Governor’s Race Begins As Democrat Announces Candidacy: Patch PM

FOXBOROUGH, MA — It's Monday, February 8. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• And they’re off! A Democratic former state senator has kicked off the 2022 gubernatorial race by announcing his candidacy.
• While hate group activity is down in Massachusetts, it’s becoming more difficult to measure extremism during the pandemic.
• They’d probably like to close the book on this one in Woburn, where a contentious battle is taking place over who runs the library’s Board of Trustees.

Scroll down for those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Monday’s Top Story

There are 638 days until Massachusetts voters elect their next governor — and the race is officially on.

Former State Sen. Ben Downing, a Democrat, announced on Monday his candidacy for governor. The 39-year-old from Pittsfield is running on “working to make a fairer, stronger, Massachusetts.”

Downing likely won’t be the last candidate to toss their hat in the ring — several other Democrats have been openly mulling entering themselves.

The race will be shaped by whether Gov. Charlie Baker decides to run for reelection. The Republican is among the most popular governors in the country, becoming the face of the state's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic during a time when governors took a renewed level of importance amid a fragmented federal response. While Baker's been mum on his future plans, he reported raising $165,418 in December in filings with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Today’s Other Top Stories In Massachusetts

Extremism in MA hard to measure: The number of active hate groups in the United States declined for a second consecutive year in 2020, the Southern Poverty Law Center said in a report this week, but warned that it's more difficult to measure extremism in Massachusetts and other states as groups move to encrypted platforms during the coronavirus pandemic. The group's "hate map" shows extremist groups are active in nearly all U.S. states. In Massachusetts, 12 groups are active.

An ugly chapter: A bizarre battle over the Woburn Library Board of Trustees is not showing any signs of ending. The trustees met last week without President Jan Rabbitt, who is fighting her removal from the board by Mayor Scott Galvin. Galvin sent Rabbitt a letter Jan. 27 removing her from the Board after an acrimonious recent meeting where it emerged that two members had not been informed of a meeting. Rabbitt called her removal illegal, and a lawyer for the trustees sent Galvin a letter saying the mayor lacked the authority to remove her and that she remains on the board.

Treasurer tests positive: The state treasurer is quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19, her office said Sunday. Deborah Goldberg got tested after learning of recent exposure to the virus. "She is monitoring her symptoms, following the guidelines established by the CDC, and is quarantining at home," her office said in a statement.

By The Numbers

57.6: Perhaps our number should have 7 for No. 12. But how about this Brady Super Bowl nugget? The Sports Business Journal reported the Big Game’s television rating in the Boston market was 57.6 — higher than the Tampa market’s 52.3.

In Case You Missed It

• Baker Sends Climate Bill Back With Amendments
• Barnstable Schools Confirm Retiring Red Raider Mascot
• Medford Bakery Among Best Dessert Spots In U.S., Yelp Says
• Waltham Chamber Starts 'Virtual Tip Jar' For Restaurant Workers
• Coronavirus Vaccines Available At 2 Cape Cod Clinics This Week
• Breeding Season May Bring More North Shore Coyote Encounters