Mass General Brigham’s partnership with the YMCA of Greater Boston and the City of Boston is expanding access to fresh, healthy food for families. The Greater Boston Collaborative Food Access Hub serves an average of 20,000 residents monthly, distributing more than 1.7 million pounds of food. It recovers food that would have otherwise gone to waste, supporting both community health and environmental sustainability.
Keller at Large
“It’s almost like deja vu,” says former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown of his underdog battle with John Sununu and the GOP establishment over the nomination for US Senate in New Hampshire.
The reference is to Brown’s landmark upset of Martha Coakley in their 2010 showdown for the seat left open by Ted Kennedy’s death. “Remember when I ran and took back the so-called Kennedy seat and stopped the Democrat super majority? They also told me I shouldn't be running,” Brown recalls. “‘It's the Democrat seat, it's the Kennedy seat.’ No, it's the people's seat. And it's the same thing.”
Not quite. While the Massachusetts Democratic machine was clearly caught napping in 2010 (reflecting the campaign somnolence of their nominee), Brown beat a relatively obscure pol from Western Massachusetts, not a real or surrogate Kennedy. In Sununu, he faces a former US senator who by Brown’s own account is regularly mistaken for well-liked members of his famous New Hampshire political family. “People don't know it's John,” he reports. “They think it's Chris, the very popular [former] governor. I say, ‘it's not Chris.’ They go, ‘[is it] John the father’ [and former governor]? ‘No, no, not him.”
This confusion seems problematic for Brown, but he insists “people don't like dynasties. It's also not a monarchy. We're celebrating our 250th and respectfully, those days are long gone.” (Does this mean Brown has a bunch of “NO KING” signs stashed in his garage? “No, we will leave that to others.”)
Time stops for no man, and the 16 years elapsed since Brown’s big upset may have eroded some of his strengths. He was a fresh face in 2010 with a triumphant life story and an array of timely props - the truck, the barn coat, the guitar. He had never lost an election. But he was beaten by Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and Jeanne Shaheen in 2014, and recent polling has him lagging well behind Sununu with a favorability rating underwater by 18 points.
20 years ago, MA mandated residents to buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Unaffordable healthcare inflation followed along with new mandates, rising premiums, fewer choices & increased provider payments without real transparency or efficiency standards. Taxpayer costs soared; working family income growth suffered. Small businesses & their workforces have consistently faced annual double digit premium increases. Healthcare cost reforms are long overdue.
HAPPENING TODAY
8:45 | Gov. Maura Healey offers opening remarks at John Hancock’s longevity-focused symposium. | Boston Marriott Copley Place, Grand Ballroom, 110 Huntington Ave, Boston
9:00 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Juana Matias announce all Housing Choice designations statewide, with a particular focus on the first designations made under the new Rural and Small Town variant. Sen. Jo Comerford and Rep. Susannah Whipps attend. | own Hall, 2nd Floor, 325 Main Road, Gill
10:00 | Gov. Maura Healey joins former Govs. Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick, as well as other state leaders to mark the 20th anniversary of the state’s landmark health care law known as “Chapter 58” or “Romneycare.” The Health Connector is co-hosting the event with Healey, and noted the law was used as the model for the federal Affordable Care Act, which provides health insurance to more than 20 million Americans. | Faneuil Hall, Boston
10:00 | In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, a legislative briefing will bring together providers, advocates, public health professionals and community leaders. Reps. Marjorie Decker and Manny Cruz, and Sen. Liz Miranda offer remarks. There will be a panel discussion with leaders in the maternal and child health field, and updates on the Department of Public Health's implementation of the 2024 maternal health law. | State House, Boston | Register
1:00 | Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro attends a public meeting on his office's December report on the Steamship Authority's website development project. Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Thomas Moakley host the meeting. | Town Hall, Lower Level Meeting Hall, 56 School St., Oak Bluffs
6:00 | The MBTA holds a public meeting about its fiscal year 2027 - 2031 Capital Investment Plan. The five-year CIP includes more than 600 capital projects, including regular maintenance and longer-term projects such as regional rail modernization, bus fleet overhauls, and Green Line upgrades. Public comment is open until April 16. | State Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, 10 Park Plaza, Boston
6:30 | Statewide GOP candidates for governor and lieutenant governor are set to appear at a candidate forum. | Charlton Public Library, 40 Main St., Charlton
MASSterList Job Board |
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Joan and Irwin Jacobs Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good — NEW!, American Academy of Arts & Sciences |
Information Management Counsel & Records Access Officer — NEW!, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission |
Deputy Chief Planner — NEW!, City of Newton |
Director of Operations — NEW!, St. Anthony Shrine |
Associate General Counsel (Environmental and Energy), Massachusetts Water Resources Authority |
Library Director, City of Newton |
Racial Justice Community Advocate, ACLU MA |
Digital Director, Nature for Massachusetts |
Campaign Manager (State Senate), Committee to Elect Tom Hopcroft |
Jobs continue below the fold — post a job
FROM BEACON HILL
SJC POKES FACEBOOK: Facebook parent Meta is not immune from litigation that alleges its social media apps have features that can exploit children, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a win for Attorney General Andrea Campbell. She will be able to move ahead with her lawsuit against the tech giant. – CommonWealth Beacon
GOV’S RECEPTIONIST RETIRES: A receptionist who greeted visitors to the governor’s office for a decade, is retiring. Joyce Stanton, a Barbados native who came in under Gov. Charlie Baker, reminisced about her career, and her favorite foreign official to walk through the lobby. – CBS Boston
AFTER ROMNEYCARE: Reflecting on the forces that drove the creation of “Romneycare,” the 2006 health care access law, House Speaker Ron Mariano said existing problems in the sector are creating an “all hands on deck” situation. “When I say this is a repeat of 2006, I mean that —that we see people show up in the emergency rooms without insurance. People are dropping coverage because they can’t afford it,“ he said. – MassLive
AI IN GOVERNMENT: State agencies that handle sensitive resident data are plunging into AI usage. State officials aren’t saying much about how they’re reviewing possible risks.– The Shoestring
MEDICAL PAROLE LAW: Massachusetts has a medical parole law, allowing compassionate release if someone is dying and no longer a threat to others. But a look into how the law has been implemented showed some people have died awaiting action, and others granted parole but died in custody. – MassLive
Join legislators and thought leaders for a timely forum on the AI revolution in Massachusetts. Explore the challenges and opportunities of AI policy on Thursday, May 7, at the MCLE (Boston). RSVP!
NEWS NEXT DOOR
IMMIGRATION JUDGE FIRED: The Trump administration fired the immigration judge who ruled against their efforts to deport a Tufts University graduate student who was snatched off a Somerville street last year. – Boston Globe
MEDICAL DEVICE CANDIDATE: GOP candidate for governor Mike Minogue’s candidacy is funded by the money he made from the sale of a medical device company, and a super PAC backing him has pulled in more than $100,000 in donations from Abiomed’s ex-executives. – WBUR
WARTIME MAYOR: As the Trump administration has targeted Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu is focused on “defense of the republic and delivery of municipal services.” – Bloomberg
VINEYARD WIND: The offshore wind farm known as Vineyard Wind is suing GE Renewables in an effort to stop the turbine manufacturer from terminating its contracts at the end of April. Finger-pointing has ensued, with GE Renewables parent saying Vineyard Wind owes it $300 million, while Vineyard Wind notes the turbine blade collapse. – Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD SCHOOLS: Springfield’s proposed school budget for next fiscal year is pegged at $708 million, a $38 million spike, with much of it paid for by the state. – MassLive
MORE HEADLINES
JOB BOARD
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Communications Coordinator, Supreme Judicial Court
Director of Financial Operations, Commonwealth Corporation
Controller, Commonwealth Corporation
Associate Deputy General Counsel, Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance
Senior Associate General Counsel, Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance
Deputy General Counsel/ Program Manager Specialist VII, Executive Office of Education
OIG Academy Instructor, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Office Manager, Government Affairs Firm
Vice President of Programs and Services, St. Francis House
Government Affairs Manager, Government Affairs Firm
Director of Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Executive Assistant, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
