Politics

Baker super PAC returns to action

Backs Sisitsky over Spicer in Framingham mayor race

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A correction has been made to this story.

THE SUPER PAC affiliated with Gov. Charlie Baker skipped this year’s preliminary municipal elections, but returned to action late last week, pouring $129,020 into 17 races, including three featuring challengers seeking to oust incumbent mayors in Framingham, Attleboro, and Amesbury.

Baker’s super PAC went silent this year, prompting speculation that the governor might be winding down his political activities. But on Monday the Massachusetts Majority PAC filed paperwork indicating it had raised $911,005 this year from 42 donors and was starting to spend it on direct mail and digital advertising in the days leading up to the final election. 

Super PACs can raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals and corporations and can spend the funds supporting or opposing candidates as long as there is no coordination between the PAC and the campaigns.  

The Massachusetts Majority PAC generally supports politically moderate Republicans and Democrats. It raises money mostly from business executives – the PAC’s two biggest donors this year were Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish and Robert Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications, both of whom donated $100,000. Fish has been the largest contributor to the PAC, donating $300,000 of the $3.3 million raised since May 2019.

The super PAC spent $9,900 on direct mail and digital advertising backing 76-year-old Charlie Sisitsky in his race to unseat incumbent Yvonne Spicer in Framingham. Sisitsky topped Spicer by a 2-1 margin in the preliminary election, and appears to be in a strong position to oust the first Black woman popularly elected to a mayor’s post in state history. 

The PAC spent $8,589 backing Todd McGhee in his bid to oust Mayor Paul Heroux in Attleboro and contributed $4,445 for direct mail and digital campaigns promoting Republican state Rep. James Kelcourse in his challenge to incumbent Kassandra Gove in Amesbury. (This paragraph has been corrected to make clear that Kelcourse is currently a state representative.]

The initial 2021 report of the Massachusetts Majority PAC showed no involvement in the race for mayor in Boston between City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George.

The super PAC is supporting 14 incumbents – 12 mayors and two city councilors. The incumbent mayors include Carlo DeMaria in Everett ($5,530), Sefatia Romeo Theken in Gloucester ($7,384), Michael Nicholson in Gardner ($4,0770), William Sapelli in Agawam ($7,365), Donald Humason in Westfield ($9,567), Dean Mazzarella in Leominster ($8,621), Arthur Vigeant in Marlborough ($6,408), Robert Sullivan in Brockton ($14,268), Stephen DiNatale in Fitchburg ($5,815), Nicole LaChapelle in Easthampton ($4,277), Paul Coogan in Fall River ($13,477), and Scott Galvin in Woburn ($2,805). 

Romeo Theken is facing a tough fight in Gloucester. She came in a distant second in the preliminary election and is trying to make a comeback to overtake City Councilor Greg Verga in the final.

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Bruce Mohl

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About Bruce Mohl

Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

About Bruce Mohl

Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.

DeMaria is facing a challenge from City Councilor Fred Capone in Everett. DeMaria came in first in the three-candidate preliminary election, but the candidate who was eliminated is now backing Capone.

Nicholson, who is running for reelection as mayor in Gardner, is a Republican at odds with his own state party, which puts him in good company with Baker. Nicholson, who is facing a challenge this year from retired attorney Peter Sargent, last year backed Democratic Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik for reelection over his Republican challenger, prompting Jim Lyons, the head of the state GOP, to dismiss the endorsement as “classic career politician hackery.” Lyons calls Baker a RINO – a Republican in name only.

Donna Colorio, a Worcester city councilor whom Massachusetts Majority helped get elected in 2019, received the most financial support from the PAC, a total of $15,969 in direct mail and digital advertising. James Cote received $516 in digital advertising support from the PAC for his run for city council in Watertown.

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