United States Government Accountability Office

Governor Maura Healey's administration is facing questions over a roughly $2 billion plan to replace Springfield's Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse with a new "regional justice center" built and owned by private developers under a 40-year lease, with two optional 10-year extensions. Under the arrangement, the state would not own the building for up to 60 years, if ever, though Healey says ownership terms are still being negotiated. Critics, including Republican gubernatorial challenger Mike Minogue and Pioneer Institute researcher Jeffrey Calabrese, question why the state would be responsible for major capital repairs in the lease's second half without gaining eventual title to the property. Healey defends the deal as the best value for taxpayers, citing the state's constrained capital budget and developer financing advantages, and dismisses criticism as political attacks and a "PR smear campaign." The bid award has also drawn controversy over developers' political ties and a pending amended legal complaint from losing bidders, which Healey predicts will be dismissed.