Speaker 1: It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2: We are delighted to welcome the Auditor of the Cornwaltha, Massachusetts, Dianatzoglio.
Speaker 2: She is fighting on the State House on behalf of
Speaker 2: all citizens, Democrats, Republicans, and independents. She is probably the
Speaker 2: least liked public official amongst the other public officials up
Speaker 2: at the State House right now because she wants to
Speaker 2: audit the legislature, and seventy two percent of the people
Speaker 2: in Massachusetts agree with her based upon the ballot decision
Speaker 2: question that was voted upon last last on November. But
Speaker 2: we want to talk today about tonight about this seventy
Speaker 2: four page audit of the Executive Office of Housing Liverable
Speaker 2: Communities Emergency Shelter. First of all, Madam Auditor, congratulations for
Speaker 2: having more courage, which I think than just about anyone
Speaker 2: on Beacon Hill, and I mean that sincerely. Welcome to
Speaker 2: Night Side.
Speaker 3: Thanks for having me, Dan. It's always great to be back,
Speaker 3: great to have the opportunity to talk about some of
Speaker 3: the work that we're doing to increase accountability up on
Speaker 3: Beacon Hill. You are correct, I am persona non grata
Speaker 3: up on Beacon Hill right now. But it is the job,
Speaker 3: and I am humbled to have the opportunity to serve
Speaker 3: as auditor, so happy to chat with you about some
Speaker 3: of our latest findings.
Speaker 2: Well, you are persona non grata, but you're also an
Speaker 2: elected statewide official or constitutional officer as the state auditor,
Speaker 2: and a Democrat. You've been in the House of Representatives,
Speaker 2: you've been in the Massachusetts State Senate, and now you
Speaker 2: are positioned as the auditor. The legislature does not want
Speaker 2: to be audited by you, and it's really the legislative leadership.
Speaker 2: And we can talk about that quickly, but I want
Speaker 2: to focus on this report. I read it this afternoon.
Speaker 2: I didn't read it verbatim. I went over it as
Speaker 2: best I could. I read it quickly, at seventy four pages.
Speaker 2: I would be lying to you if I told you
Speaker 2: I could, I could cite chapter and verse. However, the
Speaker 2: concern that is obvious. And by the way, anyone who
Speaker 2: wants to take the time if they want to see
Speaker 2: a thorough report done in language that anyone can understand,
Speaker 2: this is the report to look at it. It is
Speaker 2: really well done by However, whoever, how many members of
Speaker 2: your staff were involved in this. There are visuals which
Speaker 2: which help explain. There are graphs you focus on the
Speaker 2: no bid contracts and a couple the focus seems to
Speaker 2: be on one at a restaurant over in East Boston
Speaker 2: and also a cab company down in Truro. And one
Speaker 2: of the best representations of this is a page twelve
Speaker 2: which is a colograph of themalth of Massachusetts broken down
Speaker 2: by county basis county level and the company that provided
Speaker 2: food I guess statewide Spinelle Ravioli Manufacturing Company. They're there,
Speaker 2: I believe, East Boston. And then the Mercedes Cab company,
Speaker 2: well named Mercedes Cab Company is down at the tip
Speaker 2: of the cape in Truro. Why would there not have
Speaker 2: been some some cabs spread around the state so that people,
Speaker 2: if we are going to accommodate people of the shelters,
Speaker 2: that all of the money was not given to one
Speaker 2: cab company and primarily one food provider. That is that
Speaker 2: strikes me. It hits me in the eye when I
Speaker 2: read this report, Am I missing something?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 3: Well, first and foremost, Kan, thank you so much for
Speaker 3: complimenting the breadth of the report and the depth of
Speaker 3: the report. I cannot take credit for that report being
Speaker 3: so as in depth as it was. That is my
Speaker 3: team in the Office of State Auditor doing great, great work.
Speaker 3: I have an amazing team of audit professionals who really
Speaker 3: do work over time on making sure that they are
Speaker 3: doing their due diligence and having the necessary conversations to
Speaker 3: make sure that these reports are robust, that they're accurate,
Speaker 3: and that they're getting all the information out to the residents.
Speaker 3: So kudos to the amazing team and the Office of
Speaker 3: State Auditor. And certainly, yes, the findings that our team
Speaker 3: found are certainly concerning, right on many different levels, you
Speaker 3: know level You know, the first level is on the
Speaker 3: level that these these contracts and the millions of our
Speaker 3: tax dollars were executed with no bidding process. And folks,
Speaker 3: we totally understand this is a humanitarian crisis. You know,
Speaker 3: this is something that's happening across our nation. It's not
Speaker 3: just happening in Massachusetts. These are challenging times, uh, and
Speaker 3: this is you know, something where we would expect that,
Speaker 3: you know, in the administration's first dealings with such challenging times,
Speaker 3: that you know, there could be some errors made during
Speaker 3: this process, uh, in trying to find solutions in a
Speaker 3: quick manner on various topics, but on these particular contracts UH.
Speaker 3: The the administration did have data UH dating you know,
Speaker 3: back to when this started to become an issue with
Speaker 3: these arrivals and with the need for shelter increasing rapidly.
Speaker 3: There were several months in between when the administration started
Speaker 3: to collect and review data and when the no bid
Speaker 3: contracts were executed.
Speaker 5: UH.
Speaker 3: Emergency no bid contracts are intended to be used for
Speaker 3: emergency situations and think about, you know, a tree falling
Speaker 3: on a building, right, some sort of an unforeseen event
Speaker 3: that could not have been predicted. There were several months
Speaker 3: in between when you know this this UH, the influx
Speaker 3: started happening, and there was a lot of data that
Speaker 3: the Executive Office of Housing Livable Communities is tracking in
Speaker 3: order to be able to plan a bit better for
Speaker 3: some of these contracts to be executed. If an emergency
Speaker 3: contract is executed, however, it is supposed to be executed
Speaker 3: for several weeks, not for several months. There was a
Speaker 3: difference between an emergency contract meant to cover emergency time
Speaker 3: frames UH and just outright contracts that are given out right.
Speaker 3: So the report did cite the Administration for the improper
Speaker 3: and unlawful use of the emergency procurement process. Again, certainly,
Speaker 3: we understand if there's an emergency situation, but there are
Speaker 3: proper protocols and procedures that need to be followed that
Speaker 3: were not, and these excessive lengths of time that these
Speaker 3: contracts were executed really, you know, can can do a
Speaker 3: lot of damage to the public's trust regarding the process
Speaker 3: that is supposed to be followed. When we give out
Speaker 3: millions of dollars in state contracts, folks want to know
Speaker 3: that that process is fair and that it is equitable,
Speaker 3: and that it is being done in an appropriate manner
Speaker 3: so that it's not you know, able to be alleged
Speaker 3: that it's paid to play or that you know, there
Speaker 3: are inequities in the process. So we did cite the
Speaker 3: administration for that. What you're talking about, Dan regarding you know,
Speaker 3: these companies just being located in one spot and why
Speaker 3: were they selected. Well, you know, we did ask the
Speaker 3: administration why these companies were selected, and they couldn't provide
Speaker 3: evidence as to why they thought that they were the
Speaker 3: best selection out of other options. For example, I actually
Speaker 3: made a phone call and had a conversation with my
Speaker 3: local Merrimac Valley Regional Transit Authority staff, and they informed
Speaker 3: me that, you know, if the administration had reached out
Speaker 3: or wanted to reach out, that they would be more
Speaker 3: than willing as a local regional public transit authority to
Speaker 3: assist in providing cost effective opportunities to the Commonwealth to
Speaker 3: serve in the shelter situation where the needs are they
Speaker 3: save a pass by too shelters in our region on
Speaker 3: their current bus route, and that they would be more
Speaker 3: than help happy to assist in any way, shape or
Speaker 3: form and provide potentially again more cost effective opportunities for
Speaker 3: the Commonwealth to take up. We yes, madam, let me just.
Speaker 2: I want to take quick break here. I know we're
Speaker 2: limited on time, but I want to drive the point
Speaker 2: home that there were several counties who were not ever
Speaker 2: involved in any of this. So, for example, you had
Speaker 2: counties like Duke's County, which is Mantesvinyar, Nantucket County which
Speaker 2: is Nantucket, Hampshire County, which is really in the in
Speaker 2: the middle of western Massachusetts, which really wasn't touched. And
Speaker 2: then you had counties like Middlesex. They had twenty eight shelters.
Speaker 2: Open Essex had had twelve, Norfolk eleven, Worcester eleven, Suffolk
Speaker 2: had six, Plymouth had six. So it was interesting that
Speaker 2: that it wasn't as if the counties that provided the
Speaker 2: shelter had cabs available for people were who were in
Speaker 2: the shelters. This map, to me, is stunning. I want
Speaker 2: to talk about that, and I want to get back
Speaker 2: to the cost a little bit. I don't know if
Speaker 2: we're going to have any time for the questions for you,
Speaker 2: because you've had a long day and I promised that
Speaker 2: we'd let you go at nine thirty. But I will
Speaker 2: invite people if they want to call and comment on
Speaker 2: what you have to say. We will take calls, certainly
Speaker 2: after we give you the opportunity to get some sleep.
Speaker 2: My guest is the Massachusetts State Auditor, Diana Disauglio. This
Speaker 2: is a scathing report. It does not, in any way,
Speaker 2: shape or form suggest that how the Healthy Administration handled
Speaker 2: this and this report, I need to mention, covers thirty
Speaker 2: months from July twenty twenty one through December thirty first
Speaker 2: of twenty and twenty three. We'll get to some specifics
Speaker 2: right after the break. My guess is the state order.
Speaker 2: The came Wealth of Massachusetts Democrat Diana Dosaglio.
Speaker 1: It's night side with Dan Ray on.
Speaker 2: Boston's news radio with me, it's the order of the
Speaker 2: call Wealth of Massachusetts. Diana is Uglio. Can we focus
Speaker 2: a second on this cab company out in Truro. If
Speaker 2: my math is right, and I think it is, there
Speaker 2: was something like fifteen ninety four cab rides. The average
Speaker 2: cost of these cab rights was like three hundred and
Speaker 2: sixteen dollars. I mean, I realized the cab is coming
Speaker 2: from Truro, and I assumed that these cabs are driving many,
Speaker 2: many miles, not just on the Cape but elsewhere. I
Speaker 2: assumed the cab rides were given. Why would they not
Speaker 2: have split this up? They have a cab company at
Speaker 2: the far tip of Cape cod Who figured that one out,
Speaker 2: Madam Auditor?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 3: This this, this is not thoughtfully considered.
Speaker 5: Dan.
Speaker 3: And again when we asked the administration for you know,
Speaker 3: documentation to verify that they had considered other options and
Speaker 3: done due diligence in selecting vendor for again months and
Speaker 3: months at a time to provide these services, they could
Speaker 3: not provide evidence that they had actually done. So there
Speaker 3: are alternatives out there, and when you have a transportation
Speaker 3: company located in just one part of the state that's
Speaker 3: delivering to all different parts of the state where the
Speaker 3: MBTA is located in many of these areas, and the
Speaker 3: regional transit authorities in some cases have themselves offered to
Speaker 3: actually assist with providing more cost effective options. But then
Speaker 3: you see that one bus ride was taken a little
Speaker 3: over three miles down the road that cost nearly five
Speaker 3: thousand dollars for one bus trip. You know, we just
Speaker 3: did a quick internet search and found that, you know,
Speaker 3: you could charter a bus for an entire day for
Speaker 3: a fraction of the cost. You know, we did cite
Speaker 3: that to the administration as being problematic.
Speaker 2: Bus ride five thousand dollars, that that should be in
Speaker 2: the Guinness World Book of Records. They should be very
Speaker 2: proud of that.
Speaker 3: This is insane, I mean, in the reality is dan
Speaker 3: is that we do you know, we do have these
Speaker 3: dollars going out to these private vendors right when we
Speaker 3: do have services right now within our own public transportation
Speaker 3: system where in some cases folks have stood up and
Speaker 3: said they're ready to assist, right so we could be
Speaker 3: reinvesting those tax dollars back in to our public transportation
Speaker 3: system and getting services at a fraction of the cost.
Speaker 3: It does take some work to have those conversations and
Speaker 3: to due diligence into looking at those options. And that's
Speaker 3: simply what we said to the administration. Look, we understand
Speaker 3: that you can't change the past, can't go back in time.
Speaker 3: This is an opportunity to look at some of the
Speaker 3: decisions that were made and to make changes so that
Speaker 3: history doesn't repeat itself. You know us what oughts are
Speaker 3: there for. They're not there just to harp on agencies
Speaker 3: and just tell them what they did wrong. They actually
Speaker 3: exist to help to make government work better for those
Speaker 3: it's meant to serve. The audit did list several recommendations
Speaker 3: with the findings. It pointed to some of the flaws,
Speaker 3: but yes, it did also make recommendations for improvement, like
Speaker 3: making sure that you know, these these processes are documented
Speaker 3: so that evidence can be collected to demonstrate that the
Speaker 3: process was fair, the process was equitable, making sure to
Speaker 3: create systems that are more efficient so that even skimming
Speaker 3: isn't going on. You know, in some of these cases
Speaker 3: where you know there was money lost, it wasn't exorbitant
Speaker 3: in nature, but it still was money lost. We identify
Speaker 3: those opportunities as well, where you know, there's bits and
Speaker 3: bits of tax payer dollars being lost in you know,
Speaker 3: nearly nine point six percent of transactions, nearly ten percent
Speaker 3: of trans actions with the Finelli Ravioli company. We saw that,
Speaker 3: you know, in the delivery fees there was nearly a
Speaker 3: ten percent rate of overcharges occurring. Right now, small enough
Speaker 3: regarding the loss of revenue in comparison to the larger
Speaker 3: scope of the money being spent, but it's still a
Speaker 3: loss right, and a penny saved is a penny earned.
Speaker 3: And we work hard for our tax dollars. We want
Speaker 3: to make sure that we are you know, guarding those
Speaker 3: tax dollars. Even in those cases, isn't it where maybe
Speaker 3: the administration doesn't consider it worth paying attention to, We
Speaker 3: did ask them to, you know, work on making those
Speaker 3: systems more efficient. You know my issue, Dan, because I
Speaker 3: do have to go in a couple of minutes here,
Speaker 3: But my issue is we did make recommendations, and those
Speaker 3: recommendations are meant to help this administration and to help
Speaker 3: the Executive Office of Housing and Loveable Communities to do
Speaker 3: better by the taxpayer moving forward. And I think that
Speaker 3: you know, again, when we look back in time, we
Speaker 3: see that some mistakes, some errors occurred, things could have
Speaker 3: been done better. Better. It was a very challenging time.
Speaker 3: But what we really need to see is for the
Speaker 3: administration move out of its defensive posture towards these audit
Speaker 3: findings and recommendations and move more towards a willingness to
Speaker 3: look at some of the areas where they could improve
Speaker 3: to help instill the public's trust. To hear the governor say,
Speaker 3: you know, essentially that she doubts that she will take
Speaker 3: a look at these recommendations and work to implement them.
Speaker 3: When she when she simultaneously said she hadn't even seen
Speaker 3: the report, that's a bit discouraging, right, because we do
Speaker 3: these reports, Like you said, it was over seventy pages.
Speaker 3: The team worked really hard on this report. EOHLC themselves
Speaker 3: operated in the spirit of cooperation with our team. They
Speaker 3: worked with our audit team, you know. And if there
Speaker 3: are areas of agreement, okay, areas of disagreement, okay. But
Speaker 3: I do hope that the governor does, at their minimum
Speaker 3: look at this report. Because she said she hasn't seen
Speaker 3: it yet look at the report before, you know, stating
Speaker 3: that she's already unwilling to implement any of the potential
Speaker 3: recommendations for improvements. I think that, you know, that's a
Speaker 3: disservice to the taxpayers to not at least attempt to
Speaker 3: consider the recommendations. Right, So hopefully we will, we will
Speaker 3: get a better, you know, a better attitude moving forward
Speaker 3: from the administration so that we can you know, again
Speaker 3: work to make government work better.
Speaker 2: By the way, just when you mentioned ell HLC, that
Speaker 2: is the Executive Office of Housing Liver Communities. There's one
Speaker 2: cab ride and I'm sure you were aware of this,
Speaker 2: but which I found and I had heard about that
Speaker 2: cost one hundred and forty dollars for exactly three hundred
Speaker 2: and twenty two feet from the point of pickup. And
Speaker 2: people will say, well, how's that possible. My understanding, this
Speaker 2: cab company on the Cape, every time a cab they
Speaker 2: dispatched a cab, it was one hundred and forty dollars
Speaker 2: to get to the pickup point, which is which is weird.
Speaker 2: So they're guaranteed one hundred and forty dollars whether the
Speaker 2: pickup point is a half a mile away or ten
Speaker 2: miles away.
Speaker 3: And of course people and Dan in addition to what
Speaker 3: you just said, In addition to what you just said,
Speaker 3: it was roughly, it was roughly it was over three
Speaker 3: hundred and fifty thousand dollars that the Commonwealth was charged
Speaker 3: for cancelations, for no shows and things of that nature.
Speaker 2: Right.
Speaker 3: So you know, when you have one hundred and forty
Speaker 3: dollars fee for the base rate for a pickup, right,
Speaker 3: and then then that gets canceled for some reason, but
Speaker 3: we're still charged, you have to wonder was there a
Speaker 3: better way forward?
Speaker 1: Right?
Speaker 3: And we believe there was. Can you imagine anybody who's
Speaker 3: taken a cab, anyone who's taken an oar or anything.
Speaker 3: You know, it's just you get to charge one hundred
Speaker 3: and forty dollars.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I just want people to understand this, and I'll
Speaker 2: let you go. So you call an uber or you
Speaker 2: call a cab or whatever, and the cab arrives at
Speaker 2: the door, and you want to go five miles, some
Speaker 2: five miles, and at the end of the five miles
Speaker 2: they say to you, that's one hundred and fifty eight
Speaker 2: dollars or something. You're gonna say, one hundred and fifty
Speaker 2: eight dollars, I went five miles, oh, one hundred and
Speaker 2: forty dollars for us to get to your house. And
Speaker 2: the eighteen dollars is for the five miles that we
Speaker 2: drove you what a scam. Auditor. Thank you for this report.
Speaker 2: It is so important. I am very disappointed that Governor
Speaker 2: Healy has had the reaction that you've reported to us.
Speaker 2: And I hope Governor Healy wants to come on the
Speaker 2: program and criticize the report or point out any mistakes
Speaker 2: in the report, because it looks to me like a
Speaker 2: very tightly written and presented and reasoned report. And I
Speaker 2: just got to say congratulations, and please don't don't quit.
Speaker 2: Don't I mean, I know, thank.
Speaker 3: You, and and look what I will what I will
Speaker 3: ask folks, you know, I mean, just to advocate for
Speaker 3: some of this stuff, uh, because the AUTO reports really
Speaker 3: are there to help right in this This isn't about
Speaker 3: you know, laying criticisms on people or uh, you know,
Speaker 3: just uh putting fault on on on folks around agencies.
Speaker 3: What this is about is this is about helping to
Speaker 3: make systems work better for the residents of Massachusetts, right
Speaker 3: and what our request is of this administration is simply
Speaker 3: too uh you know, for the Governor and the administration
Speaker 3: to thoughtfully examine the report before uh making judgment. Calls
Speaker 3: about all you know already stating that they're you know,
Speaker 3: unlikely to implement the recommendations. I think that there are
Speaker 3: some you know, uh solid recommendations in there. Certainly, you know,
Speaker 3: they don't want to take all the recommendations. They are
Speaker 3: the governing agency of the Commonwealth. They have a right
Speaker 3: not to take the recommendations. But you know, the team
Speaker 3: did work hard, they worked alongside of the Executive Office
Speaker 3: of Housing and Movable Communities. And to just dismiss the
Speaker 3: report without even having seen it, it is unfortunate. So
Speaker 3: I am going to ask, you know, anybody that does
Speaker 3: you know, call the administration to advocate that you simply
Speaker 3: just ask that the administration read the report, review it,
Speaker 3: and hey, if we agree on some things but disagree
Speaker 3: on others, okay, but at least review the recommendations and
Speaker 3: let's see if we can work together to improve some
Speaker 3: of these systems to save tax payer dollars, to make
Speaker 3: sure that we're getting the most baying for our book,
Speaker 3: and also to make sure that these no bid contracts
Speaker 3: are being entered into only when it is truly, truly
Speaker 3: appropriate and for shorter time periods, so that we can.
Speaker 6: Instill public trust and public faith in government, that the
Speaker 6: system is fair and equitable, and that people are able
Speaker 6: to get access to these opportunities, you know, even if
Speaker 6: they are not politically connected.
Speaker 3: So you know, please keep advocating for that. We are
Speaker 3: here to help. We're here to help make government work better,
Speaker 3: but obviously we can't do it without you. So thanks
Speaker 3: so much, Dan for having me on tonight.
Speaker 2: Please appreciate it very much for the end of a
Speaker 2: long day. I just want to add one final PostScript
Speaker 2: to that is the automatic sure defensive posture and reaction
Speaker 2: does not look good for Governor Healy's office, and I
Speaker 2: hope that she understands that the automatic defensive posture and
Speaker 2: reaction does not. She does not wear that well. Simple
Speaker 2: as that auditor, I'm telling you, you you are are,
Speaker 2: You're breath of fresh air on Beacon Hill in terms
Speaker 2: of openness and transparency, I kind of having a better
Speaker 2: state auditor. And I just say thank you on behalf
Speaker 2: of every taxpayer in Massachusetts. Liberal conservative, moderate Republican Democrat, Independent, unenrolled.
Speaker 2: We're all owe you a debt of gratitude for having
Speaker 2: the courage.
Speaker 3: Ever, I have an amazing team. I have an amazing
Speaker 3: team in the Office of State Auditor. So I want
Speaker 3: to throw that thanks back to our team, into our staff,
Speaker 3: to the auditors. But thank you so so much, Jan
Speaker 3: I really appreciate the opportunity to chat tonight again. Please advocate,
Speaker 3: We're here to help, We're here to work together. Thanks
Speaker 3: so much, Thanks so much.
Speaker 2: State Auditor Diana de Zauglio, and I got to tell
Speaker 2: you she's up there. Look, I know how to waste money.
Speaker 2: I know how to waste my own money, but I
Speaker 2: don't want the Commonwealth of Massachusetts wasting my money on
Speaker 2: no bid contracts. And when you read this report, when
Speaker 2: you look at this report, you will you will be appalled.
Speaker 2: You will be appalled. I'm going to open up the
Speaker 2: phone lines.
Speaker 7: Uh.
Speaker 2: Diana has had some very long days, and I agreed.
Speaker 2: I wanted her to free for you to hear from
Speaker 2: her tonight. And she is. I don't know how she's
Speaker 2: actually even awake at this hour, but obviously she is
Speaker 2: an advocate for everyone. And look the money that is
Speaker 2: wasted folks. Is money that could be spent on people
Speaker 2: in Massachusetts who truly need assistance. And this has nothing
Speaker 2: to do with legal or illegal or immigration. This is
Speaker 2: evidence of how some people on Beacon Hill don't look
Speaker 2: at the tax dollars that are extracted from you as
Speaker 2: a precious commodity that should be used to help people
Speaker 2: in need. That's the point. You take my tax money.
Speaker 2: I don't mind that you spend it on people who
Speaker 2: are down in their luck. I don't mind that you
Speaker 2: spend it on people who have disabilities. I don't mind
Speaker 2: you have spend it on people who are trying to recover,
Speaker 2: who are trying I don't mind that. Okay, I don't
Speaker 2: mind it that you spend it on kids who don't
Speaker 2: have two parents. I understand that's part of the social contract.
Speaker 2: But to take money from taxpayers and basically throw it
Speaker 2: away a no bit contracts to a cab company in Truro, Massachusetts.
Speaker 2: Take a look at the map. If you don't know
Speaker 2: what Truro is, it's next to Provincetown. You got to
Speaker 2: drive probably one hundred miles. One hundred miles just well,
Speaker 2: maybe not one hundred, at least eighty miles to get
Speaker 2: to either one of the bridges. How crazy is it
Speaker 2: to have a cab company on serving people who are
Speaker 2: in shelters that is positioned in Truro, Massachusetts. And if
Speaker 2: the owner of that cab company wants to come on
Speaker 2: and talk about it, you have an open invitation any
Speaker 2: night to join me on night Side. I now give
Speaker 2: you an open invitation to react to what you heard
Speaker 2: from the Order of the come Oalth of Massachusetts. The
Speaker 2: number six one seven, two five four ten thirty or
Speaker 2: six one seven nine three one ten thirty back right
Speaker 2: after the news at the bottom of the hour. Sorry
Speaker 2: about the delay, but this was too important as far
Speaker 2: as I'm concerned.
Speaker 1: Night Side Thought with Dan Ray. I'm WBZ Boston's news Radio.
Speaker 2: Okay, you heard from state auditor Diana Dezaglio. I know
Speaker 2: that very few of you have read the seventy four
Speaker 2: page report. I've looked at it, I've scanned it, I've
Speaker 2: read portions of it. It's appalling. It's appalling. They had
Speaker 2: a no big contract with one Cape Card cab company.
Speaker 2: It looks to me like one no bid contract for
Speaker 2: the entire state. If you're familiar with a map of Massachusetts,
Speaker 2: there's a town called Truro. It's at the far end
Speaker 2: of the Cape. That's the last place you should be
Speaker 2: running care. You should have had cab company somewhere in
Speaker 2: the Boston area, and you should have split it up.
Speaker 2: You should have had some cab company wherever the folks
Speaker 2: were going to be sheltered. You need to have some
Speaker 2: transportation available for them. And this was a sweetheart deal,
Speaker 2: and it was a no bid deal, the aptly named
Speaker 2: Mercedes Cab Company. And again, if the owner of that
Speaker 2: cap company would like to come on and explain to us,
Speaker 2: to me and you how this all came to be
Speaker 2: and why they got what seems to me to be
Speaker 2: a sweetheart deal. I would love them to come on,
Speaker 2: but I don't think we'll hear from them. Let me
Speaker 2: go first to phill in Boston. Phil, I assume you're
Speaker 2: probably pretty perplexed by this.
Speaker 8: Well, I was in. But the image in Truro and
Speaker 8: the bridge, they're better than buy an event. But Dan,
Speaker 8: who this is kind of who negotiated I don't know
Speaker 8: it was on negotiation, but who decided on these figures?
Speaker 8: Were they doing? There's no back and forth, Willer Dylan.
Speaker 8: When you buy a Cowie and buy something. There's no
Speaker 8: willer and dealer. We're gonna settle on no competition. I
Speaker 8: guess that's a little bit contract thing with that. Ladies
Speaker 8: who want to heck of a Charlotte.
Speaker 2: By the way, well let me let me tell you.
Speaker 2: If there is one person on Beacon Hill right now
Speaker 2: who I have complete confidence in, not only on this
Speaker 2: but on auditing the legislature, it is the state auditor.
Speaker 2: She is, she said to herself. She's a person in
Speaker 2: Congrada within at the State House. And those people up there,
Speaker 2: they got a good thing going, and we talked about
Speaker 2: that a lot, and you need people up there to
Speaker 2: shake it up a little bit because the problem is
Speaker 2: it's my tax money in your tax money. I don't begrudge.
Speaker 2: I'm not someone who's saying, you know, let poor people
Speaker 2: take care. No, I need to pay taxes. That's part
Speaker 2: of the social contract. I want to help people, and
Speaker 2: I help people separately from my taxes. By the way,
Speaker 2: my wife and I are very generous, right, But I
Speaker 2: don't want someone to I don't want someone to throw
Speaker 2: my tax money away. I don't I don't pay taxes
Speaker 2: to make this sure that some cab company in Truro.
Speaker 8: Living down there, you couldn't have picked.
Speaker 2: You couldn't have picked. By the way, they were only
Speaker 2: in all of Barnstable County. Uh and trolls in the
Speaker 2: farther into Barnstable County. There were only three shelters in
Speaker 2: all of Barnstable County. So in total there were dozens
Speaker 2: of shelters. Okay, there were. There were hotel sites in
Speaker 2: I mean they were like eight.
Speaker 8: Cover up the sign of the hotel, but a sign
Speaker 8: being like and Risley, it wasn't a hotel anymore.
Speaker 2: But got it? You got it, you got it. And
Speaker 2: and to and to give a no bid contract to
Speaker 2: a cab company in Truro had someone had to know
Speaker 2: someone and you had to look at that and say,
Speaker 2: how is this possible? And by the way, every person,
Speaker 2: every person who was in the shelter who called the
Speaker 2: cab because people have medical emergencies and they have to
Speaker 2: go and do some shopping. They don't have cars. Whenever
Speaker 2: the cab company was summoned kirching one hundred and forty
Speaker 2: dollars to start as soon as the person got in
Speaker 2: the cab. And there's waiting time too. If the person
Speaker 2: happened to be late.
Speaker 8: But we're talking my level stuff too. We're talking with
Speaker 8: the full contract, We're talking all kinds of of the contracts.
Speaker 2: You got it. You got it, Phil, I thank you
Speaker 2: for chiming into there. Because money was taken from you.
Speaker 2: Your money was wasted, My money was wasted. Every person
Speaker 2: in this audience tonight should know that some of their
Speaker 2: tax dollars were wasted, and substantial amounts of tax money
Speaker 2: was wasted, and the and the governor apparently saying that
Speaker 2: she doesn't want to read the report. Really really all right,
Speaker 2: thank you, Phil, appreciate it. I get rolling here. We're
Speaker 2: gonna continue. I got Dennis and Lowell coming up next.
Speaker 2: Jina and Bridgewater, got a little room for you. We're
Speaker 2: gonna uh end this part of the conversation at ten o'clock.
Speaker 2: We have a guest coming up talking about coyotes in Braintree,
Speaker 2: rather coyotes in Brookline. I'm sure they're coyotes in Braintrey too.
Speaker 2: Take a very quick break coming back with Dennis and Gina.
Speaker 2: For sure, maybe you as well. Six one, seven, two thirty.
Speaker 1: You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
Speaker 1: news radio.
Speaker 2: All right, we go to the calls Dennis and Lowell. Dennis,
Speaker 2: we have full lines, but you're you're rough, buddy. Go ahead,
Speaker 2: what's your your thought of this? I'm appaulled.
Speaker 5: Oh absolutely, thank you very much. You know, I couldn't
Speaker 5: resist calling because the known Diana since she first ran.
Speaker 5: And I'll tell you she hasn't disappointed me or her
Speaker 5: supporters in the greater little area.
Speaker 2: She's a good one. She's a good one. Yeah, tell you.
Speaker 5: I mean she's she's so well spoken and sincere speaking
Speaker 5: about the public trust and advocating equity and accountability. Ye
Speaker 5: people can spell that.
Speaker 2: And transparency and and I'll tell you she is uh.
Speaker 2: Look the people who were up there and who were
Speaker 2: ripping us off, she's enemy number one to them. Okay,
Speaker 2: Oh yeah. And and I gotta tell you she's doing
Speaker 2: a fabulous job. She's a fabulous She's a Democrat. I mean,
Speaker 2: this is not a Republican Democrat thing. She's a Democrat
Speaker 2: who's doing a fabulous job.
Speaker 5: Yeah. I just finish off, like I didn't read seventy
Speaker 5: four page document, but the glow up today they read.
Speaker 5: They printed those statistics, the three hundred foot you know
Speaker 5: drive for a hundred forty dollars and three hundred and
Speaker 5: fifty thousand dollars for five hundred reported no shows and
Speaker 5: two thousand, three hundred cancelations. I wish I had that business.
Speaker 2: Oh way, yeah, keep talk about that. Hey, Dennis, thank
Speaker 2: you my friend, I really man. Thank you so the work, buddy.
Speaker 2: Thanks much. Good night. Let me go next to I
Speaker 2: told you we get Dennis and Gina and Gina. You're
Speaker 2: next on nightside. Welcome Hi, ginape I've got to hit
Speaker 2: it here. My mistake, Gina, that was my mistake. I
Speaker 2: missed the button. Go ahead, Gina, You're next.
Speaker 7: How are you?
Speaker 9: I just want to say thank you. The dians is
Speaker 9: augly when anybody else who's alt trying to do the
Speaker 9: best for everyone. But I just want to say I
Speaker 9: became home. It's because of the gas company so many
Speaker 9: years ago. And I know you know who I am.
Speaker 9: But let me explain something to you. I wasn't cut
Speaker 9: it around. I went hungry and I still go hungry
Speaker 9: for many days. Okay, I'm going to marry with his
Speaker 9: no stores to go to get anywhere. I didn't have
Speaker 9: the luxury of getting into a shelfice so I can
Speaker 9: go out there and get a job and live my
Speaker 9: life the way I should have, like I did before.
Speaker 9: Now I don't think it's right. I've tried calling the
Speaker 9: governor's office. I'm not getting anywhere. I've called a few times,
Speaker 9: I don't get the right answers. I'm not against anybody,
Speaker 9: but i'll tell you what. I've been deprived of even
Speaker 9: seeing my family because I can't get anywhere, all right.
Speaker 9: I have a brother that was a Vietnam veteran that
Speaker 9: just passed away recently that I was told, and the
Speaker 9: place where he was at prevented me from even talking
Speaker 9: to my brother. They've seen my number come through and
Speaker 9: they ignored it.
Speaker 5: All right.
Speaker 9: Then people are ignorant, and I usually don't talk about anybody,
Speaker 9: but I'm so happy for anybody who can get the
Speaker 9: right things done in this world. I wasn't cottered around
Speaker 9: to have a cab, all right, and I ll stand that.
Speaker 2: And you're a US citizen who should be prioritized, So Geine,
Speaker 2: I totally agree with you. I need to hear from
Speaker 2: some other folks here, but I appreciate the fact that
Speaker 2: you called in and by I'll tell you thank you.
Speaker 9: That's all I can say.
Speaker 2: She does a great job, and I'm sure she's listening.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Gina. I appreciate you. Thank you, Dan, thank
Speaker 2: you very much. So we go to Bernie in New Hampshire.
Speaker 2: Bernie got to be quick for me. You'd like to
Speaker 2: get you in one more in go ahead.
Speaker 4: Bernie, Hey Dan, how you doing good? Real quick, real quick.
Speaker 4: I watched her this morning. She's so well spoken and
Speaker 4: a report was so concise, and it's just a breadth
Speaker 4: of brush hair for Massachusetts politics. I work in mass
Speaker 4: so I get to pay taxes and mass But about
Speaker 4: a month ago you had one of our representatives on
Speaker 4: and and I can well afford to pay my my
Speaker 4: my maintain my vehicles and pay my taxes and all that.
Speaker 4: But he was just looking for ways to save his
Speaker 4: constituents money, seems. And so the politicians and mass well
Speaker 4: that isn't their top priority. But you know, the one
Speaker 4: thing that stuck out to me is like the Spinelle thing,
Speaker 4: like that woman that just got off the phone, Like
Speaker 4: I work in mass all the time. Spinelli's has a
Speaker 4: good quality food and it's and they tal and like,
Speaker 4: why my good work is getting spinales. Well, I mean
Speaker 4: it's a bit easier and better and law cross effective
Speaker 4: ways to feed them and like why is the stuff
Speaker 4: allowed to happen?
Speaker 2: Well, it's it's part of the game in Massachusetts. Once
Speaker 2: they get elected in Massachusetts, they forget where they came from. Uh.
Speaker 2: They they get re elected, there's no pressure on them.
Speaker 2: The Republican Party has to get there act together, making
Speaker 2: a two party state again, like it is in New Hampshire.
Speaker 2: It's a competitive state in New Hampshire and you get
Speaker 2: better government out of It's as simple as that.
Speaker 4: All right, thank you for my time.
Speaker 2: Let me thank you very much Bertie for call and
Speaker 2: appreciate it very much. All right, let me get one
Speaker 2: more in here before we got a run. Let me
Speaker 2: go to paton Rhode Island. Pat, you gotta be quick
Speaker 2: from me, go right ahead, all right.
Speaker 5: Two sentences.
Speaker 7: Number one, listening to Night's Side can change your life.
Speaker 7: About twelve years ago on the air, you introduced me
Speaker 7: to someone called Gary Johnson who was running for the
Speaker 7: President's Libertarian Yes, I am now on the Liberty I
Speaker 7: am now on the Libertarian National Committee. I actually in
Speaker 7: charge of the National Convention. So that's what happened because
Speaker 7: I listen to your show.
Speaker 2: Well, do me a favor Pat do me a favor. Okay,
Speaker 2: since you're now active in that, I'm more than happy
Speaker 2: to have folks from the Libertarian Party on. I have
Speaker 2: an interesting view of it, which is probably not identical
Speaker 2: to yours, but I'm thrilled that you have gotten involved
Speaker 2: in it. Rob will give you my direct number at BZ.
Speaker 2: Give me a call and we can have a chat,
Speaker 2: because I think that there's a lot of the Libertarian Party,
Speaker 2: particularly economic ideas, that people need to be exposed to.
Speaker 2: So again, I thank you for the kind words. It's
Speaker 2: a thrill to hear a phone call like this in
Speaker 2: all honesty. And Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico,
Speaker 2: I had him on several times and maybe I'll have
Speaker 2: you on as well.
Speaker 5: Well.
Speaker 7: Listen, if I can tell you this, the libertarian approach
Speaker 7: of this is twofold number one, get government out of
Speaker 7: these programs, but at the same time, perform voluntary support
Speaker 7: for people in need. And that's what we do is libertarians,
Speaker 7: we actually talk to talk and help people out who
Speaker 7: have less.
Speaker 2: Okay, well again, give Rob, give Rob get my number.
Speaker 2: Rob will give you my number, Call me and I'll
Speaker 2: get back to you. We'll have a conversation off here.
Speaker 2: Thank you, Pat, and thanks for calling. Well that's an
Speaker 2: interesting phone call, and that's an interesting hour. And we
Speaker 2: come back. We're gonna have another interesting hour. We're gonna
Speaker 2: talk about coyotes in Brookline. I mean coyotes in Brookline.
Speaker 2: We're not talking about Wyoming anymore. We're not even talking
Speaker 2: about the suburbs. I saw some of the stories last
Speaker 2: night on some of the newscasts, and we're going to
Speaker 2: talk about it on the other side, coming back right
Speaker 2: after the ten o'clock news on nightside.