Photo: Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio walks through Newton Centre with Kibbles and Brady to spread the word about her ballot question related to auditing the state legislature. Photo by Bryan McGonigle
Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio has a ballot question going before the voters, and she recently went on a walk across the commonwealth to promote it.
“Right now, Massachusetts continues to be ranked as having the least transparent, least accessible, least accountable state legislature in the nation,” DiZoglio said Friday morning as she made her way through Newton Centre. “Our legislature is not subject to public records law, and they’re not subject to open meeting laws. Bills are able to be passed in the middle of the night with no public hearings, no reported roll calls.”
She started in Great Barrington and, after several days and more than 130 miles, ended on the steps of Beacon Hill Friday afternoon.
DiZoglio spoke with—and even walked with—voters along the way, answering questions and taking feedback as she made her way east.
The state auditor role was created in 1849, and that office audited the legislature more than 100 times, DiZoglio said, before that fell out of practice in recent years.
Newton’s village centers provided a friendly setting for the last day of DiZoglio’s walk, and she was joined for part of her stroll through the city by former State Rep. Jay Kaufman, who will be appearing on WBUR this week to support the ballot question.
“I’ve been talking to people along the way, asking them to vote ‘yes’ on 1,” DiZoglio said. “I’m wearing a bright yellow sign on my backpack, so that helps. We’ve gotten some honks, some waves today.”
DiZoglio stopped by NewTV for a chat, too.
Her ballot question is receiving bipartisan support, from groups like the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee and Progressive Massachusetts as well as the Massachusetts Republican State Committee.
“This is an issue that even though I’m a Democrat, it’s a non-partisan issue, and it’s really inspiring in such a politically divisive time, to see folks from all political parties coming together for good government and access to how our tax dollars are being spent.”