Editorial: Money’s tight, but not if you send bill to taxpayers

Here s a suggestion for a new Massachusetts motto Living large on the taxpayers dime The Herald s analysis of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell s procurement card expenses is just the latest example of how Bay Staters are the de facto ATM for state leaders Campbell spent nearly on her taxpayer-funded credit card last fiscal year with expenses ranging from traveling to France and St Thomas to hosting an annual holiday party the Herald analysis shows Must be nice Granted Campbell was in France last year for a conference solely focused on commemorating and paying tribute to the achievements and sacrifices of those who fought in Normandy as the Associated Press shared Honoring the heroes of Normandy is laudable especially on the th anniversary of D-Day Why Campbell and company paid homage almost two months after the historic date is baffling but she did get several nice rides through Avis Chauffeur Cost to us The AG s office presented specific love to local businesses spending on food from Anna s Taqueria for an annual holiday gathering that the office s Inhabitants Protection and Advocacy Bureau held last December The P-card also covered for a late October gathering at the Dubliner in Boston to recognize the Massachusetts State Police s profitable high-profile takedown involving a high-profile drug trafficking assessment All reported from July to June her office s P-card spending cost taxpayers chosen Hope those burritos from Anna s came with plenty of guac But Campbell is hardly an outlier Taxpayers are footing the bill for Gov Maura Healey s largesse in giving state legislators an pay raise at the beginning of the year How multiple Bay Staters not working administration jobs got an raise this year We ve already forked out billion-plus to shelter and care for the influx of expatriates to the state and homeless people That includes for repairs at a hotel shelter for settlers and homeless families The state Executive Office of Housing Livable Communities spent on repairing damages that it determined to be outside the scope of normal wear and tear at the Clarion Hotel in Taunton according to records obtained by the Herald Hotels are responsible for their own maintenance and for any costs associated with normal wear and tear that are part of their standard operating costs housing agents have commented Not in Massachusetts apparently not when those hotels become urgency shelters Last summer the Clarion was reimbursed the state s largest expenditure for a carpet replacement and repairs to wallpaper and a broken window according to the figures That came two months after the state spent to replace a carpet and sprinkler heads A big issue with all this is that taxpayers don t learn of such expenditures until after the fact and often after the Herald does a few digging and puts in FOIA requests It s par for the unit in a state whose legislature is dodging an audit of its books like it was a gift basket of plutonium But it s not OK The state is facing funding cuts from Washington and Healey s FY budget is not without cuts of its own As any business knows financial headwinds call for belt-tightening That s especially true when the bills are paid by taxpayers Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn Creators Syndicate