Gov. Healey’s out-of-state travel draws criticism from Republican gubernatorial candidates

Gov Maura Healey is out of town this week after speedily signing the yearly budget into law Friday and making clear she was ready to cut funding for local projects if Massachusetts experiences fiscal troubles but her office declined to say where she is and when she will return Healey has a plan of not disclosing personal out-of-state journey before she leaves town a practice her aides have argued is necessary because of safety concerns But Republicans running for governor of Massachusetts criticized Healey for not sharing her whereabouts Brian Shortsleeve a conservative candidate for governor explained he will disclose his advance plans and apply the open records law to the Governor s Office if elected next fall Once again we are left wondering where Maura Healey is and how long she is out of state Where s the accountability Don t the people of Massachusetts have the right to know how long she will be out of office he explained in a announcement That will change when I am elected to the Corner Office I will publicly disclose when and where I am traveling A spokesperson for Healey did not provide a response to Shortsleeve s message but stated reporters were stated Friday that the governor was leaving town with her family The Herald was not part of the group of reporters that was informed of her voyage plans and the spokesperson did not straightaway say which media outlets received notice Healey s office only shares the details of the governor s movement after the fact and upon request through her monthly calendar which her administration argues is a higher level of transparency than Gov Charlie Baker s administration But aides to Healey redact her calendar and typically share it weeks after a request is made Staff working for the governor have pointed to increasing political violence in the United States as the reason why Healey s out-of-state journey is kept secret until her calendar is circulated the next month The former speaker of the Minnesota House Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed last month in a shooting that also left a state senator and his wife wounded The killings sent shockwaves through political circles across the country including in Massachusetts Healey s aides have also explained there are regular demonstrations outside her Arlington home where she lives with her partner Joanna Lydgate The Governor s Office first stopped sharing Healey s movement details after a group of neo-Nazis protested outside her home in October Healey initially refused to share any details about her personal advance but later reversed unit and promised to provide them after the fact Mike Kennealy another Republican running for governor mentioned Healey is the least transparent governor in state history because of her policies around subjecting the Governor s Office to the citizens records law and spending days out-of-state last year She hid the locations of dozens of migrant shelters to avoid scrutiny Maura Healey won t tell the people when she is leaving the office but on Voting Day we the people will tell her she is leaving the Corner Office for good Kennealy disclosed in a announcement Healey s office states an exemption to the inhabitants records law that is backed by a Supreme Judicial Court decision but still releases her monthly calendar with redactions She initially declared on the campaign trail in that she would not claim to be exempt from the community records law Her administration has not shared the exact locations of emergency shelters housing foreigners and local families but various have been substantiated through other means Healey s housing deputies have reported revealing addresses could put urgency shelter residents in danger