Healey’s tech secretary used public funds to hire chauffeurs

Gov. Maura Healey’s technology services and security secretary spent thousands on taxpayer-funded credit cards last fiscal year to stay at a four-star hotel in Barcelona and hire on-demand chauffeur services that promised to “upgrade your travels,” according to state data.

The spending by the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security was in addition to tens of thousands of dollars that Healey’s office charged to publicly funded credit cards to pay for multiple four-star accommodations in Washington, D.C., and an island resort in Newport.

Secretary Jason Snyder, who leads the agency tasked with managing the executive branch’s digital infrastructure, used a state procurement card to spend more than $620 with Blacklane, a “global chauffeur service” that pledges to maintain the “very highest possible standards.”

The former Harvard University official charged a publicly-funded credit card five times to hire chauffeurs in November 2024 for $84.46, February for $172.43, March for $149.35, and twice in April for $112.98 and $106.78, according to state data.

“A private ride in a top-of-the-line vehicle makes every journey a pleasure, not just a means to an end,” Blacklane says of its services on its website.

Christopher Smith, a spokesperson for the tech-focused secretariat, said the Blacklane purchases were “for transportation to and from the airport for travel related to Secretary Snyder’s official duties, to avoid surge pricing the day of travel.”

“Where possible, the secretary carpools and/or shares transportation with any members of his party also in attendance,” Smith said in response to a question about why the secretary did not opt for other ground transportation options.

Snyder’s office also spent more than $1,400 in October 2024 for him to stay at the Catalonia Rigoletto, a four-star hotel in Barcelona, and another $2,000 with Swiss Air to fly to Spain, according to state data.

Smith said Snyder traveled to Barcelona to attend the Disruptive and Emerging Technology Alliance Ministerial Summit in November 2024, which culminated in a “manifesto” calling for the ethical use of artificial intelligence and talks promoting zero debris in space.

Smith said the event allowed “for collaboration with leading experts from across the globe in emerging technology.”

“This collaboration will foster innovation and new ideas that can be leveraged by the Commonwealth to help facilitate its mission to be a global leader in Applied AI. The hotel was selected because of its proximity to the conference and lower cost compared to other lodging in the area,” Smith said in a statement to the Herald.

Twelve delegations participated in the Disruptive and Emerging Technology Alliance Ministerial Summit, and Snyder was the only representative from the United States, according to the summit’s website.

Outside of debating the ethical use of AI, summit attendees “agreed to start the procedures to join the Zero Debris Charter, an initiative of the European Space Agency (ESA) that promotes sustainable space missions,” the event’s website said.

Healey’s office also used taxpayer-funded credit cards to spend more than $13,000 at hotels last fiscal year as the first-term Democrat, her staff, and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll regularly jetted across the country, according to a $7.3 million dataset of procurement card expenditures.

The Governor’s Office approved more than $3,300 in spending in December 2024 at The Mayflower Hotel, an upscale Marriott located just blocks away from the White House and United States Capitol, public data shows.

A spokesperson for Healey said rooms were booked at the hotel for Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and her staff to attend the National Lieutenant Governors Association conference. Driscoll stayed an additional time at The Mayflower Hotel to attend a White House reception, the spokesperson said.

This is not the first year Healey’s office has spent thousands on hotels across the country, and even the world. State procurement card data from fiscal year 2024 showed the governor spent thousands at four and five-star hotels in Quebec City and Rome.

Healey or her staff have consistently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal officials or the state’s Congressional delegation, among others, since the governor took office in January 2023.

The Governor’s Office spent another $1,136 in February at the Grand Hyatt Washington, a four-star hotel also located a short jaunt away from the White House and U.S. Capitol, according to procurement card data.

A spokesperson for Healey said rooms were booked at the hotel so staff could attend the National Governors Association.

Healey loaded another $1,587 onto a taxpayer-funded credit card for purchases in November 2024 at the JW Marriott Washington, DC, a four-star hotel in the same area as the Grand Hyatt Washington and The Mayflower Hotel, state records show.

Healey and Driscoll stayed at the hotel to attend a reception for governors hosted by President Joe Biden at the White House, according to the Governor’s Office.

Healey’s office spent $215 in November 2024 at the Newport Harbor Island Resort, a four-star hotel in Rhode Island that bills itself as providing a “new era of family vacations, steeped in timeless traditions.”

“It’s the quintessential New England coastal experience, with culinary celebrations, immersive activities, and personalized luxury. Embrace your island resort life on Goat Island in Newport, Rhode Island,” the hotel’s website said.

Driscoll stayed at the coastal hotel to attend the 54th Annual New England Connectivity and Telecommunications Association Convention and Exhibition, where she spoke on a panel about women in leadership with the lieutenant governors of Rhode Island and Connecticut.

Executive agencies or departments are advised to use procurement cards only as a “payment of last resort,” though rules do allow state officials to pay for overnight accommodations at hotels, according to guidelines issued by the state’s budget-writing office.

The Governor’s Office also used procurement cards to spend even more on airlines last fiscal year.

Healey and her staff dropped more than $14,500 in 2024 and 2025 on purchases with JetBlue, Delta, Canada’s Porter Airlines, American Airlines, and Air Canada, according to state records.

A spokesperson for Healey said the flights were taken by Healey, Driscoll, or their staff to conferences, events, and meetings in their official capacity. Flights are taken in economy class, according to the spokesperson.

The office’s most expensive airline-related purchase came in October 2024, when Healey or her staff spent $868 with Porter Airlines, procurement card data shows.

Mike Kennealy, a former cabinet secretary under Gov. Charlie Baker who is running for governor as a Republican, slammed Healey for spending more than $75,000 on procurement cards last fiscal year.

“It’s absolutely outrageous and completely unacceptable,” Kennealy said in a statement to the Herald. “Jewelry stores. Luxury hotels. Florists. Newspaper subscriptions. Cable bills. Ferry rides. Amazon splurges. All in just one year. This is the culture of waste, fraud, and corruption that has infected state government under Healey’s watch.”

Brian Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist and another Republican running for governor, said tax revenues have been flat over the first month of this fiscal year and “unemployment is on the uptick.”

“The governor should lead by example and start reining in wasteful spending in her own office and travel expenses,” he said in a statement to the Herald.

Healey’s top single procurement card expense in fiscal year 2025 was $5,304 in February with the Herald, which a spokesperson said covered subscriptions to the newspaper.