State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s poll push to audit the Legislature – which she portrays as a groundswell of grassroots help by Massachusetts voters – is definitely fueled by her personal political account, out of state companies and a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} in funds to skilled signature firms.
DiZoglio’s Committee for Transparent Democracy — run by her political guide Doug Rubin — shelled out $362,277 to largely out-of-state signature-gathering firms to get the 74,574 voter signatures essential to be on the poll in 2024, information present.
The funds included $113,085 to a Missouri firm, $103,367 to a Texas agency and $23,835 in consulting bills to a New Jersey firm – hardly an indication of overwhelming help from Massachusetts voters.
DiZoglio additionally relied on her personal political marketing campaign committee to fund almost one-third of the bills essential to succeed in the signature threshold, marketing campaign finance information present.
She reported transferring $105,000 from her marketing campaign committee to the poll query committee in September and October final yr. It raises the query of whether or not the referendum initiative is extra of a political boon to DiZoglio.
“Our campaign resonates with the people of Massachusetts,” DiZoglio mentioned after asserting the profitable signature drive. “We are demonstrating that by coming together – regardless of family background, bank balance, zip code or political party – we can accomplish great things for a common good.”
A spokesman for the Committee for Transparent Democracy, guide Rubin, mentioned the marketing campaign gathered 25,000 signatures from “grassroots activists all over the state.”
But information present the signature drive was largely not a grassroots creation pushed by volunteers.
The Committee for Transparent Democracy initially paid $240,000 to an organization from Brookline, Signature Drive, to collect voter signatures, marketing campaign finance information present.
Signature Drive then farmed out funds to sub-vendors, however they apparently went over finances as a result of DiZoglio’s poll committee reported it was nonetheless $120,000 in debt to Signature Drive on the finish of 2023 when the final report was filed.
DiZoglio’s poll group additionally paid $5,000 to Northwind Strategies, Rubin’s firm, to cowl the price of authorized charges.
DiZoglio’s poll committee additionally was funded by quite a few massive company and particular person donations, a few of them from the Republican aspect, information present.
The conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance gave the committee greater than $11,000 in-kind donations for postage and signature mailing, and Fiscal Alliance founder Rick Green contributed $10,000 to DiZoglio’s auditing effort.
A Las Vegas-based firm, Accordion Healthcare Consulting, donated $2,005 to the Committee for Transparent Democracy on Oct. 13, 2023, information present. The committee additionally obtained a $10,000 donation from a well being care guide, Kris Harmony, who listed her handle as Las Vegas.
Other donations included $20,000 from Robert May, the CEO of Nova AI; $25,000 from EAB Business Trust in Norwood; $5,000 from a Wilmington, Mass. firm, Media Results; $1,000 from former Republican Party chair Jennifer Nassour; $5,000 from Pelham Community Pharmacy in Waltham; $5,000 from A & Okay Sillari Family LLC in Topsfield; $1,000 from automotive vendor Ernie Boch; and $10,000 from movie maker Kristin Canty of Concord.
Rubin mentioned in his assertion: “We brought together organizations from all across the political spectrum, from Our Revolution MA, the Republican Party, MA Fiscal Alliance, and many good government and transparency groups who support our campaign to bring increased transparency and accountability to state government.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”