Profile in Courage: Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio

From the Boston Tea Party to the first shots of the American Revolution fired at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts was indispensable in the fight for freedom and independence. Unfortunately, the “Old Colony State” has fallen a long way from the founding ideals of an honest and transparent government. As New England First Amendment Coalition executive director Justin Silverman notes, “We have this reputation of being this great liberal state, a lot of transparency, but that’s just not the case. In fact, we are the only state in the country that has the governor’s office, the judiciary, and the legislature exempt, or claiming to be exempt, from the public records law.” A few brave public servants are standing up to this culture of secrecy and fighting for a state government that deals openly and honestly. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is leading the charge to fully audit the State Legislature and allow taxpayers to see where their hard-earned dollars are going. This fight isn’t an easy one,
and DiZoglio has more than her fair share of critics. For standing up for what is right even when the going gets tough, Diana DiZoglio is absolutely a Profile in Courage.

From an early age, DiZoglio learned that nothing can be taken for granted. She was born to a single mother and cleaned houses and waitressed to pay her way through college. She realized that “iron shapes iron” and she could excel by surrounding herself with smart and capable colleagues and classmates who could help her change things for the better. As a Democratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate, she worked across the aisle with colleagues such as Republican Rep. Hannah Kane to simplify the motor vehicle excise tax process and prevent multiple excise charges for vehicles. She also worked with her colleagues to ensure that custodians of public records respond promptly to requests for information by the public. However, she’s largely had to go it alone on the largest and most consequential fight of her career. After assuming office as State Auditor in January 2023, DiZoglio set her sights on auditing the secretive state government. In August 2023, she penned a
letter to Attorney General Andrea Campbell announcing her intention to audit the Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives. This audit would entail “budgetary, hiring, spending, and procurement information, information regarding active and pending legislation, the process for appointing committees, the adoption and suspension of legislative rules, and the policies and procedures of the Legislature.” Campbell responded that, because of legal precedent related to the separation of powers, DiZoglio was barred from such a broad-based probe. But, as DiZoglio as pointed out, the State Auditor’s enabling statute (M.G.L. c. 11 § 12) directs the State Auditor to audit an array of metrics from “all departments, offices, commissions, institutions and activities of the commonwealth.” Words such as “departments,” “offices,” and “institutions” arguably implicate the legislative branch, but this language is not enough to sway the AG’s office.

Now, it’s up to Massachusetts voters to decide whether the State Auditor’s office should be trusted to hold lawmakers accountable. The state’s Ballot Question 1 asks voters whether the State Auditor should have the authority to examine the State Legislature’s financial decisions and procedures for setting rules and making appointments. DiZoglio has been urging voters to support this initiative, and even walked 141 miles from Berkshire County to Boston to raise awareness on the issue. Unfortunately, even pro-transparency lawmakers have largely been afraid to speak up on this issue. DiZoglio notes, “There are a lot of legislators who actually welcome the opportunity for an audit, but understand that they may be retaliated against if they support such an effort.” These fears are certainly not unfounded. House Speaker Ron Mariano (D) and Senate President Karen Spilka (D) have accused DiZoglio of political self-promotion and electioneering, underscoring the political establishment’s hostility
toward outside scrutiny. The State Auditor’s Office shed light on this hostility by releasing a 77-page report on its futile attempt to perform a “performance audit” of the Legislature. These efforts at transparency were predictably rebuffed by lawmakers and House and Senate leadership, and it’s up to voters to force lawmakers’ hands in opening the books of the State Legislature. Whether or not Ballot Question 1 succeeds, DiZoglio and her Office deserve acclaim for trying to bring some much-needed transparency to the Mass. House and Senate. And, for trying to shine some light on a state government shrouded in secrecy, Diana DiZoglio is a Profile in Courage.

The Wrong New York State of Mind

New York recently announced more than $70 million in grants for building government-owned (taxpayer-funded) broadband networks (GONs). Sadly, this plan threatens to bode quite poorly for taxpayers. The state will award the funds through its ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Grant Program, which was created in January 2024. Taxpayer money will be spent on projects in the Finger Lakes, North Country, Central New York, and Southern Tier regions. All of it will go toward funding broadband infrastructure that is “owned by a public entity or publicly controlled,” according to the ConnectALL Initiative. The Biden administration has pushed for the creation of more GONs. As the Taxpayers Protection Alliance has documented in reports such as “GON with the Wind: The Failed Promise of Government Owned Networks Across the Country,” these projects often hemorrhage taxpayer money at an alarming rate. Several blue states have followed along with the president’s goal. California, Maine and Vermont created
grant programs that centered on municipal broadband projects. The money that New York will use for this initiative comes from the Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration will soon begin distributing $42.5 billion in federal taxpayer money through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program that can also be used for GONs. New York is set to get nearly $665 million from BEAD.

Here's a partial list of projects:

* $26.5 million for Livingston County to expand its existing public-private partnership with Empire Access.
* $18.2 million for the Southern Tier Network, which will consist of open-access fiber for eight towns in Cheming, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins counties.
* $10.8 million for Syracuse to expand its Surge Link fixed wireless service.


A common-sense budget amendment during the 2024 New York legislative session would have limited MIP grants to projects targeting only unserved and underserved locations to prevent overbuilding and taxpayer waste, but that amendment did not survive the reconciliation process. Incredibly, New York City had considered using $156 million in taxpayer funds to build a large open-access fiber network within its borders before partnering with Charter on a $90 million project. Leaders pointed to low adoption rates of broadband by impoverished residents, but former New York City deputy chief technology officer Aaron Meyerson pointed out in 2022 that only one-fourth of the 2 million households eligible for federal broadband subsidies had applied. Clearly, the issue was more of education than cost. New York revealed its ConnectALL program in 2022, with plans to close the digital divide in the state through new grants and education initiatives, before adding the unfortunate focus on GONs earlier this
year. ConnectALL is administering a $50 million digital equity initiative with a focus on digital literacy and digital job readiness skills, which is clearly a better use of funds than duplicative fiber given the low adoption rates in New York City.


BLOGS:

Tuesday: Why We Need Free Trade: A Free Trade Center Interview Series ([link removed])

Wednesday: State Bill of the Month – October 2024: New Hampshire SB516 ([link removed])

Wednesday: October Federal Bill of the Month – H.R. 10050 – Pharmacy Audit and Compensation Transparency Act ([link removed])

Thursday: Taxpayer Tricks and Treats 2024 ([link removed])

Friday: Profile in Courage: Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio ([link removed])


Media:

October 24, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted me for their story on Baltimore’s plan to spend excess tax revenue.

October 25, 2024: KNBS 101.9 (St. Louis, Mo.) mentioned TPA in their story about the free market and capitalism.

October 25, 2024: WCNC NBC-TV (Charlotte, N.C.) mentioned TPA in their article, “Council members, staff traveling to Germany for upcoming Panthers game.”

October 26, 2024: The Jacksonville Journal-Courier (Jacksonville, IL) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Postal Service needs helpers for Santa’s sleigh.”

October 26, 2024: Kearney Hub (Kearney, NE) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Youths vape less, officials worry more.”

October 26, 2024: WZTA 1370 AM (West Palm Beach, FL) interviewed me for their story on a free market system.

October 27, 2024: WCNC NBC-TV (Charlotte, N.C.) mentioned TPA in their story on Panthers game in Germany.

October 28, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) interviewed me for their story about Mayor Scott ending its contract with the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts.

October 29, 2024: The Herald (New Britain, Conn.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Youth vaping is down; don't stigmatize policies.”

October 29, 2024: The Bristol Press (Bristol, Conn.) ran TPA’s op-ed, “Youth vaping is down; don't stigmatize policies.”

October 29, 2024: Inside Sources ran TPA’s op-ed, “New York’s Broadband Grants are a Costly Misstep for Taxpayers.”

October 30, 3034: ECigClick (United Kingdom) quoted TPA in their article, “UK Government Announce Extortionate Vape Tax – Will Vaping Be Too Expensive?.”

October 31, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md.) quoted TPA in their article, “Baltimore lawmaker warns against creating another fund run by 'outside operative'.”

October 31, 2024: Broadband Breakfast mentioned TPA in their article, "Conservative Groups Oppose Broadband Taxes on ISPs, Agreeing with Rosenworcel."

October 31, 2024: I appeared on WBOB 600 AM (Jacksonville, Fla.) to talk about the GDP’s growth rate.

October 31, 2024: WBFF Fox45 (Baltimore, Md) interviewed me for their story on the taxpayer Tricks and Treats of the past year.

October 31, 2024: Issues & Insights ran TPA’s op-ed, “Why One-Size-Fits-All Strategy won’t Work for Broadband.”

November 1, 2024: The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran TPA's op-ed, "Proposition S Threatens St. Louis' Tourism Economy."

November 1, 2024: The Daily Pouch ran TPA’s op-ed, “The disposables ban shows that Action on Smoking and Health has forgotten its purpose.”

Have a great weekend!

Best,

David Williams
President
Taxpayers Protection Alliance
1101 14th Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. xxxxxx

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