Strong Communities Start with Smart Local Priorities
Mission Statement
Mass Priorities champions responsible, community-first local spending by helping Massachusetts residents understand how taxpayer dollars can strengthen the services and infrastructure that matter most.
Our Priorities
Every community faces difficult budget decisions. We believe local taxpayer dollars should be invested where they have the greatest impact on everyday life: strong schools, safe neighborhoods, reliable roads and bridges, clean drinking water, parks and trails, and the essential infrastructure families depend on. We promote transparency, accountability, and responsible decision-making so communities can invest in what matters most.
What We Do
We educate residents about the local spending decisions shaping their communities, highlight successful investments from towns across Massachusetts, and provide clear, fact-based information that encourages informed public participation. Through research, storytelling, and community engagement, we help build support for responsible local investments that strengthen neighborhoods and improve quality of life across the Commonwealth.
Who We Are
Mass Priorities is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of Massachusetts residents committed to responsible local spending and transparent government. We believe taxpayers deserve to know how public dollars are spent and deserve confidence that those investments reflect the priorities of the communities they serve. Together, we're helping build a stronger Commonwealth—one smart local decision at a time.
Informed Communities Make Better Decisions
When Massachusetts taxpayers get all the facts, they make smarter choices for their towns. That pattern has played out clearly in Western Massachusetts, where the more residents learned about the true cost of municipal fiber, the less support these projects had.
Longmeadow: What started as an $8.65 million fiber proposal was projected to balloon to $26.5 million before completion. Once Longmeadow voters had the facts, they rejected it.
Southwick: A $16 million townwide broadband buildout would have meant decades of new debt for Southwick taxpayers. Once residents had the full picture, the project fell short of the two-thirds majority required to pass.
This isn't a coincidence. In both towns, the more residents learned, the more they chose to protect taxpayer dollars for the priorities that matter most: schools, roads, public safety, and the infrastructure families rely on every day. That's how stronger communities get built, one informed decision at a time.