Raise your voice and say it with me: Diana DiZoglio for governor in 2030!

We should be very thankful for the bold leadership shown by our state auditor in quarterbacking Question 1 to a resounding victory with 86 percent of the vote. Following on the heels of her 2024 push to audit the legislature, this marks two huge wins in the ongoing effort to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to Beacon Hill.

These battles are far from over. One only has to look at the hypocrisy demonstrated by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa to see the struggle ahead for the will of the people to be honored. On Nov. 3, Sabadosa sent an email to her constituents listing how she would vote on all nine ballot questions. For Question 1, the Northampton lawmaker wrote she would vote yes, but “I ran for office with the belief that the public has a right to know what their government is doing, and I will always vote to expand transparency on Beacon Hill. The caveat: as written, this question raises constitutional questions and would be difficult to implement.”

Sadly, on June 3, Sabadosa was one of 125 solons to vote to ram through a bill (H. 5469) weakening the public records law before voters even got a chance to weigh in. Because Speaker Ronald Mariano told her to. Massachusetts and Michigan are the only two states where the public records law does not apply to the governor and we join Oklahoma, Oregon and Wyoming, in which the legislature is totally exempt from any public records statute.

Auditor DiZoglio is both totally fearless and genuinely funny — two incredible traits that voters should want in someone for executive leadership. She has been a huge champion for our rural communities, not only visiting often in Goshen, Williamsburg, Windsor and other hilltowns but in producing a report on fixing the Payment In-Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program in January 2025, Pursuing Equitable State-Owned Land Reimbursements for Municipalities. This report’s recommendations should have been filed as legislation by Gov. Healey but instead, Healey kicked the can down the road by appointing her own blue-ribbon commission to study the issue to death.

As important as the oversight DiZoglio performs as auditor, her canvass is just too small. I’m hoping that she looks long and hard at running for governor in 2030 where she would be a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination.

Matt L. Barron

Chesterfield