Blue lights going dark

For Massachusetts taxpayers who care how their dollars are spent — and who care how government officials conduct themselves both on the clock and off — there is comfort in knowing the Baker administration hasn’t simply papered over an allegation of misconduct and moved on to the next challenge.

The Herald reported yesterday that the administration has stripped 30 state-owned vehicles of their blue emergency lights after deeming them unnecessary. Recall that back in September an administration official was fired after flipping on the lights of his state vehicle not to respond to an emergency — his job didn’t require that — but to cut through a Seaport traffic jam.

The administration also launched a systemwide review that determined those 30 vehicles were equipped with unnecessary emergency equipment. It’s entirely possible the operators never used the lights, but with their removal any temptation to do so has been helpfully eliminated.

Prior to the latest review the administration had also done an analysis of take-home cars — who had them, who should have them, and who should have them taken away. Last summer take-home privileges were rescinded for 22 workers for whom that taxpayer-funded perk was simply that — a perk.

This kind of corrective action doesn’t always grab headlines (and it’s worth noting the employee who used the blue lights had managed to keep his job previously, even after being disciplined for using taxpayer resources on a party for his Republican friends). But it reflects an admirable commitment to sweating the small stuff that drives taxpayers nuts.