Election results: Rubenstein wins Select Board seat; Weintraub, Frias, Perry elected to School committee

Alexis Raitt and her mother Jennifer Raitt vote during the annual town election at the Brookline Town Hall polling location on May 6, 2025. Photo by Taylor Coester

In Tuesday’s town election, voters sent Michael Rubenstein to the Select Board and elected two new faces, Bob Weintraub and Danna Perry, as well as one incumbent, Valerie Frias, to the School Committee, according to unofficial results published by the Town Clerk.  In the race for Select Board, the town’s highest office, Rubenstein, a 62-year-old… Continue reading Election results: Rubenstein wins Select Board seat; Weintraub, Frias, Perry elected to School committee

Select Board candidates answer questions from public ahead of election

Select Board candidates, from left to right, Liz Linder, Carlos Ridruejo and Michael Rubenstein. Photo by Claire Law

Dozens of residents gathered at town hall last Wednesday for a forum with Select Board candidates ahead of next month’s election. The forum, hosted by Brookline Neighborhood Alliance, was one of several featuring the three candidates vying for the open seat on the town’s five-member Select Board: architect Carlos Ridruejo, photographer Liz Linder and entrepreneur… Continue reading Select Board candidates answer questions from public ahead of election

Mysterious election mailings likely violated campaign finance laws. Who is behind them?

Horace James, a 19th-century Select Board member, is the namesake of a mysterious group whose election mailings likely violated campaign finance laws. Photo via public domain

For the last several years, a mysterious postcard has appeared in the mailboxes of some Brookline residents shortly before the May town election. Endorsing local candidates and carrying an anti-tax message, the letters have purported to come from the Horace James Civic Association, a South Brookline neighborhood group which newspaper records show was active in… Continue reading Mysterious election mailings likely violated campaign finance laws. Who is behind them?

Following the money: See how much candidates for Select Board, School Committee raised and spent ahead of town election

The outside of Brookline Town Hall on a January evening. Photo by Artemisia Luk

Candidates for town office in Brookline have raised more than $114,000 in political fundraising ahead of the May 6 election, when voters will choose new members of the Select Board, School Committee and other local government bodies. The campaigns for townwide positions reported their financial activity to the town in late April, as required by… Continue reading Following the money: See how much candidates for Select Board, School Committee raised and spent ahead of town election

120 candidates, 17 precincts: The Brookline.News guide to the 2025 Town Meeting election

A Town Meeting session in November 2023. Photo by Artemisia Luk

In the local election on May 6, many of the names on your ballot will be running for Town Meeting. With 120 candidates across 17 precincts, it can be hard to keep track of who is who in the race for Brookline’s legislative branch. Our new guide aims to help. We sent a candidate questionnaire… Continue reading 120 candidates, 17 precincts: The Brookline.News guide to the 2025 Town Meeting election

Meet the candidates for Select Board, in a race dominated by debate over development

The Select Board meets in January 2024. Photo by Artemisia Luk

Three Town Meeting members are running for an open seat on the Select Board, the five-member executive branch of Brookline’s town government.  Architect Carlos Ridruejo, photographer Liz Linder and entrepreneur Michael Rubenstein are vying to replace Michael Sandman, who decided not to seek reelection after serving one three-year term.  Election Day is May 6, but… Continue reading Meet the candidates for Select Board, in a race dominated by debate over development

Ways to vote in the May 6 town election

A voter fills out a ballot during the May 7, 2024 town election. Photo by Clare Ong

Local election day is May 6 in Brookline. Winners will be declared in contested races for the School Committee, Select Board and Board of Library Trustees, and Town Meeting members will be chosen in each precinct across town. Brookline.News has published in-depth candidate profiles for the School Committee, Select Board and Board of Library Trustees… Continue reading Ways to vote in the May 6 town election

Five candidates face off for Board of Library Trustees, aiming to address library system upheaval

The main branch of the Brookline Public Library on Washington Street. Photo by Sam Mintz

This year’s election for the Board of Library Trustees is contested for the first time since 2017, as turmoil in Brookline’s public libraries pushes new candidates and incumbents to step up.   In Brookline, the Board of Library Trustees is a 12-person elected body with four seats up for election each year. Trustees are responsible for… Continue reading Five candidates face off for Board of Library Trustees, aiming to address library system upheaval

Meet the candidates in a crowded race for School Committee

A packed School Committee meeting on March 6, 2025. Photo by Andrew Burke-Stevenson

This year’s race for Brookline’s School Committee is the most competitive since 2018, with six candidates, including two incumbents, running for three open seats in the May 6 election. Most new candidates cited the district’s cyclical fiscal problems as a top reason for running — particularly the $8-million budget gap for fiscal year 2026, which the… Continue reading Meet the candidates in a crowded race for School Committee

New School Committee candidates cite budget problems as reason for running

School Committee member Helen Charlupski at a meeting on March 6, 2025. Photo by Andrew Burke-Stevenson

A slew of new candidates are running for School Committee this year, prompted by widespread concern about fiscal problems in Brookline schools.  In early February, eight Brookline residents had indicated they were considering running for three seats. As of March 10, five candidates are still in the race: incumbents Helen Charlupski and Valerie Frias, former… Continue reading New School Committee candidates cite budget problems as reason for running

Election update: Ehrenberg bows out of School Committee reelection as eight candidates line up to run for three seats

School Committee member Steven Ehrenberg (left) and Superintendent Linus Guillory at a School Committee Meeting on Nov. 13, 2023. Photo by Jeremy Margolis

The town election on May 6 could see a crowded race for School Committee, as eight candidates so far have notified the town clerk that they intend to run for three seats. Of the three current members who are up for reelection, two are running and one is not. Helen Charlupski, who has served on… Continue reading Election update: Ehrenberg bows out of School Committee reelection as eight candidates line up to run for three seats

Campaign to rethink Brookline’s form of government falls short of getting on 2025 ballot

Brookline Town Hall. Photo by Clare Ong

A ballot question asking voters to approve a charter commission to study Brookline’s form of government won’t come before voters in May’s town election. In a message to supporters on Friday, Rebeca Stone, chair of the City Charter Campaign, wrote that the effort has fallen short of the number of signatures needed to assure a… Continue reading Campaign to rethink Brookline’s form of government falls short of getting on 2025 ballot

Election update: Rubenstein joins Linder, Ridruejo in running for Select Board

A voter fills out a ballot during the May 7, 2024 town election. Photo by Clare Ong

Michael Rubenstein, a Town Meeting member, entrepreneur and housing advocate, is running for Select Board. In a letter announcing his run, Rubenstein said he aims to prioritize dealing with the town’s fiscal constraints, addressing rising property taxes and unaffordable housing costs and responding to climate change and environmental degradation. Rubenstein joins two other Town Meeting… Continue reading Election update: Rubenstein joins Linder, Ridruejo in running for Select Board