Criticism Mounts Over Migrant Mess

Above, Technicolor treatment in the Boston Herald, and now an accusation of a no-bid migrant award for a supporter of the governor, has Beacon Hill abuzz.

With now reform of the Right-to-Shelter law emerging from the legislature, news media around the state, including newspapers in Lowell and Fall River, as well as the Boston Herald, have been shining a spotlight on the immense funding being directed to housing and supporting migrants, many seemingly flown to Massachusetts by governments or third parties. And it was perhaps inevitable that even more voices would join the chorus of despair.

One, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, released the following statement in response to the Boston Herald story over the weekend, which shows the state is paying up to $300 dollars a night for some of the housing under the emergency shelter program. The Herald story stated, “Nightly rates to house homeless families in hotels and motels can run nearly $300, with agencies often baking in the cost of food and supportive services into the bill they hand to the state, according to contracts reviewed by the Herald.” That’s nearly $9,000 per month and over $100,000 a year. Overall, the Healey administration is spending nearly a billion dollars a year on migrants and the state’s Right to Shelter law program.

March, the Fiscal Alliance statement continued, was the first month since June 2023 that taxes came in at or above expectations and ended the longest streak of below-benchmark revenue months in more than 20 years. Tax collections in March were $129 million above the administration's monthly benchmark. For comparison’s sake, the migrant spending and Right to Shelter law costs taxpayers about $83 million a month, showing how much this spending priority is taking a hit to the state budget.

“The Healey administration needs to refocus their priority to save money for the taxpayers of Massachusetts. Spending $300 a night for the emergency shelter program is simply unsustainable for the state of Massachusetts and its taxpayers. The state is struggling to be economically competitive while its spending is soaring. The responsibility falls on our Governor to make the hard decisions that result in our taxpayers becoming the number one priority,” noted Paul D. Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

“To the average Massachusetts taxpayer, this is more than they would even spend on themselves while vacationing. They cannot be expected to continue this level of taxpayer funded spending for a problem that could easily be fixed,” noted Craney.

The GOP Has Its Concerns, Too

And then there was Amy Carnevale, the feisty Chair of the state's Republican party.

In a press release, she stated that four out of the five no-bid contracts awarded by Governor Healey at the onset of the migrant crisis have now reached their expiration. Among these contracts was one with Spinelli’s [a multi-location catering and function company in Boston and the Northshore], amounting to a substantial $10,000,000. As the month draws to a close, Spinelli’s general manager extended gratitude to the Governor through a $1,000 campaign contribution. Moreover, staff at Spinelli’s have been consistent donors to Governor Healey's campaign, contributing nine times throughout both 2022 and 2023, she wrote.

 Carnevale raised concerns about the link between campaign contributions and the $10,000,000 contract, stating, “It's difficult not to suspect a level of pay-to-play dynamics with this no-bid contract. Governor Healey appears unable to shake off the perception of unethical conduct. Carnevale then added mention of some other controversial aspects of the governor's administration.

“I urge the ethics commission to investigate the correlation between Spinelli's regular donations to the Healey campaign and the subsequent awarding of this $10,000,000 contract. These recurring questionable actions demand scrutiny, and this particular instance stands out as one of the most blatant examples,” Carnevale concluded.

With a rock-solid majority on Beacon Hill, the Governor may not need to worry much, but voters may yet express their frustration on down-ballot incumbents in November, at least according to one former legislator.