Let the Council battle begin

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THE ELECTION WARM-UP ACT — On the national stage, all eyes are on 2024. But in Boston, this year’s City Council contest could soon steal the spotlight.

Candidates can begin applying for nomination papers starting at 9 a.m. today, and will have until May 23 to file them with the city’s Election Department.

Who’s in? Council President Ed Flynn and Councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Liz Breadon, Gabriela Coletta, Michael Flaherty, Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Erin Murphy and Brian Worrell all told Playbook they are running for reelection this year. Councilors Frank Baker, Tania Fernandes Anderson and Kendra Lara did not respond to inquiries about their 2023 plans.

Newcomer Jennifer Johnson has already mounted a challenge against Councilor Frank Baker in District 3, the Dorchester Reporter reported earlier this year. And Joel Richards, a Boston public school teacher who ran for the District 4 seat Andrea Campbell left open when she made a bid for mayor in 2021, also plans to run in the 3rd District.

Henry Santana, former director of operations for Councilor Kenzie Bok and the current director of the Office of Civic Organizing under Mayor Michelle Wu, recently announced a bid for one of the city’s four at-large seats.

Who’s out? Bok is one incumbent who definitely won’t be on the ballot this year. She’s preparing to step down from the council at the end of April for her new gig as head of the Boston Housing Authority.

At least one candidate — Boston Ward 5 Democrats Chair Sharon Durkan — has already jumped into the special election to fill Bok’s seat.

Keep an eye on the Council’s ongoing friction about the map they managed to push through last year after a fraught redistricting process.

Tensions on the City Council have been high over the past year, with councilors divided along ideological, racial and sometimes religious lines. The map passed last year on a 9-4 vote now faces a federal lawsuit, which Baker helped fund and which Flaherty testified on behalf of.

If the map survives the challenge, it will be interesting to see if — or how — it impacts the voting margins come the preliminary election in September.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. In other municipal election news…

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Roberto Jiménez-Rivera is running for Chelsea City Council. Jiménez-Rivera, a member of the Chelsea School Committee, previously ran for state representative in the 11th Suffolk District.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper make an announcement on climate resiliency and preparedness efforts to celebrate Earth Week at 11 a.m. Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao announce the expansion of MassNextGen, a public-private partnership that supports underrepresented entrepreneurs in the Massachusetts life sciences sector, at 1 p.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Ed Markey will host a Capitol Hill press conference at noon to unveil legislation to end qualified immunity.

Programming note: We’re excited to be in your inbox this week while Lisa is out. Are you running for Boston City Council? Let us know, and send us your tips, scoops, birthdays, new jobs, etc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected].

IT’S ELECTRIC! — Do you drive an electric vehicle in Massachusetts? Email Mia for a chance to be featured in this week’s Playbook!

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— NEW THIS A.M.: Gov. Maura Healey has conducted at least one interview for her transportation safety chief, according to a somewhat-redacted copy of her March calendar released in response to a public records request.

Healey is long past her self-imposed deadline for hiring a transportation safety chief 60 days after she took office. But her calendar and her pledge to share more about MBTA appointments “in the next few weeks” during her Playbook interview last week show progress toward filling what will be a key position in her administration. When Playbook asked Healey’s team to elaborate on the calendar item and the search process, a spokesperson said they would have “more to share soon.” Here are some other newsy nuggets from her March calendar:

— A virtual meeting on Cape Cod bridges with new White House chief of staff Jeff Zients on March 13.

— Multiple meetings with international officials, including Norwegian Consul General Heidi Olufson and Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib.

— “100 days in, Healey has become Massachusetts’ new chief booster,” by Matt Stout and Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “As she passes 100 days in office, Healey has at virtually every turn played the role of booster-in-chief as regularly as chief executive, operating as pitchwoman for a state that, she and others acknowledge, is still in need of tangible solutions to its broken transportation and housing systems.”

— “Here’s how Mass. AG Andrea Campbell is changing the office she now runs,” Luis Fieldman, MassLive: “Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell wants to do away with the title of ‘top cop.’ It’s a title that state attorneys general often carry as the top law enforcement officer with all the influence the office wields … For Campbell, elected last fall as the first Black attorney general in Massachusetts, she sees an opportunity to be better known as the ‘people’s lawyer.’”

— “March Madness: Sports bets topped $568M last month,” Christian M. Wade, Salem News: “Massachusetts casinos and sportsbook apps raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in bets in March, the first month of online wagering on games. That bodes well for the state’s tax coffers.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Wu got use of MGM Music Hall at no charge,” by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu spent $62,000 on her State of the City address at the end of January, but there was no cost to actually rent the venue where she delivered her speech. According to invoices obtained under the state public records law, the Mayor’s Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment spent just over half the money on rented audio equipment, stage hands, event staff, and security.”

— “Pioneers Run Crew at the Boston Marathon was surrounded by police in Newton: ‘This is racially targeted overpolicing’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Members of the running community are alleging ‘racially targeted overpolicing’ after officers at the Boston Marathon surrounded a predominantly Black running group and blocked them from giving out high fives at their electric cheering spot in Newton on Monday.”

— “After pushback from local politicians, MCCA suspends sale of surplus Southie land and plans to rebid,” by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s controversial unloading of 6-plus acres of prime land in South Boston is getting a do-over.”

TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES

— “MBTA inspecting 24 Green Line cars after train car broke down Monday, service not impacted by inspection,” by Claire Law, Boston Globe: “All 24 of the Green Line’s fleet of Type 9 cars, which first entered service in 2018, will be inspected by the MBTA vehicle maintenance team, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo in an email.”

— “Poll: People are using the T more — and giving it poor reviews,” by Grant Welker, Boston Business Journal: “Boston-area workers are using the MBTA more but are overwhelmingly giving the transit system poor grades, and say it has worsened on safety and reliability, according to a new Boston Business Journal-Seven Letter poll.”

ON THE STUMP

CASH DASH — Maura Healey‘s annual “Women for Maura” fundraiser is getting a revamp. The governor will co-headline this year’s event with her new No. 2, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. Senate President Karen Spilka, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, state Sens. Cynthia Stone Creem, Joan Lovely and Cindy Friedman; state Reps. Kate Hogan, Alice Peisch, Sarah Peake, Ruth Balser, Carole Fiola, Patricia Haddad, Denise Garlick, Danielle Gregoire, Michelle Ciccolo, Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Kay Khan; former Attorney General Martha Coakley, former Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy, former Senate President Therese Murray, Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy, Marty Walz and Healey fundraiser Beth Boland are among the hosts, according to an invitation for the event obtained by Playbook. Tickets for the April 26 fundraiser range from $250 to $3,000, with contributions split between the Healey and Driscoll campaign committees.

— CAMPAIGN ALERT: Guillermo Creamer Jr. is running for mayor of Worcester. The Worcester native announced via video that he will challenge current Mayor Joe Petty — a six-term incumbent who’s already said he’s running.

— ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: Reproductive Equity Now is endorsing Celia Segel for state representative in the 10th Suffolk special election.

— “With opponent out of race, South End consultant John Moran is poised to fill Santiago’s state House seat,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “South End Democrat John Moran is all but sure to fill Dr. Jon Santiago’s seat as the next state representative for Boston’s 9th Suffolk district. The consultant and community advocate is the last remaining candidate in the special election race after his primary opponent, Amparo ‘Chary’ Ortiz, suspended her campaign last week ‘to attend to personal and family matters,’ she wrote in a statement.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “How This Democrat Wants to Dismantle the School-to-Prison Pipeline,” Christina Carrega and Brandon Tensley, Capital B News: “Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley wants to end the school-to-prison pipeline by passing legislation that would establish new federal grants to support schools and states committed to change.”

— “Moulton’s ambitious, expensive, and enthralling transportation vision,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “At a time when roughly a quarter of the MBTA subway system is crawling along at a safety-induced snail’s pace, US Rep. Seth Moulton is pushing an ambitious expansion of the T’s commuter rail network.”

FROM THE 413

— “Northampton pays out $80K to former principal, who agreed to resign,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “See what Worcester department leaders made in 2022,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Police Chief Steven Sargent was the highest paid city of Worcester department head in 2022, taking home $267,000 in gross pay.”

— “Wayland Candidate Called Black Superintendent ‘Thug’ In Email: Records,” by Neal McNamara, Patch: “A former Wayland employee who is running for a seat on the Board of Assessors called the town’s Black superintendent a “thug and a destroyer” in an email last year — a document that has become part of a larger discrimination complaint filed by the superintendent against the town.”

— “Air Force investigating intelligence unit at cape National Guard base,” by Beth Healy, WBUR: “The Air Force has directed its inspector general to investigate the Air National Guard intelligence unit on Cape Cod where accused document leaker Jack Teixeira worked, and the unit’s mission has been temporarily reassigned to other Air Force organizations.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Sununu on 2024: ‘I think I could do the job’,” by Matt Berg, POLITICO: “New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu on Tuesday provided perhaps his strongest indication yet that he may announce a 2024 presidential bid. While speaking on CNN with Poppy Harlow and Don Lemon Tuesday morning, the trio laughed as Sununu dodged questions about whether he’ll jump in the race. After Sununu touted his ability to work across the aisle as governor, Harlow was blunt: ‘So, you do want to be president?’ ‘I think I could do the job,’ Sununu quickly responded.”

— “Opponents, supporters pack NH committee meeting on Parental Bill of Rights,” by Paula Tracy, The Eagle-Tribune: “In a packed Representatives Hall, opponents and supporters of the Parental Bill of Rights in Education testified on whether Senate Bill 272 would harm or help children and their parents.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS — A pair of ducks flew onto the field and interrupted Tuesday’s Red Sox game. Duck cam.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to the Boston Globe’s Emma Platoff, Anya van Wagtendonk, Ron Kaufman, Graydon Moorhead, Kyle Grabowski and Arena’s Sydney Levin-Epstein.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [email protected].

CORRECTION: Yesterday’s Massachusetts Playbook misstated who would be attending the Bloomberg Center for Cities opening celebration at Harvard. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll attended.