Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio was in Berkshire County this week. The first-term Democrat stopped at the Windsor town hall Monday afternoon to discuss a report on the Massachusetts payment-in-lieu-of-taxes — or PILOT — program.
DiZoglio says data shows the system disproportionately favors the comparatively urban eastern portion of the commonwealth, leaving smaller rural communities in Western Massachusetts unfairly shorted.
The auditor also continues to be embroiled in a battle with fellow Democrats on Beacon Hill over her effort to audit the state legislature.
DiZoglio spoke to WAMC.
DIZOGLIO: So, communities in Western Mass are really suffering in terms of getting equitable reimbursements for their state-owned land. And what is happening is they have raised their voices collectively to our office through the years – especially the last couple years since I've been state auditor, at least – really wanting to look at ways to revamp the current formula. They've been very thankful in their remarks towards the legislature and the administration with respect to the funding that's been increased, but do highlight to us that they have concerns about the inequities in the formula, and that's what this program, that's what this PILOT report seeks to address, is those inequities and those disparities in the formula.
WAMC: There's still a lot of attention on your broader effort to audit the legislature. Give us the April update- Where are we in that process?
We are still asking the attorney general's office for the ability to access the courts. Unfortunately, [Attorney General Andrea Campbell] has still not committed to being willing to represent the people on this matter. She has raised concerns publicly about potential issues with the constitutionality, yet this was approved for the ballot through her office, which vets proposals for constitutionality. So, we are asking the attorney general to represent the people's wishes as expressed through 72% of the vote in November and the passage of Question 1 and defend the will of the people by ensuring that an audit of the legislature occurs. It's important to say that our office has simply requested financial documents and state contracts up to this point, and that is what they are calling unconstitutional, is a simple review, up to this point, of those very basic documents that for most other state entities, including every municipality that we spoke with here today, that they consider as a matter of public record. So, withholding what should be a matter of public record is not acceptable. It's not acceptable when they're dealing with the auditor's office or any other member of the commonwealth. Those should be records that are accessible to all taxpayers who fund the happenings of the legislature and deserve to know how their dollars are being spent. But we have hit a standstill in terms of our conversations with the attorney general's office, where we are continually answering questions, they continually send back more questions, and it appears as though the attorney general is actually utilizing these conversations and lines of questioning to build a case for the legislature, as she has done in the past. So, we do have concerns, but we really want the attorney general to make her position clear about whether she supports this audit and is willing to represent us, or whether she is going to represent and defend the legislature again. Either way, regardless of her decision, we do need to access the judiciary, as it is not up to the legislature to decide what the Constitution says, nor is it up to the attorney general to decide what the Constitution says. That is a power in the separation of powers clauses that is reserved for the courts and not the legislature and not any member of the executive branch. So, accessing the courts is really what we are asking for and this has gone on for quite long enough. We really need to get this issue resolved and move forward on behalf of residents.
And lastly, while I have you here, there's been a lot of outcry across Massachusetts about the federal agenda, the Trump administration- Just in the wake of the demonstrations on Saturday and the ongoing conversations, what's your perspective on this sort of moment as a statewide elected official?
Hands off our education, hands off our Social Security, hands off our healthcare, hands off our national parks. We need to fight for these resources, these funds to come back to our communities. The cuts that are being made at the federal level would have tremendous detrimental impacts on communities in Massachusetts, where we do need to continue to see job creation and economic development and growth and opportunities. So, we have been- Those of us who have been advocating at the local level, advocating for these cuts not to be made in an arbitrary fashion as they have been being made. Our Office of State Auditor conducts audits that serve to help make government work better, not to destroy different areas of government, arbitrarily so. And I think that our Veterans Secretary Jon Santiago said it perfectly the other day when he referred to the administration seemingly taking a chainsaw to these initiatives rather than using a scalpel, which is needed when it comes to ensuring that we are trimming the waste, fraud, and abuse, and cutting out the fat in the budget, but not slashing incredibly important programming for our communities, residents, again, arbitrarily so, without the necessary research to back up those cuts.
