Healey. Keller will continue his weekly column and event hosting for MASSterList as well as occasional articles for Boston Magazine.

HAPPENING TODAY

10:00 | The Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee poll closes on redrafted version of Gov. Healey’s DRIVE Act (H 4375). The $200 million redraft represents a “short-term stop gap measure” to address federal research funding cuts and protect research conducted at UMass Chan Medical School on diabetes, ALS, Alzheimer’s and other rare diseases, Chairs Carole Fiola and Barry Finegold said in a statement Friday. | State House, Boston

11:00 | The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions holds a public hearing on the measure (H 5009) that would allow workers at the Committee for Public Counsel Services to unionize. After securing a collective bargaining agreement, CPCS would request an appropriation from the Legislature. | Room A-1, State House, Boston | More Info and Livestream

12:15 | Gov. Maura Healey makes an energy supply announcement. She’ll be joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, energy chief Rebecca Tepper and others. | Lynch Elementary School, 10 Brantwood Road, Winchester

2:00 | The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions holds a public hearing on the legislation (H 5000) allowing single-family homes to be built on smaller lots, in a bid to alleviate housing shortages. | Room A-1, State House, Boston | Info and Livestream

3:30 | Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a Black History Month celebration with members of the governor’s Black Empowerment Council. The event had been postponed due to last month’s blizzard. | Nurses Hall, State House, Boston

5:00 | Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Worcester Democratic Caucus. | Knights of Columbus, 44 Circuit Ave. N, Worcester

6:30 | Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Salem Democratic Caucus. | Levesque Community Life Center, 401 Bridge St., Salem

7:00 | Gov. Maura Healey, First Lady Joanna Lydgate and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attend an Evacuation Day dinner. The event is closed press. | Boston Public Library, McKim Building, 230 Dartmouth Street, Boston

MOULTON BUYS IN MARBLEHEAD

Seth Moulton is making moves this year, and not just in his run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Ed Markey.

The congressman and his wife, Liz, who live in Salem, recently purchased a Marblehead home for $3.1 million, according to publicly available records. A document shows they purchased the property in February, and a listing of the same address describes a new-build home, with five bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as close to the beach and downtown. The list adds that the home has “[n]early 6,000 sq. ft. of thoughtfully designed luxury living space.”

Moulton’s family plans to move into the new home later this year. “Marblehead is Congressman Moulton’s hometown,” a Moulton spokesperson said in a statement Sunday. “There was an opportunity to purchase a property and the family made the decision to do so. Seth is committed to living in [Massachusetts] when he is in the Senate, unlike Senator Markey.”

Moulton is giving up the Congressional seat he’s held since 2015 to challenge Markey, a fellow Democrat. Markey lives in Malden, and took heat during a previous spirited primary in 2020 for also having a home in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Moulton’s next home is a 7-minute drive from where he was raised by parents Tom and Lynn. In an interview with the Marblehead Current last year, he reminisced about sailing and swimming in the coastal town’s harbor. — Gintautas Dumcius

ROATH CAMPAIGN TOUTS INTERNAL POLL VERSUS LYNCH

Jamaica Plain attorney Patrick Roath’s campaign against U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch is touting an internal poll that shows him losing to the longtime congressman, but gaining after biographical information is mentioned.

Lynch gets 62%, with leaners, while Roath gets 36% of the vote. After the poll mentioned their biographies and asked again, Roath received 57% and Lynch got 42%. The biographical information included Roath’s age, 39, and his work for Gov. Deval Patrick, while Lynch is described as a 70-year-old South Boston resident who has been in office since 2001.

“When I first saw it I thought it was our poll,” quipped Scott Ferson, a longtime Lynch adviser. “I don’t know why Patrick would put out a poll showing him losing 2 to 1.”

A March 2 memo from the pollster to the Roath campaign said, “While Lynch begins with a lead, very basic biographical information quickly changes the state of the race and Roath remarkably crosses the 50% threshold after just a brief introduction. “

The poll was conducted by Workbench Strategy, which also did work for Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for New York mayor. The survey polled 400 likely September Democratic primary voters in the 8th Congressional district. The surveys included live telephone interviews and an online component. The margin of error, according to the memo, is plus or minus 4.89 percentage points. — Gintautas Dumcius

FROM BEACON HILL

SERVICE PLAZA DO-OVER: State transportation officials are starting up their new approach to the procurement of a new operator of 18 highway service plazas, breaking up the plazas into multiple bundles that bidders will be able to submit proposals on. The approach also revives a commission that will offer an “over-the-shoulder look” at the procurement. – State House News Service (gift link)

WELFARE FRAUD: Investigators in Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office found more than $4.4 million in welfare fraud in the second half of last year. The discovery comes as a congressional committee on energy and commerce is probing Medicaid fraud in 10 states, including Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. – Eagle-Tribune

ICE PORTAL: Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell have set up an online portal for reporting allegations of misconduct by federal immigration officers. Residents can upload photos, videos and descriptions of the alleged misconduct. – WCVB

NEWS NEXT DOOR

STALLING OUT: Transit and road safety projects are slowing or stalling over the last year under Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, leading to unhappiness within the administration’s Streets Cabinet. – Boston Globe

STATE POLICE BARRICADES: The Massachusetts State Police is widely considered one of the worst offenders when it comes to state agencies and offices that flout the public records law. – MassLive

ST. REGIS RELAUNCH: New investors in the St. Regis Residences, located in Boston’s Seaport District, are looking to boost sales by re-pricing units. Brian Dempsey, the former Ways and Means chairman turned top lobbyist, is among the people who have bought in the building. – Boston Globe

‘PLENTY OF PARKING’: Meet Boston’s Martha Sheridan, who is involved with World Cup planning, said there will be “plenty of parking” at Gillette Stadium for soccer matches, pushing back on the MBTA’s figures. She said there will be 26,000 parking spots on site, as well as private lots along Route 1. – Boston Business Journal

TRAIN MAKER FURLOUGHS: Train car maker CRRC MA has furloughed 142 employees as U.S. Customs has continued to block uncompleted subway car shells from China. There are still nearly 300 employees working inside the company’s Springfield plan. – MassLive