In Cambridge, a small group of motivated residents is fired up about what they see as a lack of transparency and accountability within the Massachusetts Legislature.
They gathered in wake of Question 1, which passed by 72% in November, and still hasn’t happened. Voters opted to explicitly authorize the state auditor to audit the Legislature, but lawmakers have pushed back, questioning the constitutionality of it. Now, it’s tied up with state Attorney General Andrea Campbell.
The issue of transparency on Beacon Hill hit Norman Daoust when he was astonished to learn that one of the few ways that constituents can find out how their legislator voted on most issues is by calling the House clerk and having the bill number and date of vote on hand.
“That was what moved me over the tipping point,” said Daoust, a retired healthcare professional who has lived in Cambridge since 1976.
The issue hit filmmaker and aerospace engineer Pete Septoff during the pandemic when, while volunteering on a community television show about state politics, he realized how little of what happens under the Golden Dome is accessible to the public.
“It stirred up a sense of outrage about how the State House functions,” Septoff said.
In Massachusetts, testimony and votes from joint committee sessions are not fully public. The legislature is exempt from public records law and open meeting law. Popular bills often get referred to “study” where they fade away without reason or explanation.
And while lawmaker’s votes can be found online, you have to dig through a bill’s history to see it. You need to have the correct bill number, download it, and search for their name in the YEA or NAY section.
All of these frustrations spurred Daoust and Septoff, along with a handful of other founding members, to form the Cambridge Committee for Transparency and Accountability, or CCTA, at the start of the year.
The group of about 20 people has since landed meetings with all but one of Cambridge’s nine legislators to share their concerns. The one outlier is State Rep. Daniel Ryan, who has yet to accept a meeting, according to Septoff. Ryan’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Septoff describes CCTA as a “mix of young people and retirees who are … energized or activated by years of the State House not being responsive to the will of the voters.”
“It’s finally coming to a boil and we are striking while the iron is hot,” Septoff said.
Norma Wassel, a retired social worker and 40-year Cambridge resident, said she noticed how top lawmakers responded to Question 1 and that motivated her to help found CCTA. She believes attitudes around transparency are shifting.
“You see some movement among [legislative] leadership,” she said. “I haven’t seen that before.”
The group is starting with three goals, with more to come. They are pushing for implementation of the legislative audit, which they believe should be happening by law. They are also pushing for passage of a legislative joint rules package, which is currently lingering in committee with differing proposals from the House and Senate.
Lastly, the group wants to make sure that recently enacted reforms are followed.
In February, the Senate passed new rules requiring that votes made in joint committee sessions be posted online. Testimony received by Senate members of a joint committee must also be made available online.
The House also passed similar rules. Roll calls will be posted online within 48 hours and the attendance record of members at committee hearings will be published as well. In-person attendance is required.
But updating the joint rules, which hasn’t been done since 2019, is still a work in progress and appears to be moving slowly. There is a formal Joint Committee on Rules, but it has only met once this session and another meeting has been scheduled for May 15.
Committee work is “proceeding at about a snail’s pace,” but more needs to be done said Scotia Hille, executive director of Act on Mass, a non-profit that bills itself as fighting corruption and inaction at the State House.
Public committee votes would “genuinely change the face of advocacy at the State House,” she explained.
If passed, the joint rules would outline ways for making joint committee votes fully public.
There is little movement on the audit as well. Legislators have raised issues about the constitutionality of the audit, and now Attorney General Andrea Campbell is hammering out the issue with State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.
Advocates say that small grassroots groups such as CCTA can make a big difference on Beacon Hill.
“This is not something that is going to get corrected by lobbyists working the State House,” said Peter Enrich, a member of the Coalition to Reform Our Legislature, a group that advocates for better governance. He said it’s the only way to move the needle.
“This isn’t inside baseball, this is going to have to be an external pressure campaign.”
Jonathan Cohn, political director for Progressive Mass, said it’s important that constituents show legislators they are engaged and following up on issues.
“It’s really exciting to see local people really dig deep and see what their legislators are doing,” Cohn said of CCTA.
Cambridge officials that met with the group had positive things to say about them, when asked by GBH News.
But they weren’t fully on board with their goals.
State Sen. Patricia Jehlen, a Democrat who started in the House in 1991 and whose senate district includes parts of Cambridge and Somerville, said the audit is not a priority for her personally.
“I don’t think it will be what people hope for,” she said, adding that she feels the same about making committee votes public.
“They won’t be as revealing as people think,” though she said that she’s always happy to release her votes.
When asked about the prospect of a joint rules package getting approved, Jehlen said, “I’m kind of confident.”
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, a Republican, is a frequent supporter of transparency measures and said groups like CCTA help boost his efforts.
Tarr said the intensity of voter interest around Question 1 and transparency in general has reached the highest point he’s ever seen.
“It’s been building,” he said, calling it a unifying issue across the political spectrum. “We need to pay attention to the will of the voters so I don’t think this issue is going to go away.”
Right now, CCTA is continuing meetings to push on their three goals. They’re firming up bylaws and welcome any new members.
“We’re not going away, so I hope elected officials know that,” promised member Andy Rogers.
