Rep. Day Can’t Claim Accountability While Blocking the Audit

Representative Michael Day’s recent Patch article goes to great lengths to highlight every dollar he claims to have “brought home” to Stoneham. Rep. Day boasts as if he is spending his own money — but remember, these funds are OUR TAX DOLLARS that he is generously distributing. Day lists line items, quotes colleagues, and frames himself as a champion of local investment. But the problem isn’t what he is willing to publicize — it’s what he refuses to let the public see.

For all the detail Rep. Day provides when promoting his own political accomplishments, he shows the exact opposite level of transparency when it comes to the issue that matters most right now: his refusal to support the state audit that 72% of Stoneham and Winchester taxpayers voted for, and that the Massachusetts State Auditor has been urgently advocating for.

https://patch.com/massachusetts/stoneham/rep-michael-day-helps-pass-house-fy27-budget-invests-programs-support-nodx

You cannot boast about accountability, fiscal responsibility, and “bringing money home” while simultaneously blocking or stonewalling the very audit designed to show taxpayers how their money is being spent. That is not leadership. That is not transparency. That is hypocrisy.

Rep. Day wants residents to applaud him for securing $150,000 for police equipment, $50,000 for fire gear, and other targeted appropriations. But these numbers mean nothing if Rep. Day’s actual policy positions hurt our police. Policies Day advocates for — such as removing qualified immunity from police officers so they can be personally sued for actions taken on the job — show where he stands when it comes to supporting law enforcement. Rep. Day enjoys the protection of qualified immunity, but our police officers should not?

Day is fighting hard to deny the public access to the broader financial picture in Massachusetts, despite voters overwhelmingly supporting the referendum question in 2024. Our State Auditor has repeatedly stated that a full audit is necessary to ensure state agencies are operating efficiently and honestly.

If Rep. Day truly believes in accountability, he should welcome the audit, not obstruct it.

Stoneham residents deserve more than press releases and self-promotion. They deserve full transparency — not selective transparency that only appears when it benefits a politician’s image.

Until Rep. Day supports releasing the audit, his budget victory lap rings hollow. That’s why I’m running.