By: Elizabeth Dionne – 8-26
I am Elizabeth Dionne, and I am running for Massachusetts State Treasurer on this November’s statewide ballot. I am a mother, attorney, and educator. As a 10-year local elected official, I earned a reputation as a relentless reformer, laser-focused on common-sense government that is transparent and fiscally responsible.
State Treasurer is surprisingly important. It’s the fourth most powerful office in the state, after the House Speaker, Senate President, and Governor—which ranks third. The Treasurer manages up to 20% of the state budget and oversees $120 billion in state debt and $121 billion in pension investment funds.
Massachusetts deserves a Treasurer who remembers that every dollar comes from a taxpayer’s pocket. Massachusetts needs a treasurer who is honest and hard-working, who lives in the state full-time, and who shows up—in person—to the office!
Massachusetts has an affordability crisis. We are second in the nation for cost-of-living, utility bills, and per capita state debt. We are once again known as Taxachusetts because we are fourth in the nation for property taxes and eighth in the nation for taxes overall.
We are also fourth in the nation for population loss, because our cost-of-living is driving out 25 to 45-year-olds, the working people we need to support our economy.
My husband and I are the parents of four adult children who cannot afford to live and raise their children here in Massachusetts—and neither can their friends or classmates.
What does the Treasurer have to do with cost-of-living in Massachusetts? More than you might think!
The Treasurer manages the State Lottery, which is the single largest source of unrestricted local aid to cities and towns. But the state has fallen far behind in local aid for front-line services, like education, police, fire, roads, sidewalks, and water infrastructure.
Over the same period of time that the state budget has doubled, local aid has gone up only 25%. It hasn’t even kept pace with inflation. When state aid goes down, property taxes go up. That’s why this year alone 70 cities and towns have had to request property tax overrides. Rising property taxes hit your family’s budget!
Because the Treasurer manages the Lottery, the single largest source of local aid, I have a unique opportunity to speak up for cities, towns, and taxpayers. As a 10-year local elected official, I will be your voice on Beacon Hill for increased local aid!
In addition to affordability, the Treasurer can also fight for government transparency. Are you one of the 72% who voted for the legislative audit? So am I, but we still don’t have it, and 82% of voters now support it.
As a statewide official, the Treasurer has independent constitutional authority. As your Taxpayers’ Treasurer, I will order an independent audit of all 12 Treasury departments, and I don’t need the legislature’s permission to do it. That means that you, the taxpayers, will finally have full information about major portions of the state budget and hundreds of billions of dollars in assets that ultimately belong to you.
I will join State Auditor Diana DiZoglio in holding the legislature accountable to the will of the voters. Diana has been a strong voice for voters, but Massachusetts’ one-party political system has fought her at every turn. As Treasurer, I will support the Auditor, and together we will represent you.
I am asking you to fire the three-term, 12-year incumbent and hire me instead. I’m not a professional politician, and, as the fifth of 10 children, I know the value of a dollar. I have promised that I will be a fierce advocate for affordability and accountability.
But why should you believe me? What differentiates me from the current Treasurer?
The best way to know the truth is to look at my record. In Belmont, I served on Town Meeting, the Finance Committee, as Chair of the Community Preservation Committee, and as Chair of the Select Board. I worked hard to reform our finance team and improve our pension fund investment returns.
We implemented long-term revenue and expense forecasts, which helped us pass revenue-based, balanced budgets. Most importantly, we passed zoning reforms to encourage small businesses and mixed-use commercial development to build our tax base.
We did great work in Belmont, which has a triple-A bond rating, but it wasn’t enough. Every city and town, including Belmont, faces a financial tsunami. Without additional local aid, your community will have to ask for property tax overrides that will hurt your family’s budget.
So I am asking for your vote on November 3rd to elect a Taxpayers’ Treasurer who will fight for affordability and accountability. Please visit my website at votedionne.com to join our movement to return the Treasurer’s Office to you, the good voters of Massachusetts. ◊