Remember this lawyer’s name? Brian K. Wells is the attorney who lives next to state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz in Jamaica Plain — and who sued her last spring for a home addition that he contended violated city zoning standard. (She settled, agreeing to lower the roof, though she maintained she would have won in court.)
Now, Wells is giving fits to Attorney General Maura Healey, successfully challenging her office to cough up public records concerning DraftKings Inc. of Boston. Wells is representing a citizens group eyeing Healey’s handling of daily fantasy sports leagues like DraftKings. While New York State is challenging their legality, Healey has declared such betting legal but proposed new regulations for the industry.
Wells requested a slew of public documents in early December, looking for any evidence of negotiations or behind-the-scenes dealmaking between Healey and DraftKings. Did we happen to mention DraftKings hired Healey’s predecessor, Martha Coakley, as a legal adviser?
The AG’s office was releasing the documents . . . gradually . . . but in a rare show of strength for Massachusetts’ weakling of a Public Records Law, Wells won an order to turn over the documents within the month. Commonwealth Superior Court Associate Justice Dennis J. Curran acknowledged the sometimes difficult logistics of producing documents but said Wells had already waited 40 days. “Massachusetts’ law is clear: Public records must be disclosed in a timely manner upon request. Mr. Wells has made such a request and it must be honored.’’
The documents began rolling in on Wednesday.
Stephanie Ebbert
Extra-high poll numbers for Baker
At first glance, it seemed crazy: Governor Charlie Baker’s popularity with voters had gone from historical highs to plain ridiculous.
But then there was an explanation.
A recent statewide poll by Princeton Research Associates found earlier this month that Baker’s favorability rating hit 84 percent and his job approval was at 85 percent. Generally, his highest favorability ratings have topped off in the low 70 percent range. These latest figures seemed impossible in this heavily Democratic state.
The survey, however, was taken amid news of the state luring General Electric to put its headquarters in Boston, with Baker playing a key role.
The poll surveyed 605 so-called super voters — keen observers of politics and government — who apparently disagree with Baker on some of the potential ballot questions for the fall election.
Baker is adamantly against tax increases, but 53 percent of those surveyed want to raise the income tax on all earnings over $1 million. That issue, which requires a change in the state Constitution, appears headed to the 2018 ballot.
The governor is a big advocate of raising the cap on the number of charter schools in the state. But that proposal loses 45 percent to 41 percent (within the margin of error). That issue could be on this year’s ballot.
Princeton Associate’s pollster, Lou DiNatale, said the huge jump in Baker’s popularity was at first glance unsettling, making him think twice about the other findings. But he quickly became convinced the spike was directly related to the GE news. The three-day survey began Jan. 14, the day the announcement led the newspapers.
“Obviously that spiked the Baker numbers,’’ he said. “He has been the most popular governor in the country and has broken records for keeping them that high for a whole first year. But these recent ones are artificially high, and it has to be tied to the GE announcement.
“However, the referenda questions on the 2016 and 2018 ballots are not slam-dunks for either side, and the outcome, for all political leaders, could be significant if they are on the losing sides,’’ he said.
Frank Phillips
Healey’s chief of staff moving on
Corey Welford, Attorney General Maura Healey’schief of staff, is leaving state government service Feb. 25 to build a public affairs practice at CTP Boston, an advertising and public relations firm based in the North End.
Welford, who has served as chief of staff for Healey and her predecessor, Martha Coakley, said he’s going to be helping clients “think strategically around their communications,’’ whether crisis or long term.
“I’ve had the best job in state government,’’ he said. “I have been really proud to work for a great office and two not good, but great, attorneys general. But I’m excited for this new challenge now.’’
Welford helped lead strategy on Coakley’s 2010 reelection campaign for attorney general, which began right after Coakley’s historic loss to Republican Scott Brownin the US Senate race for the seat once held by Edward M. Kennedy.
He served as her senior adviser and began serving as her chief of staff after the November 2010 election.
Coakley, now of counsel at the law firm Foley Hoag LLP, lauded Welford’s keen ability to convey complex issues.
“He was terrific on strategy and communications skills. And the reason I loved working with Corey: He understood both how you would set up an issue, who had to be involved, and how you could communicate effectively — an idea, a policy, an action,’’ said Coakley.
Coakley added that he understood not just the mission of the AG’s office, but also the bigger meaning of public service.
Welford, 42, and a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross, said he’s looking forward to working with different companies at the new job — and also a quick New England ski trip before the gig begins.
Joshua Miller
At Mass. Democrats meeting, no voice for O’Malley
Massachusetts Democrats can be a quarrelsome bunch, particularly when they get together — like family members at a reunion squabbling over inheritance or, more often, really nothing at all. But they were united in silence Tuesday night on one matter.
At a state committee meeting in Framingham, not a single member came forward to speak in favor of Martin O’Malley’s presidential campaign.
State party chairman Thomas McGee, a state senator from Lynn, told committee members that party officials had reached out to all three Democratic campaigns and asked for representatives. Charlie Baker of Dewey Square Group, an adviser to Hillary Clinton, presented her case, and state Senator Jamie Eldridge advocated for Bernie Sanders.
Then McGee asked for an O’Malley supporter to come forward, but was met with silence.
“Nobody even moved,’’ said one attendee.
Veteran Democrats said the muteness was indicative of the former Maryland governor’s level of support among state activists.
“If you look at the whole situation, it’s evident that O’Malley simply hasn’t taken hold at all,’’ said Mary O’Brien, a committee member from Pittsfield who is backing Clinton. “There’s no disrespect for him. He’s certainly well spoken, a good Democratic background, his governorship in Maryland speaks well for him, but there are two hot contenders, and there’s just no room for O’Malley.’’
O’Malley’s campaign said a “scheduling conflict’’ prevented supporters from attending.
“While we had a scheduling conflict last night, we look forward to continuing to campaign in the Commonwealth, educating voters on why Governor O’Malley is the best candidate to build on President Obama’s progress,’’ said spokesman Matthew Sheaff in an e-mail.
Jim O’Sullivan
And speaking of O’Malley . . .
O’Malley for O’Malley.
That could be the name of the campaign efforts of Martin O’Malley surrogate Matt O’Malley, the Boston city councilor who is headed to Iowa Saturday to stump for the former governor of Maryland.
This is crunch time. There is less than a week to go before the Iowa caucuses.
So, O’Malley — Matt not Martin — will knock on doors, make phone calls, and rally supporters for the White House hopeful who served as mayor of Baltimore from 1999-2007 and governor of Maryland from 2007-2015.
O’Malley — Martin not Matt — has been trailing former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont for months in Democratic polls.
But he’s not conceding, at least not yet.
Young voters issued a “call to action,’’ making sure his message of college affordability is heard by students whom they urged to caucus for the candidate.
His campaign is promoting a new Iowa specific ad that touts his clean energy plan and asks voters to “#holdstrong.’’
City Councilor O’Malley is sure to echo these themes Saturday in Dubuque and Davenport.
Akilah Johnson
Swift to help Bush in Iowa
Former acting governor Jane Swift, concerned with the direction her Republican Party is heading, will travel to Iowa later this week to campaign for Jeb Bush.
Swift said she hoped Bush, whom she came to know when they were both governors and later through education policy work, could score a respectable third- or fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. Bush has consistently polled a distant fifth there.
“Iowa is all about – and all of these early primaries are about – exceeding expectations,’’ Swift said. “The good news for Jeb is that I think all of his expectations have been set pretty low.’’
Swift said she plans to leave Friday for Des Moines. She said she has been trained in the art of the caucus and will work as a Bush surrogate.
“Clearly, the race is in an interesting place at the moment, and so folks like me need to get off their couch and do some work,’’ she said.
Noting that Northeast Republicans tend to lean more toward moderation than those in the rest of the country, she said that neither Donald Trump nor US Senator Ted Cruz, who are first and second in the polls, is “the flavor of Republican that appeals to me.’’
“I think they would both have a very hard time winning the general election,’’ she said.
Jim O’Sullivan
