WALSH holds wide lead in new 2021 poll — SCHOOL in the PANDEMIC era — How Mass. failed to get DANGEROUS DRIVERS off the road

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

WALSH LEADS FIRST POLL OF MAYORAL RACE — Well, that was quick. Just days after the 2021 mayoral race started to take shape in Boston, we’ve got a new public poll that shows where the candidates — and potential candidates — are starting out.


Mayor Marty Walsh has 46 percent of support among voters, according to a new GBH/MassINC Polling Group survey released this morning. Wu has half as much support as Walsh — 23 percent. And Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, who some speculate may jump in, has 4 percent.

Take these numbers with a grain of salt — the election is a year away. Still, the survey offers a glimpse at what the race looks like at the very outset. The poll was conducted from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15. The latter was the day Wu announced her candidacy, though reports that Wu would run for mayor began to circulate on Sept. 7. The poll surveyed 400 registered voters in Boston and has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

Wu is the only candidate to formally enter the 2021 race so far. Walsh is expected to run for reelection, but has not launched his campaign for a third term.

The poll found Walsh is well-known among Boston voters — only 8 percent of those surveyed had no opinion of him or hadn't heard of him. Fifty-one percent said they strongly approved of Walsh's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, while 34 percent somewhat approved, and the mayor's favorability rating is particularly high among Black voters.

As far as candidate preferences go, 43 percent of voters said it was "very important" that the next mayor is a progressive, and an equal amount said the candidate should support organized labor. Forty percent said it was very important that the candidate grew up in Boston. And 22 percent said it was "very important" that the mayor be a woman, while 24 percent said that was somewhat important.

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TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at an event hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and City Awake with Dr. Karilyn Crockett. Rep. Katherine Clark visits the Fort Hood military base with Rep. Stephen Lynch and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Pressley speaks on a panel titled the “Color of Public Service” hosted by City Awake. Rep. Lori Trahan participates in an Armed Services Committee hearing. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu makes stops in East Boston for her mayoral campaign.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

– “Massachusetts reports 295 new COVID cases, 20 more coronavirus deaths on Wednesday,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “State public health officials on Wednesday confirmed 295 new COVID-19 cases and 20 more deaths from illness linked to the virus. The commonwealth’s death toll since the pandemic began stands at 9,036; when including probable cases, the state says 9,245 people may have died in connection to the virus. The total number of confirmed statewide cases is 123,720 .”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– “In Massachusetts, a tragic history of failed attempts to get dangerous drivers off the road,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “But the New Hampshire crash showed how little progress the Massachusetts Registry had made in 30 years. Zhukovskyy still had a valid Massachusetts driver’s license because the Registry failed to process two violation notifications from Connecticut — violations that would have led to license suspension .”

– “New voter guide tones down references to Galvin,” by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: “Secretary of State Bill Galvin was admonished by the state Ethics Commission for publishing a taxpayer-funded state voter guide in 2018 festooned with his name and accomplishments in a year in which he was up for reelection .”

– “Massachusetts health officials start releasing statewide COVID-19 data on colleges and universities,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials reported 499 confirmed COVID-19 cases on Massachusetts college campuses over the past month, according to a new batch of testing data released Wednesday night. As the return of students to college campuses bring COVID-19 outbreaks, state officials announced they will publish statewide data on positive cases in higher education institutions every week .”

– “Number of high-risk communities jumps,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The number of communities considered high risk for COVID-19 increased from 13 to 17, while people younger than 39 led the way in infections, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all cases over the last two weeks. The weekly data released by the Baker administration on Wednesday showed those in the 20-29 age category had 1,207 cases over the last two weeks, or 25 percent of the total .”

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

– “Marty Walsh ‘not going to speculate’ about Joe Biden Cabinet talk,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Mayor Martin Walsh tried to bat aside questions over whether he might end up in Joe Biden’s Cabinet if his friend wins the presidency in November, saying he’s “not going to speculate” about such an appointment. ‘No, I’m focused on being mayor of Boston right now,’ Walsh said when the Herald asked him if he is seeking a Cabinet position in the former vice president’s potential administration .”

– “Wu challenges Walsh as Boston embraces progressive politics,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “The ink had barely dried on the 2020 primary ballots before local political pundits turned their attention to the 2021 electoral cycle last week, after Mayor Martin Walsh confirmed that at-large City Councilor Michelle Wu is running for the seat he now holds .”

– “Michelle Wu: Walsh Administration Is 'Failing So Many People' In Response To Opioid Epidemic,” by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: “Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu announced she is running for mayor against incumbent Marty Walsh by saying Boston should be a city for everyone, that systemic problems our society is already grappling with — like the opioid epidemic — have only been made worse by COVID-19, and that leaders need to be bold to meet the moment .”

FROM THE HUB

– “Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, School Nurses Are On The Front Lines Of Reopening Schools Safely,” by Lynn Jolicoeur and Lisa Mullins, WBUR: “As many schools across Massachusetts reopen this week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut them down, school nurses are at the front of the front lines of trying to keep students and staff healthy .”

– “‘Hangry’ kids, IT nightmares and Zoom bombings: Parents and students adjust to virtual classrooms,” by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: “Parents across the state this week found themselves suddenly plagued by precisely the frustrations they had feared would wreak havoc on their homes-turned-classrooms, as the pandemic-inspired experiment with virtual learning began in earnest .”

– “DA Rollins On SJC Chief Justice Gants' Passing, New Harvard Sentencing Study,” by Paris Alston and Tiziana Dearing, WBUR: “Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins joins us to reflect on the passing of Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants, and what she'd like to see from Baker's nominee for a justice to replace him. She also discusses a recent study by the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School that has exposed stark racial disparities in the Massachusetts criminal justice system, and outlines her plan to release a list of BPD officers with records of misconduct .”

– “Electeds join effort to save Melnea Cass trees,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “Roxbury residents fighting city and state officials’ plans to remove more than 100 mature trees on Melnea Cass Boulevard scored a victory last week when city officials agreed to pause the construction project, which is aimed at widening sections of the roadway .”

– “Is Ventilation And Air Filtration In Massachusetts' Classrooms Good Enough In A Pandemic?” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “As it has become clear people can contract COVID-19 by inhaling floating virus particles, there’s new scrutiny of mechanical ventilation and air filtration in schools. Teachers in communities across the state have held protests in recent weeks, expressing concern about the safety of returning to classrooms during a pandemic .”

– “‘A kick in the teeth’: Small theaters can’t sell food due to Mass. COVID regulations, but neighboring restaurants can,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “Movie theaters in the commonwealth began reopening at the end of August. The images of action movies flickered on the wall-sized screens, but the aroma of buttered popcorn was absent. Under Massachusetts reopening guidelines, movie theaters are allowed to reopen but aren’t allowed to serve food .”

DAY IN COURT

– “Federal Judges Hear Appeal In Harvard Admissions Case,” by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “A federal appeals court in Boston heard arguments Wednesday in the case charging that Harvard discriminates against Asian American applicants. At stake is more than four decades of precedent that says college officials can consider race when deciding which students to admit .”

– “For SJC, Baker tends to favor smart, moderate judges,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “If there were ever an example of the enormous power of the governor, it is this: Gov. Charlie Baker, with his next two picks, will appoint the entire seven-member bench of the Supreme Judicial Court. In a nearly unprecedented circumstance, Baker has appointed five justices since taking office in 2015, and the untimely death of Chief Justice Ralph Gants combined with the retirement of Justice Barbara Lenk mean he will now fill the court’s final two seats .”

– “Baker Taps Government Attorneys for Appeals, Juvenile Court,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service: “Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday tapped the Norfolk district attorney's general counsel and the acting general counsel of the Sex Offender Registry for judgeships, making a dent in the vacancy backlog as the process of minting new judges revs back into gear .”

TRUMPACHUSETTS

– “New Bedford School Committee member installs electric fence around Trump campaign sign after reporting several signs stolen,” by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: “A Massachusetts man went to great lengths last month to protect the sole Trump campaign sign in his yard. John A. Oliveira, a member of the New Bedford School Committee, installed an electric fence on his property after reporting that several of his campaign signs in support of Republican President Donald Trump’s reelection were stolen from his yard .”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– “Critics Call For Shutdown, Safety Review Of Weymouth Compressor After Emergency Shutdown,” by Barbara Moran and Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “Elected officials are calling on state and federal authorities to suspend construction and operations at a still-unfinished natural gas compressor station in Weymouth, after a gas leak and emergency shutdown last week. The compressor station is in its ‘commissioning’ phase, and is expected to be operational by the end of the year .”

– “Imperiled beetle loses some protections,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport Daily News: “Wildlife officials say they have no plans to remove state protections for a beetle threatened by climate change following a controversial decision by the Trump administration to strip the bug of its endangered status. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last week downlisted the American burying beetle under the Endangered Species Act .”

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

– “Proposed Roxbury pot shop stirs debate,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “When it comes to the debate over marijuana legalization in Massachusetts, the horse has left the barn. Voters legalized recreational marijuana sales via a 2016 statewide ballot question, and pot shops are becoming part of the landscape. But just because storefront weederies are legal doesn’t mean they are necessarily desirable .”

– “Sky high: Mass. marijuana is among the most expensive in the nation,” by Dan Adams, Boston Globe: “Ask Massachusetts marijuana consumers what they think of the state’s legal cannabis market, and one complaint comes up over and over: It’s just too expensive. But is pot here really more pricey than in other states? In short, yes .”

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: “HOT ZONE," "VAX POPULI,” — Globe: “Reforms targeting bad drivers have failed before," "Virtual classes come with glitches," "HURRICANE POURS IT ON.”

FROM THE 413

– “Pittsfield traffic stop reveals DA Harrington had suspended license,” by Heather Bellow, The Berkshire Eagle: “Berkshire District Attorney Andrea Harrington's driver's license had been suspended for more than nine months when she was pulled over on Election Day by a city police officer for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. Her driving record, a public record that was obtained by The Eagle, shows that her license was suspended because she did not answer to what appears to be a speeding ticket in New York state .”

– “Lawmakers want seniors-only option at western Mass. RMVs,” by Bera Dunau, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Area lawmakers are calling on Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to reopen Registry of Motor Vehicles offices in Greenfield and Easthampton and offer dedicated service hours to older drivers across the region. Special hours for those 74 and older to renew their licenses in person were recently added at the RMV Service Center in Springfield, but that’s not enough for some members of the western Massachusetts delegation .”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– “This time, Quincy Center’s revival looks legit,” by Tim Logan and Janelle Nanos, Boston Globe: “After a decade of ups and downs, Quincy Center is finally coming into its own. With a wave of new restaurants, hundreds of higher-end apartments and condos, and several sizable office buildings in the works, this long-sleepy business district is emerging — or perhaps reemerging, for those of a certain generation — as the kind of downtown the South Shore has too long lacked .”

– “Sharon schools superintendent put on admin leave, school committee won’t say why,” by Alexi Cohan, Boston Herald: “The Sharon School Committee voted to put Superintendent Victoria Greer on paid administrative leave and not renew her nearly $200,000-a-year contract, but they won’t say why, and a formal charge of discrimination has been filed against them, according to Greer .”

– “Worcester Board of Health chair is asked to resign, and she refuses, in wake of police chief interview,” by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: “The chair of the Board of Health was asked by one of her colleagues to step down from that position this week for the way she conducted a meeting the board had with police officials last month .”

– “Putting 'Thin Blue Line' to a vote,” by Erin Nolan, The Salem News: “Danvers resident Keith Lucy stood before the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night and called for the town to allow Town Meeting members to debate and vote on whether or not fire and other public safety apparatus should be allowed to display the ‘Thin Blue Line’ flag .”

– “Falmouth liquor stores fear economic fallout of nip bottle ban,” by Jessica Hill, Cape Cod Times: “Local liquor store owners are anticipating a financial blow following Monday’s town meeting vote to ban the sale of small miniature plastic alcohol bottles, or nips, and are exploring how to respond. Depending on the size, personnel and nature of each store in Falmouth, Mellion anticipates the stores will lose between 8% and 20% of their sales once the ban goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2021 .”

– “Attleboro High virus case prompts quarantine of 30 students,” by Stephen Peterson, Sun Chronicle: “A student at Attleboro High School has tested positive for coronavirus, which has led to the mandatory quarantine of 30 students. The student attended school the first day of classes Monday, and school officials notified families of the positive case in an email Tuesday afternoon .”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Steve Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center; David Wade and National Treasure enthusiast JJ Klein.

NEW EPISODE: THE HORSE RACE OF THE APOCALYPSE – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray break down what could be in store for Boston’s 2021 mayoral race, and talk about the MassGOP candidates running for congress. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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