Super PACs blasted their way into city and town politics with the 2013 Boston mayoral race, as union-linked outside groups and business-backed outfits spent vast sums to help get their respective candidates elected.
More than a decade later, super PACs are firmly ensconced in municipal races. The latest example is one group’s last-minute entry into a bitter race for mayor in Taunton, where incumbent Shaunna O’Connell is attempting to fend off a challenger.
Estele Borges, a city councilor, previously lost a campaign for state rep to O’Connell in 2016 and a mayoral race in 2019. Now they’re in a rematch for the top job in the Bristol County city of 60,000.
Just over a week ago, two men listing a Wisconsin address filed paperwork creating the “Restoring American Values” super PAC. The group has so far pulled in $34,000, mostly from the local construction industry.
Borges is crying foul, calling it an illegal super PAC. She and her campaign say that the PAC’s treasurer, Thomas Datwyler, has been accused of federal election rules violations while working for Republicans, including disgraced New York pol George Santos, and noting the group filed the paperwork well after it started running ads on streaming services. The group is also pulling in money from people with business before Taunton City Hall, she said.
“It defies logic that eight individuals with financial stakes in Taunton would spontaneously donate thousands of dollars to a Wisconsin Super PAC with a reputation for unethical practices,” Borges, a Democrat, said in a statement. The Borges campaign has been in touch with state campaign finance regulators.
In its filing days ago, the super PAC reported spending $20,500 on ads, as well as $8,500 to the law office of James McMahon, who served as O’Connell’s attorney when she fought domestic violence charges last year. McMahon, who twice ran as the GOP nominee for state attorney general, did not respond to a request for comment. Datwyler didn’t respond to emails and a phone call, either.
Holly Robichaud, O’Connell’s longtime consultant, said in an email that Borges is “getting more desperate with her campaign of disinformation.” Borges has previously benefited from a super PAC, Robichaud said, and she didn’t speak up when a super PAC attacked Kelly Dooner, the Republican who won a state Senate seat. “It appears that she only objects when it is not for what she wants,” Robichaud added.
I’m still compiling a list of races to watch this coming Tuesday. Taunton’s now on there. Let me know if you have others, if you haven’t already, please: gin@massterlist.com.
HAPPENING TODAY
8:30 | Massachusetts Road Safety Summit brings together transportation planners, road safety advocates, law enforcement and municipal leaders as they explore strategies to eliminate road-related deaths and serious injuries. Carrie Lavelle, MassDOT‘s chief engineer, gives opening remarks. | UMass Club, 1 Beacon St., 32nd floor, Boston
10:00 | A Better City hosts the second installment of its “Built to Lead” series, with this event focused on building decarbonization in new construction. | One Financial Center, Loft on Two, 675 Atlantic Ave., Boston | Register
10:45 | Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and United Way, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Project Bread hold a press conference on SNAP benefits. | Room 157, State House, Boston
12:30 | The Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies holds a hearing on Gov. Maura Healey’s $400 million Discovery, Research and Innovation for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE) Act (H 4375), which aims to bolster Massachusetts’ research and innovation sectors as federal funding for hospitals and universities declines. Healey is scheduled to testify. | Room A-1, State House, Boston | Agenda and Livestream
6:30 | Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association hosts a forum for the One Downtown Task Force to report on its progress, to highlight public safety initiatives underway, and to discuss and debate “the work that remains to ensure that residents, workers, students, and visitors are safe and feel safe.” | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater, 219 Tremont St., Boston
FROM BEACON HILL
HEALEY AIDE FIRED: LaMar Cook, a former Healey administration aide, appeared in court after he allegedly received a delivery of cocaine at the “little State House” in Springfield. Healey officials fired him from his job as deputy director of the governor’s western Massachusetts office in between his arrest and arraignment. – MassLive
EVERSOURCE BLOCKED: Eversource is warning that it will come back with higher distribution rates after state energy regulators blocked a set of rates for this winter. – Boston Herald
FRAMING DEVICE: A portrait of Samuel Adams has gone up in the ceremonial governor’s office, as the state celebrates the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. – State House News Service
NEWS NEXT DOOR
RACIST VIDEO: The chair of the Uxbridge select board eagerly shared on social media a racist video that portrayed former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes. The Uxbridge Republican Town Committee condemned the act. – MassLive
LICENSE TO SPY: As a real estate company installs controversial license plate readers, Brookline’s select board is weighing whether to approve the ability for the police department to use a stream of real-time information from the tech. – Brookline.News
KOCH COMPROMISE: Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch has backed away from ordering up a salary hike to $285,000, from $159,000, and is instead offering up a $225,000 salary. The move comes after outcry among some citizens who note he would be among the highest paid mayors in the state, and would be paid more than Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. – Patriot Ledger
CANNABIS CONTROL: The Cannabis Control Commission remains in turmoil with Shannon O’Brien’s return to the chair. – State House News Service
SARNO EX-AIDE WINS: A Hampden County jury agreed with a former aide to Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno who alleged the mayor had illegally retaliated against him for speaking out about discrimination in 2020. – Western Mass. Politics and Insight
WORK PERMITS: In a policy shift, the Trump administration has jettisoned giving more time for immigrants to seek work permit renewals, causing alarm among attorneys who say it could lead to job losses. – GBH News
HOLYOKE FISCAL CRISIS: Holyoke’s mayor says the city has not run out of money as Joshua Garcia’s administration grapples with state officials freezing monthly aid payments due to City Hall’s unfinished paperwork. – MassLive
MORE HEADLINES
The story behind Massachusetts’ all-Democrat congressional delegation
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