⚖️ Beacon Hill’s going through changes

Happy Friday, Boston!

🤑 Check your bank account: Yesterday was the deadline for the Baker admin to send out tax rebates to eligible residents thanks to an obscure tax law. So if you haven’t gotten yours via direct deposit or check yet, give this number a buzz — they’ll help you out.

FWIW, I got mine in the mail about a month ago. A nice boost to my holiday shopping budget.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Baker gets a new gig

• A wet, wintry weekend

• Florida man drives on the T

Up first…

BEACON HILL FAQ

Transition committee who?

We hear a lot about Election and Inauguration Day in Massachusetts politics, but what happens during those 57 days in between? Enter transition committees.

WBUR’s Radio Boston did a deep dive this week with former transition committee members from Gov. Baker and Patrick’s administrations. Here’s a two-minute summary of the conversation.

What are transition committees? They’re basically groups of people appointed by the Governor-elect — in this case, Maura Healey — to help set policy plans and goals for her incoming administration. Remember all those promises Healey made on the campaign trail? Her transition committees basically help her figure out which ones she can actually deliver on.

How many committees are there? Right now, six. Healey’s transition committees cover transportation, affordable housing, climate change, the economy, young people, and safety and health. You can learn more about each committee here.

Who gets to be on the committees? It’s definitely a mix. For example, if you take a look at who’s on Maura Healey’s transportation transition committee, you’ll see an array of transit advocates, former highway administrators, even a Harvard Medical School professor.

“Some people are there to represent continuity, some are brought on to be new voices,” said Ed Lyons, a former member of Gov. Baker’s Better Government transition committee.

But whether they’re an advocate or a bureaucrat, these committees are made up of experts who are working together to solve problems for real people.

Does Healey have to listen to her transition committees? Nope! But it’s generally a good idea. They spend a ton of time vetting policies that they think both the public and the state legislature would be down with, so their suggestions are generally not taken lightly.

To summarize: Transition committees are kind of like sports teams. While all the committee members may offer different perspectives and skills, at the end of the day, they’re all playing for the same team. Which, in this case, is the Commonwealth.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🏀 Gov. Charlie Baker will become the next president of the NCAA after leaving office. Baker will take over as the NCAA’s new leader starting March 1 — just in time for March Madness. He’ll replace the organization’s current president, Mark Emmert. Baker’s $185,000 annual salary as governor will likely multiply in this new role as Emmert’s 2020 salary was nearly $3 million. But money aside, as a former basketball player for Harvard, I’m sure his inner-athlete is geeking out a little.

🏠 Good news for Boston’s affordable housing market. The city could require that 17% of the square footage in new housing developments be set aside for residents who make an average of 60% of the area’s median income ($84,100 for a family of four). The current policy requires 13% of new residential buildings with at least 10 units to be income-restricted; Wu plans to lower that threshold to seven units.

☔ If you live in Greater Boston and are reading this, it’s probably raining (for now). The storm is hitting our friends out in western Mass. and other parts of northern New England with up to a foot of snow this weekend. And while the storm path could change, the only kind of snowfall we’re in for on the eastern part of the state is a potential dusting on Saturday morning. You can follow some of the projected storm paths here.

12 DAYS OF THE B-SIDE

Holiday brekkie and brunch

🧇 Feast on a peppermint hot chocolate waffle from the Friendly Toast. The waffle is chocolate-peppermint flavored and topped with chocolate-peppermint whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and candy cane sprinkles.

🕎 Get your sufganiyot fix throughout Hanukkah from Mamaleh’s Delicatessen. Pick from raspberry or spiced coffee cream sufganiyot each day of Hanukkah starting at 10 a.m.

🍫 Give back while sipping at Gather, where $1 from every spiked hot cocoa sold through February will be donated to the nonprofit 826 Boston. If you’re really in the spirit, head to a holiday brunch on Dec. 17 and 18 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

🍩 Take holiday cheer on the go with a festive December doughnut special from Blackbird. The gingerbread minis look fire.

🍴 Splurge on a four-course brunch from The Buttery. The menu includes gingerbread waffles and brown butter sage ravioli. Starts at $65 per person.

ONE LAST THING

Florida man delays Green Line

Was your Green Line commute delayed Wednesday night? If so, it was likely thanks to an 88-year-old Florida man who drove his car on the tracks.

The Sunshine State resident took a trip down the tracks between Elliot and Newton Highland around 7 p.m., eventually blocking the tracks before the car was removed. As a result, shuttle buses replaced the T between Riverside and Reservoir while the tracks were inspected. Sigh.

🍸 Thanks for reading! The B-Side squad wants to wish those who celebrate a happy first night of Hanukkah this Sunday. Chag Sameach!

💃 Keep up with other B-Side tomfoolery on IG, TikTok, and Twitter @BostonBSide. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].