Editorial: Transparency at the Mass. Legislature
Massachusetts state Auditor Diana DiZoglio got a huge win on Election Day, when 72% of voters passed a ballot measure granting her office the authority to audit the state Legislature and its operations. The Legislature’s leaders had opposed the idea of a probe into their activities, saying previous efforts by DiZoglio to conduct the audit went against the idea of separation of powers between the branches of government.
Even after the ballot initiative passed in a decisive landslide, legislative leaders remained somewhat defiant, with House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka issuing a joint statement saying they would consider next steps to respect the election results while still aligning with the fundamental principles of separation of powers.
Massachusetts leaders have a history of rewriting approved ballot initiatives in a way that mildly alters the will of the voters, as state leaders too often believe they know better. After the 2016 ballot measure passed legalizing recreational marijuana, state leaders – who were largely opposed to the measure’s passage – wrote an entirely different law, which created an independent commission to regulate the industry. The dysfunction at the independent Cannabis Control Commission has been quite public, and the lack of oversight of the agency has impeded businesses in the nascent industry.
In the case of a legislative audit, the vote was so overwhelming that its intent should not be tampered with.
Public mistrust of the government is only growing, and increased transparency around the Legislature’s operations to potentially weed out any deficiencies will go a long way in restoring trust in our institutions.
This editorial is the opinion of the WBJ Editorial Board.
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