Death, taxes, and zero transparency: The three constants under Beacon Hill’s Democratic leadership
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CONTACT: Evan Lips, communications director
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WOBURN — The public will remain in the dark regarding their elected representatives’ and senators’ key committee votes as long as the Democrats’ one-party rule remains unchecked on Beacon Hill, Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons concluded on Monday.
“Death, taxes, and zero public transparency are the only three certainties on Beacon Hill so long as the Democrats remain in charge,” Lyons said.
Lyons issued his comments days after Democrats, led by House Speaker Ron Mariano, squashed yet another bid to provide the public with knowledge how their own elected officials voted during committee votes. The two-year rules package adopted by Democrats on Wednesday also keeps in place provisions barring public testimony from being posted online.
The only amendment adopted by Democrats was a rule to officially change the wording from town “board of selectmen” to “select board,” according to the Salem News.
State Rep. Lenny Mirra, a Republican from Georgetown, was part of a GOP effort to bring transparency to the Legislature. Every single House Republican lawmaker voted against the Democrat-backed rules package.
“It’s really disappointing,” Mirra told the newspaper. “Every other state in the country has found a way to make committee votes and testimony public.”
Lyons said he wasn’t surprised when he learned that Democrats blamed their own constituents for deciding against adopting the same public transparency standards maintained in every other state Legislature in the country.
“The Democrats keep refusing to let the public know how they conduct the public’s business because they’re afraid of having to defend themselves during an election year,” Lyons said. “Let that sink in for a minute, in case you were wondering whether their priority lies with the common good or collecting a guaranteed paycheck.”