Newly elected state representative Michelle Badger was the sole Democrat this week to vote in favor of cooperating with Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s proposed audit of the Legislature.
Legislators voted 24-127 on Tuesday to reject a Republican-sponsored amendment to House rules that would have forced compliance with DiZoglio’s audit.
The plan was wildly popular with the public — nearly three quarters of voters across the state supported a November ballot question that gave DiZoglio authority to audit the Legislature.
Badger said she voted the way Plymouth residents urged her to.
“My vote reflects the many conversations I had with constituents on the campaign trail who want to see more transparency in government,” she said.
“Staying true to my word and to the people I represent has always been and will always be my priority,” said Badger, who formerly served as the town’s school committee chair.
The amendment was short, but controversial. It simply said that “audits of the house shall be conducted by the state auditor under authority granted by section 11 of Chapter 12 of the General Laws,”
That is the law that empowers the auditor to scrutinize all of state government.
Rep. Michael Day, a top deputy to House Speaker Ron Mariano, attacked the push for an audit, saying that just because voters like an idea doesn’t make it constitutional, according to an account in the Statehouse News Service.
“Look to segregation of children in our schools, segregation of lunch counters,” Day was quoted as saying.
“Those were passed overwhelmingly by voters. And yet the courts,…opined that those laws were unconstitutional. The will of the voters, with respect to segregation, didn’t overcome the Constitution,” he said.
DiZoglio, who served in both the House and Senate before being elected auditor, praised Badger, calling her “a true profile in courage.”
“It’s not easy to stand up to the Beacon Hill bullies,” she said.
Many other lawmakers pledged on the campaign trail to support the audit, DiZoglio said, but only Badger kept her word.
DiZoglio said she may take legal action to force Attorney General Andrea Campbell to take a position and possibly end the stalemate between the auditor and lawmakers.
In November, Badger won the House seat formerly held by Republican Matt Muratore, who ran unsuccessfully for the state senate.
The seat had been held by Republicans since 1998.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.