If attendance was a poll, Boston mayoral hopeful Josh Kraft should be upbeat.
His first fundraiser this past week at Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse in the Seaport was a packed affair, with easily more than 100 movers and shakers in attendance. His dad, Robert Kraft, made an appearance and short speech, but the others who stopped by were looking for an option in the race. That’s the real story.
It was an off-the-record affair, but the Herald never misses an opportunity to listen to what’s on people’s minds. So we hung around and … listened. Bike lanes, White Stadium, housing, and development were top issues. We’ll try to do the same on Mayor Michelle Wu’s side. – Joe Dwinell
State Auditor Diana DiZoglio is taking aim at nearly every Democrat in Massachusetts who she feels is standing in the way of her office’s attempt to audit the state Legislature.
And her rhetoric towards a group of senators who are attempting to work through the implications of a legislative audit has increasingly turned combative, especially after a group of auditors met with the lawmakers in early February and then senators penciled in a public hearing for March to “seek input and guidance relative” to the new audit law.
In a social media post this week, DiZoglio made it abundantly clear what she thought about the public hearing.
“Please contact (Attorney General Andrea Campbell) to tell her that senators aren’t judges and we will not tolerate a kangaroo court, purported as a hearing, making decisions about constitutionality of the law they themselves are breaking,” the Methuen Democrat wrote on social media.
That post to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, followed another one in which DiZoglio accused senators of “holding a trial (purported as a hearing) on the constitutionality of the audit law.”
“This goes beyond the usual political theatrics. We are NOT participating in their unconstitutional trial. They are breaking the law and now violating the constitution,” DiZoglio wrote.
Sen. Cindy Friedman, an Arlington Democrat who is leading a committee of senators tasked with reviewing DiZoglio’s audit request, said she scheduled the March public hearing after DiZoglio’s office did not respond to a series of questions and provided insufficient answers during the in-person meeting last month.
Friedman and three other senators engaged in the tense, at times heated, meeting with staff from the State Auditor’s Office that focused on the scope of a legislative audit, whether DiZoglio could ethically direct the probe, and its constitutionality.
Democrats on Beacon Hill are finally in a position to start considering the thousands of bills that have been pending at the State House after legislative leaders made committee assignments this past week.
Months after the 2025-2026 legislative session started, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka appointed their leadership teams and committee chairs, or the key lawmakers who will be responsible for reviewing legislation pertaining to specific subject areas.
Spilka stuck with her leadership team from last session — Majority Leader Cindy Creem of Newton, President Pro Tempore William Brownsberger of Belmont, Assistant Majority Leaders Joan Lovely of Salem, Michael Barrett of Lexington, and Sal DiDomenico of Everett, Majority Whip Michael Rush of Roxbury, and Assistant Majority Whip Julian Cyr of Provincetown.
Mariano switched things up, elevating Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin, whose relationship with a lobbyist was scrutinized by the Globe, and Rep. Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield into leadership positions.
Other than a promotion for Rep. Paul Donato of Medford to second assistant majority leader, Mariano’s top brass remained the same with Rep. Michael Moran of Brighton still second-in-command as majority leader.
At the committee level, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, a North End Democrat, and Sen. Michael Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat, are still in control of their chamber’s respective budget-writing committees, positions that give them a large sway over the state’s purse strings.
Roy’s elevation to a leadership position opened up a spot at the helm of his former committee, Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy. Rep. Mark Cusack, a Braintree Democrat, takes over that spot, where he will interact with Barrett as his co-chair.
