LETTER: Attorney General’s Selective Enforcement Undermines The Will Of The People, Where’s The State Audit?

Dear Editor,

In her article last week, Attorney General Andrea Campbell argues that “every elected official has a responsibility to use the tools at their disposal” to address the housing crisis. She frames her lawsuit against nine Massachusetts towns as a necessary defense of the law and the democratic process. However, the Attorney General’s commitment to “enforcing the law” appears to be selective, applying only to the policies she favors while ignoring those that demand accountability from her colleagues on Beacon Hill.

The Attorney General’s aggressive stance on the MBTA Communities Act stands in stark contrast to her response—or lack thereof—to the overwhelming passage of 2024’s Ballot Question 1. Over 72% of Massachusetts voters sent a clear, undeniable mandate to the state house: they want State Auditor Diana DiZoglio to have the authority to audit the Legislature.

Despite this historic mandate, the Attorney General has not only declined to enforce this new law but has actively stood in its way. While she sues towns like Milton and Holden for failing to meet housing deadlines, she has simultaneously:

• Blocked the Auditor’s Legal Recourse: Her office has asserted that the Auditor cannot pursue independent litigation to enforce the audit without her express permission—effectively granting the Legislature a “pocket veto” over a law the people just passed.

• Prioritized Political Relationships Over Public Transparency: While she cites her personal history and the “stability” of housing as a motivator for her current lawsuits, she ignores the “instability” caused by a Legislature that remains one of the least transparent in the nation. If the law is truly “mandatory and enforceable” for small-town zoning boards, why is it optional for the Speaker of the House and the Senate President?

The Attorney General claims that “each of us has a role to play.” If that is true, her role should not be that of a selective gatekeeper who picks and chooses which voter-approved mandates to defend. True accountability means enforcing the law even when it is uncomfortable for the political establishment.

If the Attorney General wants the people of Massachusetts to trust her “tools of enforcement,” she should start by enforcing the audit that nearly 2.5 million of us voted for. Until then, her crusade for “compliance” will look less like a pursuit of justice and more like a pursuit of a specific political agenda.

George Ferdinand
Tewksbury