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Your go-to source for political news in Massachusetts


By Ella Adams, Eric Convey, Chris Lisinsky & Keith Regan




Ballot questions update: Ride campaign has signatures, Connolly's rent control
question wins endorsements




Read today's edition in your browser



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Today's News



Gathering tens of thousands of signatures from registered voters typically looms
as the largest obstacle en route to putting a question on the ballot, and the
first contender among the 2024 field is about to claim success.




Workers for Uber and Lyft who want the right to unionize, and the organized
labor leaders who support them, plan to announce Thursday they have collected
significantly more than the 74,574 signatures needed to advance their proposal
to the next phase of the process, MASSterList has learned.




So far, the campaign backed by 32BJ SEIU and the International Association of
Machinists isn't saying exactly how many signatures they've collected, but they
will invite press to observe them drop off "thousands" to Boston City Hall this
afternoon -- a full 20 days before the deadline to file enough signatures with
local officials.




It's not exactly a surprise that the pair of powerful unions is plowing ahead
toward the 2024 ballot undeterred, but by crowing success early, they are
showing confidence in the campaign that could put more pressure on lawmakers to
take them seriously.




The 41 other potential ballot questions certified by Attorney General Andrea
Campbell are, ostensibly, still at various phases of the signature-gathering
process.




A bid from Auditor Diana DiZoglio to make explicit in state law her ability to
audit the Legislature has drawn a diverse range of supporters. The right-leaning
Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance watchdog group put its weight behind gathering
signatures for that measure, and a constellation of progressive activists
calling themselves the Coalition to Reform Our Legislature is on board, too.




Rep. Mike Connolly's push to get voters, rather than his colleagues, to revive
local option rent control on Wednesday announced endorsements from a trio of
labor and tenant group, some of whom will head out into the field to collect
signatures.




Each initiative petition that receives enough certified signatures will head to
the Legislature in January, where lawmakers can approve the measures, propose
substitute versions or decline to take action. If nothing happens in the House
and Senate by May 1, 2024, campaigns need to file another 12,429 signatures with
local officials by June 19 to qualify for the ballot. — C.L.




Send tips to Editor@MASSterList.com. For advertising and general inquiries,
contact Dylan Rossiter: Publisher@MASSterList.com. Click here to post a job on
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this edition? Subscribe here!

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AARP Massachusetts applauds the Legislature and the Governor for making
Massachusetts more affordable by passing tax credits allowing older residents
and their families to age with dignity in their home and community. AARP will
continue fighting to strengthen home and community-based care, improve nursing
homes, support Massachusetts’ 780,000 family caregivers and expand retirement
saving options. Learn more at aarp.org/ma.

Happening Today



9:45 | Gov. Maura Healey Attends a Climate Jobs Massachusetts event with Rep.
Decker and Mass. AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch. House Members' Lounge, State
House  




10:00 | Mass. Gaming Commission meets. After an administrative update from
Interim Executive Director Todd Grossman and a legislative update from
Commissioner Brad Hill, the commission will consider a set of sports betting
regulations, updates to house rules for Fanatics Betting & Gaming and Penn
Sports Interactive, and Race Horse Development Fund benefits for drivers and
jockeys. MGM Springfield will present two quarterly reports. There will also be
budget and research agenda updates. MassMutual Center – Meeting Rooms 1 & 2,
1277 Main St., Springfield




11:30 | Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. Tutwiler holds event to
discuss the state of education in Western Massachusetts .Education Secretary
Patrick Tutwiler is the keynote speaker. Delaney House, 3 Country Club Road,
Holyoke




6:00 | Massachusetts GOP hosts a concert fundraiser, featuring Scott Brown and
the Diplomats, to support Rep. Durant's bid in the special Senate race to fill
the vacancy left by former Sen. Gobi. Off The Rails, 90 Commercial St.,
Worcester 



Recent MASSterList Job Board postings



Assistant Attorney General — NEW!, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General




Health Law Senior Staff Attorney — NEW!, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute




Director of Accounting, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute




Affordable Housing & Commercial Property Development Leader, Making Opportunity
Count




Senior Accountant, Massachusetts Housing Partnership




[Jobs continued after Today's Headlines]



Judge lets governor cap state shelter capacity




A Superior Court judge Wednesday rejected an advocacy group’s bid to legally
prevent Gov. Maura Healey’s administration from limiting the capacity of the
state’s shelter system. The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, on behalf of
three families likely to need shelter beds, argued that the administration
failed to give the Legislature 90 days notice before declaring the state’s
shelters full – a period required by the Dukakis-era state law that made shelter
a right in the state.




Judge Debra Squires-Lee ruled that the families did not have standing to bring
the case. "The notice proviso is intended to afford the Legislature the
opportunity to appropriate additional funding for the program,” she wrote. “The
evidence before me, however, is clear – more than a month ago, the Governor
specifically requested additional appropriations for the emergency assistance
program and the Legislature has failed to act.”

— State House News Service | Boston Globe | Boston Herald

Residents in poll support right-to-shelter, less strongly for migrants




A new Commonwealth Beacon poll finds 76 percent of respondents favoring or
strongly favoring the state's unique-in-the-nation right to shelter law,
including for the migrants whose superabundant arrival this fall has touched off
2023's most unexpected crisis. Gin Dumcius writes up the results. — CommonWealth
Beacon

Mayor Wu says Mass and Cass is nearly cleared of tent city




The tent city at the intersection of Boston’s Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea
Cass Boulevard, or Mass and Cass, is nearly cleared of occupants, Mayor Michelle
Wu said. As of Wednesday, she told a radio audience, only about a dozen
occupants remained, and they, like the two-thirds that have left this week, are
being connected with housing or shelter opportunities. Once the last tent does
come down, we will make sure that the street is cleaned and that there's some
more of the services just to kind of ensure that this area is how it should be,
but that won't be the end of our efforts by any means,” she said. At one point
recently, as many as 80 people occupied the site. — State House News Service

Advisory panel members quit over Boston English decision




Eight of the 13 members of a task force advising the Boston School Department on
serving students who don’t speak English fluently resigned this week after the
department embraced a plan to mainstream the students into classes taught in
English while providing them with additional language support. The academic
world has been sharply divided for years over whether students benefit in the
long-term by using English throughout the day, with some assistance, or learning
in classes taught in their primary languages. School Superintendent Mary Skipper
is defending the policy. — WGBH | Boston Globe


COURT DECISION AFFIRMS LAND TRUST FOR MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE




The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has fought in court since 2015 for the Dept. of the
Interior to hold two parcels of land in Taunton and Mashpee in trust for the
tribe. On Tuesday, the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled in
the tribe’s favor, affirming the result of a 2021 decision and the tribe’s right
to the reservation land. — Cape Cod Times


A DROP IN PRICE AND LOSS OF LICENSES FOR MASS. CANNABIS BUSINESSES




16 cannabis businesses across Mass. have alerted the Cannabis Control Commission
of a loss of retail, cultivator and manufacture licenses. While cannabis
businesses are still opening statewide, and the loss of any one license doesn’t
necessarily force a business to shut down, BBJ’s Cassie McGrath reports that the
falling price of cannabis correlates with tighter business margins and that we
should expect the list of closing businesses to grow.

— Boston Business Journal




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Caught on tape? Cash-for-vote charge rocks Springfield mayoral election 




Springfield City Councilor and mayoral candidate Justin Hurst has scheduled a
news conference for Thursday where is expected to respond further to allegations
that people associated with his campaign were caught on City Hall video
surveillance cameras exchanging cash for promises to cast votes for Hurst. In
addition to the video, a Springfield resident tells Stephanie Barry of MassLive
he was paid $10 and given a ride back to a homeless shelter and several city
workers said they were asked by a surge of residents registering to vote where
to collect their payments .

— MassLive




‘Turtleboy’ attorney claims witness intimidation laws unconstitutional




Turtleboy blogger Aidan Kearney was back in court Wednesday, where his attorney
asked a judge to relax his bail conditions, saying they make it impossible for
him to continue his work and made it clear Kearney will challenge the witness
intimidation law under which he was charged on First Amendment grounds.

— Boston.com


OVERDOSE REVERSAL MEDICATION HITS GREENFIELD




The city of Greenfield has collaborated with social service agencies to place
opioid overdose reversal medication, Naloxone, in four locations across the
city. An effort to help with “visibility and importance of overdose prevention,”
and to decrease the region’s opioid overdose fatality rates, the Opioid Task
Force of Franklin County is also continuing to host virtual overdose prevention
and Narcan trainings. — Greenfield Recorder




WORCESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE UNION FACULTY WANT A RAISE




Calling for a raise equivalent to other public higher education unions, members
of Worcester-based community college faculty and staff union Massachusetts
Community College Council will continue to rally Thursday in Worcester.
According to WBJ’s Eric Casey, the union is also circulating a petition —which
had over 5,600 signatures as of Wednesday morning— calling on Gov. Healey to
offer them more than the 2 percent pay increase former Gov. Baker negotiated. —
Worcester Business Journal

Mass DOT turns to young experts for snow-plow names




The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is asking elementary school
students in the state to suggest names for snow plows joining its fleet this
year. The agency says it needs 12 names by Dec. 1, and issued a prepared
statement that reads: “The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and
ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public
works employees and contractors during the winter season.” Past winning names,
which are emblazoned permanently on plows, include: “Luke Snowalker,” “Plower
Ranger,” “Snow Big Deal” and “Sled Zeppelin.” — WCVB

Boston pondering more parking meters




The Boston City Council is considering a plan to expand the use of parking
meters in some neighborhoods and use the funds collected through those meters
for nearby beautification projects. A proponent, Councilor Ricardo Arroyo,
said: “Folks in the neighborhoods who put more money into these meters should
see that money directly benefit the areas in which they are placed. The goal for
this hearing is to figure out how we go about setting this up around the city,
so it’s not just thrown into the … general fund and sent in different
directions.” — Boston Herald

More Headlines

Growing coalition voices opposition to Shattuck plan




Bridging the care gap: the urgent need for spouses as paid caregivers




Mass. residents bullish on future — with some big asterisks




In North Adams, challenger Carsno making incumbent mayor Macksey work for it




County, state see increase in vehicle-deer collisions




Great Barrington issues another warning to those with unregistered Airbnbs




Fall River faces thousands in legal bills, appealing records-lawsuit loss




In the race for Worcester Senate seat, it’s a (state) House divided




Job Board

Reach MASSterList and the State House News Service’s connected audience in the
political and public policy worlds in Massachusetts with your job
postings. Click here to post a job. Need help? Contact Dylan
Rossiter: Publisher@MASSterList.com

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Associate, Massachusetts Legal Assistance
Corporation




Operations & Policy Analyst, Division of Capital Asset Management and
Maintenance




Deputy General Counsel, Massachusetts Housing Partnership




Victim Witness Advocate (Boston Office), Office of the Massachusetts Attorney
General




Victim Witness Advocate, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General




Director of Human Resources Transformation, City of Cambridge




Finance Analyst (City Council), City of Somerville




Assistant General Counsel, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health




Senior Manager, Health and Racial Equity, Health Resources in Action




Community Engagement Specialist – East Of Worcester, Transportation for
Massachusetts




Community Engagement Specialist – West of Worcester, Transportation for
Massachusetts




Outreach Liaison, Office of Congressman Seth Moulton




Staff Attorney, Board of Bar Examiners




Chief Fiscal Officer, Center for Health Information and Analysis




Housing Advocacy Program Supervisor, Community Action Agency of Somerville




Associate Manager of Health Services Pricing, Center for Health Information and
Analysis




Director of Cloud Computing, Center for Health Information and Analysis




Deputy Division Chief, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General




Communications Manager, Mass Humanities




Director of Employee and Labor Relations, Massachusetts Department of Higher
Education




Chief Financial and Accounting Officer, Cannabis Control Commission




Director of Budget and Accounting, Cannabis Control Commission




General Counsel, Barnstable County Sheriff's Office




Senior Research Analyst, Boston Indicators, The Boston Foundation




Director, West Newton Family Navigation Center, FamilyAid




Human Resources Manager, Massachusetts Municipal Association




Executive Assistant, Massachusetts Municipal Association




Director of Public Policy & Communications, Providers’ Council




Counsel, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission




Certification Counsel, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training
Commission




Enforcement Counsel, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training
Commission




IT Programmer Analyst, Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training
Commission




Director, Injury Prevention and Control Program, Mass. Department of Public
Health




Member Services Rep/Insurance Coordinator, Middlesex County Retirement System




Senior Manager, Pharmaceutical Pricing and Policy, Massachusetts Health Policy
Commission




Managing Attorney, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General




Federal Grant Fiscal Coordinator, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency




Executive Director, Mass-Care




Investigator, Cannabis Control Commission




Chief Executive Officer, UTEC

     

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