No Kings on Beacon Hill 

To the Editor,

“No more kings!” 

I assume this means that many do not want a king in Washington, nor a king on Beacon Hill.  But Massachusetts voters are suffering with BOTH kings at the moment.  Really? 

June 4, 2026… in the wee hours of the morning, our state representatives were asked by Mass House Leader Ron Mariano to vote on a bill (H.5469) that had never gone through a single committee hearing, had never been debated on the House floor, and was given to the representatives only 24 hours earlier.  

“This new legislation will make all audits more transparent,” was the rallying cry put out by King Mariano to his Democratic subjects.  The bill passed with 125-28 Democrats voting overwhelmingly “Yes.” (There are only 25 Republicans in the House.) 

But wait… in 2024, a voter-initiated law, passed by a whopping 72.6% majority of voters, already MANDATES our elected State Auditor (a Democrat and former state senator from 2019-2023) carry out an annual audit of all income and expenditures of both the House and the Senate, along with all state executive departments.  This voter-approved law also ensures that the Massachusetts Courts can adjudicate any disputes between the State Auditor’s Office and the House and/or Senate.  

Did you know that Massachusetts is the only state in the Union in which the House and the Senate have avoided annual audits since 1992?  

Yes!  There was a reason our forefathers pushed for a multi-party democratic structure.  And most states, in fact, continue to have a two or two+ party state government, with annual audits of each House and Senate.  

In Massachusetts, however, our state legislative bodies have “enjoyed” one-party control for decades.  What have we gained from this awkward reality?  

Massachusetts has the third highest utility prices in the US.  

Massachusetts has the one of the highest real estate costs in the nation.  

Massachusetts is losing more adults between the ages of 24 and 44 than any other state as they move away seeking lower costs of living  

Sadly, Cape Ann’s recently elected state representative, Rep. Andrew “Dru” Tarr—absolutely no relation to our GOP MA Senator Bruce Tarr—fell in step with King Mariano on June 4, voting to weaken our 2024 audit law that 72.6% of Mass voters had approved.  

As Lord Acton said to Bishop Creighton back in 1887,  

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  

Thankfully, Cape Ann voters can vote their good sense, including their struggling pocketbooks, this fall,  when we have the chance to elect a new and independent-minded state representative for Cape Ann, Manchester resident, and environmental attorney, Christine Delisio, along with a new governor, a new attorney general and a new state treasurer; all of whom are on record as supporting our voter-mandated annual audits ASAP.  

Susan Wadia-Ells 

Manchester