As we know from some of the Beacon Hill Roll Call columns, our state Legislature is not very open to letting us, the public, know what is going on with legislation being proposed and discussed. We don’t know who is making decisions or who voted what way on a piece of legislation. We call that a lack of transparency! Depending on exact definitions of transparency, our state of Massachusetts is either ranked quite low or middling, never great, in this area.

If a government is transparent to the people, that means information is readily available and we are assured of an open and honest set of actions. Funds are being efficiently used, operating rules are fair and being followed. We have a friend in high places to keep track of these matters. The elected office of state auditor is charged with conducting “audits, investigations, and studies to promote accountability and transparency, improve performance, and make government work better.” We are lucky to have a new state auditor who is interested in shining a light on this issue and in increasing the accountability of our legislators. Her name is Diana DiZoglio and she hit the ground running after being elected.

DiZoglio will be in Williamsburg soon to talk to us about her work on transparency and accountability. She will highlight issues that affect us in western Massachusetts, such as auditing the state Legislature, overseeing regional school transportation reimbursements, and reforming Payments In-Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) on state-owned lands. Please come listen and ask questions, June 28, at 6 p.m. at the Anne T. Dunphy School at 1 Petticoat Hill Road in Williamsburg.

Jean O’Neil

Indivisible Williamsburg

Beth Lev

Indivisible Northampton-Swing Left Western MA

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