Right here’s Gov. Maura Healey’s dilemma.
She will be able to aspect with the individuals who voted to open the books of the Legislature, or she will aspect with the State Home politicians who wish to hold them closed.
Which means she will assist the two,282,333 voters who permitted the poll query in 2024 opening the books or come down on the aspect of the 200 members of the Legislature, most of whom are against it.
She can’t aspect with each. Nor can she proceed to keep away from the problem, significantly in an election yr.
Whereas her assist of the desire of the folks and transparency in authorities needs to be a no brainer, Healey should additionally appease Senate President Karen Spilka and Home Speaker Ron Mariano if she plans to proceed to have a working relationship with them.
Each Democrat leaders oppose the audit on the grounds that the Legislature is a separate physique of presidency that they declare audits itself.
Healey to date has walked a tightrope on the problem. Whereas she mentioned she voted for the measure, the issue “is between the auditor and the Legislature.”
It was, nevertheless it isn’t anymore.
It’s once more rising as a scorching concern in 2026, simply because it was in 2024 when 72 % of the voters, in an period of transparency and accountability, voted to grant state Auditor Diana DiZoglio the authority to audit the Legislature.
Since then, the desire of the folks has been stymied, first by the Democrat management within the Legislature and, extra importantly by Legal professional Common Andrea Campbell.
Campbell, siding with the Legislature, has refused to characterize DiZoglio to get the courts to compel the Legislature to conform.
The Legislature, in flip, has rewarded Campbell with vital will increase in her funds.
In a most up-to-date and weird growth, DiZoglio is trying an finish run round Campbell by petitioning the Supreme Judicial Court docket to nominate an out of doors legal professional to characterize her workplace in court docket.
Campbell, DiZoglio mentioned, has “acted capriciously and scandalously.”
The lawyer DiZoglio needs appointed is well-known progressive legal professional Shannon Liss-Riordan, who ran in opposition to Campbell for legal professional common within the three-way 2022 Democrat main.
The third candidate was Quentin Palfrey, a former unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor.
Campbell received that main in her marketing campaign to succeed Healey who was working for governor. However she did so solely after Healey, in an uncommon transfer, endorsed and campaigned for Campbell within the three-way race.
Healey, in an extra increase to Campbell, prevailed upon Palfrey to drop out of the first and endorse Campbell within the final week of the marketing campaign, which Palfrey did. Campbell received and later defeated Republican Jay McMahon within the election.
Hardly had she turn into governor than Healey appointed Palfrey to the newly created, $160,000 a yr place of director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure.
The underside line is that Campbell owes Healey. Campbell is Healey’s lawyer–and does her bidding. If Healey mentioned “Bounce,” Campbell would ask, “How excessive?”
If Healey advised Campbell to characterize DiZoglio and the voters, Campbell would characterize DiZoglio and the voters.
However she has not. As a substitute, she is trying to trip out the problem, preserve the established order, and hope the matter will go away.
However it received’t go away. In reality, assist for the audit is rising.
Liss-Riordan, as an example, has already donated $3,500 to DiZoglio’s enchantment marketing campaign to maintain the problem alive in a marketing campaign yr.
And three Republicans working for governor—Mike Minogue, Mike Kennealy and Brian Shortsleeve– will make Healey’s lack of management on the matter a serious concern.
Minogue, a profitable businessman, has already supplied to cowl the skin prices of DiZoglio’s enchantment.
The ball is in Healey’s court docket. She both speaks for the folks on the problem, or she speaks for the politicians. However she has to talk.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas might be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
