Markey says he's ready

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Did Sen. Ed Markey watch last week’s WBZ-TV debate between the two men who want to replace him?

“I saw it,” said Markey in an interview late last week, his first local TV one-on-one since the Senate race began. “I'm ready to debate Seth Moulton, and in the fall I'm ready to debate Mr. Deaton as well. I'm ready to go.”

An incumbent running a Rose Garden strategy (better make that the “White Stone Paver’” strategy now that Donald Trump has worked his beautification magic) would have pretended he didn’t watch the debate and declined to name check his challengers. But Markey suddenly appears eager to engage, agreeing to three debates before the September 1 primary and going on offense against Moulton.

Anyone who saw him strip the bark off Congressman Joe Kennedy III, mulch it with Ipecac, and shove it down Kennedy’s throat back in 2020 should not be surprised. 

We didn’t want to wait another month for the Moulton/Markey debates to begin, so we read back some of Moulton’s criticisms from the debate with Deaton. “A lot of people in Massachusetts right now feel like they don't have a voice in our politics, and they need a fighter, they need someone who's going to change the playbook,” said Moulton. “There just comes a time to pass the torch to the next generation.”

Markey could have waved that off by pointing to the recent Suffolk/Globe poll showing only 24% of voters consider his age “a big factor” in their decision, or aped Joe Biden’s strategy of claiming age brings wisdom and competence. Instead, he insisted “this is the most energized I have ever been,” and backed it up with a rapid-fire strafing of Trump-era budget cuts and their impact on Massachusetts…

10:00 | Department of Public Utilities holds a technical session on proposed regulations for transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft. The agenda includes discussions on transportation electrification, driver background check requirements and operational costs | One South Station, Third floor, Boston | Zoom

11:00 | House meets in an informal session | House Chamber

1:30 | Ballot Law Commission plans to continue a hearing on an objection seeking to disqualify Republican candidate Michael Walsh from the ballot | 1 Ashburton Place, 17th floor conference room, Boston

5:15 | Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve holds press conference with South End families "to discuss rising concerns over crime and public safety in Boston.” | O'Day Playground, 85 W. Newton Street, Boston

5:30 | Board of Elementary and Secondary Education holds a virtual special meeting. Agenda includes discussion of the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council final report, which was released last Wednesday and recommends requiring Massachusetts students to complete college-preparatory coursework, pass end-of-course exams, develop postsecondary plans, and finish a capstone project or portfolio to graduate | Agenda and Access

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WU BACKS LANDER: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday endorsed her former aide Daniel Lander, who is a first-time candidate challenging high-ranking incumbent Sen. Will Brownsberger. Wu has also endorsed Latoya Gayle, who has charted a challenge against incumbent Boston Sen. Nick Collins. Brownsberger and Collins both opposed Wu’s property tax shift proposal, which died on Beacon Hill and caused friction between Wu and the senators. — Boston Globe

FROM THE SPEAKER: In an editorial published Sunday, House Speaker Ron Mariano writes that Auditor Diana DiZoglio “has taken advantage of the ease through which misinformation and personal attacks spread through our media ecosystem” in her push to audit the Legislature, bringing to the surface concerns about impartiality and likening DiZoglio’s “strategies” to those of President Donald Trump. Mariano uses the piece to lift up a bill the House passed recently, backed by the ACLU and Common Cause MA, that would create a formal process to govern public access to legislative records and narrow the scope of a voter-approved legislative audit. The House didn’t hold a public hearing on the bill, and gave reps about 24 hours to review it before taking a vote. — CommonWealth Beacon

HEALEY BEHIND ENG: Gov. Maura Healey on Saturday said she “absolutely” has confidence in MBTA GM and Interim Transportation Secretary Phil Eng’s leadership following revelations about an “insensitive” hair-pulling incident that happened two years ago. — Boston Globe

As electricity demand rises heading into the summer cooling season, National Grid is already taking steps to reduce risk, improve the customer experience, and support businesses and economic activity across the Commonwealth, helping bring energy to power possibilities for customers and communities. Investments in system reliability, coupled with proactive planning and newer technologies, help minimize disruptions and avoid costs that ultimately impact customers. — LEARN MORE

NEAL DECLINES FORUM: After Congressman Richard Neal declined to participate in a planned debate forum for 1st Congressional District candidates, the forum was canceled and Neal challengers are criticizing and asking why Neal wouldn’t join. — Greenfield Recorder

FERRY RESERVATION ROLLOUT: A phased rollout is in place for the replacement of the outdated ferry reservation system for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. — Cape Cod Times

BATTERY STORAGE HEARING: A Hadley Planning Board hearing on a contentious battery energy storage system is set to start next month. — Daily Hampshire Gazette

SUPPORT FOR LILY JEAN: In less than five months, over $1 million in funds have been raised for the families of the crew who was lost at sea on Gloucester’s Lily Jean in January. — Boston Globe

ONE MILLION FOR TALL SHIPS: Sail Boston expects to welcome one million visitors for the July event, during which 60 ships from 20 countries will visit Boston Harbor. — Boston Business Journal

SPRINGFIELD’S COOK TO UMASS: Outgoing Springfield Technical Community College President John Cook, who received a vote of no confidence from STCC’s faculty union after he announced he was leaving, will be joining UMass Amherst. — Western Mass Politics & Insight

NEW OCEAN SPRAY LEADERSHIP: A Nestle executive has moved to Massachusetts from New Jersey to be CEO of Ocean Spray Cranberries, which is based in Lakeville. — Boston Globe

Ask your Senator to support S. 1114 and S. 1124 for Clean Slate legislation because an old CORI should not mean a lifetime of blocked opportunities.

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