Diana DiZoglio is looking for love in all the wrong places.
It is a subject the state auditor brought up during a WCVB-TV interview last weekend.
She said she was not receiving much love when it comes to the state’s $56.1 billion 2025 budget.
DiZoglio should know that love is rare on Beacon Hill.
There certainly is not much of it in the competitive world of the Massachusetts State House, where she works as the state auditor.
Instead of searching for a friend in the building, where she has contentious issues with the State House establishment, she would be better off bringing her dog to work.
That would be a play on the old Washinton saying, which applies to the State House as well, that “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”
Or she could break out in song as she did when she addressed the Democrat Party issues convention last year, singing, “This is the time for the people to be heard.”
Her song, which seemed to delight the delegates, was in reference to her signature drive to get the issue of auditing the Legislature on the ballot for vote ratification.
With the help of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, DiZoglio gathered the necessary 75,000 signatures needed to place the issue on the ballot before the voters in 2026.
It is an issue, however, that has alienated her from the leaders of the House and Senate, where she once served in both branches before being elected state auditor in the last election.
DiZoglio was well known for challenging the closed-door leadership of the Democrat leaders in both branches of the Legislature. When she left the Legislature, she not only burned bridges behind her, but she also blew them up as well.
House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, who are opposed to the audit, maintain that the Legislature makes its own rules and audits itself and that DiZoglio’s plan is an infringement upon their rules.
DiZoglio, in the name of transparency, disagrees. Hence, the tussle.
She has also ruffled the Healey administration with a couple of critical audits and is prepared to release another dealing with a financial review of the Healey administration, which is expected to be critical.
Hence, in her opinion, she and her office are being unfairly shortchanged in Gov. Healey’s pending $56.1 billion budget.
With Valentine’s Day in mind, DiZoglio in her interview said that the “love language” at the State House was money and the budget.
“Some people’s love languages are, you know, receiving gifts, some it’s quality time, some its words of affirmation, or physical touch.
“Well, on Beacon Hill, the budget is a love language. And I will say that we saw a lot less love than we’re hoping to see from the administration during their budget process.”
She pointed out that the 2025 budgets for Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who Healey supports, and Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro, who is appointed, were both increased by 9% and Secretary of State Bill Galvin by 10%, while her budget got a bump of only 2.1%.
She said it was also “interesting” that her budget cuts from what she asked for were made at a time when her office was prepared to release an audit critical of Healy’s Office of Administration and Finance, which put Healey’s budget together.
That in the State House lingo is a shot across the bow.
DiZoglio is not the type of person to be denied. She takes no prisoners when she determines to do things the way she believes they are supposed to be done.
Young (41), smart, energetic and ambitious, DiZoglio has a future beyond the auditor’s office if she decides to move up the political ladder.
She could be a candidate for higher office, like governor, for instance, should fellow Democrat Gov. Healey falter.
She could also run for the U.S. Senate if Democrat Sen. Eddie Markey packs it in come 2026 when his current term expires, and he will be 80.
Or she could, as country singer Jonny Lee says, stay where she is looking for love in all the wrong places.
Peter Lucas is a veteran Massachusetts political reporter and columnist. Email peter at [email protected]
