Diana DiZoglio and Mike Minogue— an odd couple?
Maybe, but after first sight, it is not so odd at all, not when you consider the issue involved.
DiZoglio is, of course, the Democrat state auditor who is battling her party’s entrenched Beacon Hill power structure over opening the books of the Massachusetts Legislature.
That is the issue.
Minogue, a Republican candidate for governor, a West Point grad and decorated combat veteran of Desert Storm, is standing with her.
A successful businessman, philanthropist—and a first-time candidate—Minogue is not only talking about it on the campaign trail but putting his money where his mouth is.
At stake is whether the state auditor can legally audit the books of the Legislature as she can all other departments and agencies of state government.
The Legislature says no. But 72% of the Massachusetts voters said yes when they approved a binding resolution on the 2024 ballot which DiZoglio campaigned on.
It was a time when politicians like Gov. Maura Healey on down talked about government transparency and accountability. Yeah. Right.
Getting information out of the Healey administration that the public is entitled to is like pulling teeth.
Since its approval on a vote of 2,282,333 to 906,034, the implementation of the audit has been opposed and stymied by both Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano.
They believe that the Legislature is a separate and independent branch of government and that it audits itself anyway, despite the voters.
But DiZoglio, who wants the court to enforce the audit law, has also been blocked by Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Campbell has refused to represent DiZoglio in court on the matter, and by Healey through collusion.
Campbell has also denied DiZoglio’s request to allow outside counsel to represent DiZoglio’s office.
The Legislature, meanwhile, has rewarded Campbell by increasing her budget by $7 million so she can continue the Massachusetts tradition of suing Trump repeatedly, as Healey did when she was attorney general.
Campbell has maintained that DiZoglio has not provided her with enough information to go to court. DiZoglio maintains that not only has she turned over enough information to sink the Titanic—or the attorney general’s office– but also the fact that the voters approved it.
DiZoglio, in a Herald interview last week, flatly accused Campbell and the Legislature of “political corruption” over the budget increase.
The late three term (1975-1987) Attorney General Frank Bellotti, who revolutionized, reorganized and depoliticized the office, would be turning over in his grave if he could see what a political hock shop Healey and Campbell have made of the office.
Unlike Campbell or Healey, Bellotti would have sided with the people who voted for transparency and accountability, and not the politicians like Healey and Campbell who deny it.
DiZoglio, not to be denied, last week sent a letter to Campbell requesting that Campbell appoint three lawyers from a Boston law firm to be appointed special assistant attorneys general to represent her office. Campbell, in hock to the Legislature is expected to deny this too.
And Minogue? Well, the former executive of Abiomed, which came up with a revolutionary heart saving device, said he would pay for the lawsuit and the special attorneys.
“This is something we voted for,” he said, “not payouts and incompetence.”
“If you voted for the audit you will vote for this suit,” he said.
“I will help get this audit done.” Minogue said, one way or another.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas served as Attorney General Frank Bellotti’s director of communications from 1975 to 1979.
