Within the next few years, Brookline voters could be in a position to change the way the community’s government operates, in subtle or radical ways. A group of residents is gathering signatures and aiming to put a ballot question in front of Brookline voters which would create a Charter Commission to reassess the effectiveness of… Continue reading The Brookline.News guide to town government
Category: Elections
By the numbers: How Brookline voted in Tuesday’s election
Brookline residents favored Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator Elizabeth Warren in Tuesday’s election, and were closely divided on some of the statewide ballot questions. Amid a victory by former president Donald Trump in the national presidential election, here are the Brookline numbers, according to unofficial results published by the town on Tuesday. Harris and… Continue reading By the numbers: How Brookline voted in Tuesday’s election
Residents watch, hope and pray as they wait for presidential election results
On Tuesday night, people gathered across Brookline to watch election results come in, knowing that there would likely be no outcome for hours or days, but wanting to be together anyway. United Parish, a progressive Protestant church in Coolidge Corner, held an election night prayer service over Zoom early in the evening for about 20… Continue reading Residents watch, hope and pray as they wait for presidential election results
Local educators, experts weigh in on MCAS ballot question
A statewide ballot initiative may not impact graduation rates at Brookline High School, but some advocates and education experts in Brookline are arguing that it will boost equity within the district and across the state. The initiative, which is Question 2 on voters’ ballots across Massachusetts, aims to replace the state’s current MCAS graduation requirement… Continue reading Local educators, experts weigh in on MCAS ballot question
Brookline Democrats fan out across Pennsylvania for final swing state push
Scranton. Reading. Philadelphia. Harrisburg. With a few weeks to go until the presidential election, Brookline activists are fanning out across Pennsylvania to try to swing the purple state towards vice president Kamala Harris and Democratic congressional candidates. With New Hampshire trending blue, Pennsylvania has become the closest target for anxious, motivated Democrats in Brookline looking… Continue reading Brookline Democrats fan out across Pennsylvania for final swing state push
‘This is home’: In new documentary, Dukakis reflects on democracy, politics and Brookline
The Coolidge Corner Theatre was a fitting venue for the premiere of “Dukakis: Recipe for Democracy,” a new documentary screened on Tuesday which explores the legacy of one of Brookline’s most prominent and beloved residents. As Michael Dukakis entered the packed theater, the 90-year-old was greeted with loud applause and a standing ovation Dukakis got… Continue reading ‘This is home’: In new documentary, Dukakis reflects on democracy, politics and Brookline
7,000 Brookline residents have already voted. Here’s how to join them
Between votes by mail and in-person early voting, which started this past weekend, as of Monday more than 7,000 Brookline residents have voted in the state and presidential election set for Nov. 5. According to Town Clerk Ben Kaufman, that’s more than 16% of the town’s 40,661 currently registered voters, outpacing the 12% state average.… Continue reading 7,000 Brookline residents have already voted. Here’s how to join them
‘Activist Evenings’ in Brookline aim to mobilize Democratic voters in swing states
[metaslider id=37785] Every Monday evening, dozens of people gather in a room at the United Parish church in Brookline to partake in Democratic political activism, mailing letters and postcards to voters in key states. Activist Evenings, modeled after a similar effort in Cambridge, started in 2019 and went online in 2020, according to one of… Continue reading ‘Activist Evenings’ in Brookline aim to mobilize Democratic voters in swing states
Primary election results: Schwartz wins State Rep race, Dolan takes Governor’s Council seat
Greg Schwartz, a doctor and former Newton City Councilor, won the Democratic primary for State Representative in Massachusetts’ 12th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Brookline and Newton. According to unofficial results from the Associated Press, Schwartz picked up 40% of the vote, while his opponents Rick Lipof and Bill Humphrey, both current Newton City… Continue reading Primary election results: Schwartz wins State Rep race, Dolan takes Governor’s Council seat
Meet the candidates vying to represent parts of Brookline and Newton at the State House
Three men from Newton, all current or former city councilors there, are running for state representative in the 12th Middlesex District, which includes parts of Newton and a large portion of South Brookline. The district’s long-time representative Ruth Balser, who has served in the State House for 25 years, is retiring at the end of… Continue reading Meet the candidates vying to represent parts of Brookline and Newton at the State House
The most interesting part of your 2024 ballot could deal with this obscure panel
Editor’s note: Brookline.News is republishing this story by the CommonWealth Beacon because the Governor’s Council district includes Brookline. Read the original story here. More than 60 years ago, four members of a state panel that vets the governor’s judicial nominations and pardons took a trip of their own through the legal system as defendants, after… Continue reading The most interesting part of your 2024 ballot could deal with this obscure panel
State primary candidate questionnaire: Norfolk County Register of Deeds
Two people, William O’Donnell and Noel DiBona, are running for Register of Deeds in Norfolk County, which includes Brookline. The Registry of Deeds handles hundreds of thousands of land use documents a year, and calls itself a “basic resource for title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities, attorneys, engineers, real estate brokers, home appraisers, homeowners, and others… Continue reading State primary candidate questionnaire: Norfolk County Register of Deeds
How kitchen table conversations in Brookline turned into a $22 million fundraising powerhouse for Democrats
Like many people in Brookline, Tom Hallock and Laura Weisel were devastated when Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. “I felt impotent, like my vote didn’t matter,” said Weisel, a retired nonprofit and academic manager. Hallock, who had recently retired from a career in publishing, had just spent two weeks knocking on doors for… Continue reading How kitchen table conversations in Brookline turned into a $22 million fundraising powerhouse for Democrats
Q&A: Congressman Jake Auchincloss on Israel, the November election and the Massachusetts housing crisis
In 2020, Jake Auchincloss was elected to represent Massachusetts’s 4th Congressional District, which stretches through five counties, from Brookline and Newton to Fall River and Somerset. Now running unopposed for a third term, Auchincloss, a Marine veteran and former Newton City Councilor, is one of the youngest members of Congress at age 36. He’s also… Continue reading Q&A: Congressman Jake Auchincloss on Israel, the November election and the Massachusetts housing crisis
Should Brookline become a city? Residents weigh in as charter campaign advances
As Town Meeting members prepare to gather for their spring session, two parallel efforts to consider the future of Town Meeting itself are gathering steam. The Brookline City Charter Campaign is making a final push to collect enough signatures to put a question on next year’s municipal ballot that, if successful, would create a charter… Continue reading Should Brookline become a city? Residents weigh in as charter campaign advances
Get to know the ‘government process nerd’ elected to keep Town Meeting running smoothly
When he lost his bid for reelection to Town Meeting last year, Neil Wishinsky was ready to call it quits on his decades of public service in the town of Brookline. “I thought, ok, I’m done with electoral politics. I’ve been there, done that,” Wishinsky, a long-time Town Meeting member and former Select Board chair,… Continue reading Get to know the ‘government process nerd’ elected to keep Town Meeting running smoothly
‘A huge loss for the town’: For first time in two decades, no women are on Brookline’s Select Board
In 2017, Brookline’s five-member elected executive board was renamed from the “Board of Selectmen” to the “Select Board” in an effort to be more inclusive of the women who, for more than half a century, had been elected to serve alongside their male counterparts. The name has stuck. But in practice, the board just became… Continue reading ‘A huge loss for the town’: For first time in two decades, no women are on Brookline’s Select Board
What mattered in Brookline’s town election: Incumbency, name recognition, and a slight ideological shift
Tuesday’s town election held true to a few time-honored principles in local politics: name recognition matters. Incumbency is a big advantage. However, the election also pointed to what some observers see as a subtle ideological shift toward the center left in town politics. In town-wide races for School Committee and Select Board, two candidates who… Continue reading What mattered in Brookline’s town election: Incumbency, name recognition, and a slight ideological shift
Election results: Greene, Pearlman win Select Board seats as Thall, Moghtader, Hefter elected to School Committee
Voters reelected incumbent Chair Bernard Greene and elected outgoing School Committee Chair David Pearlman to the Select Board in Tuesday’s town election. It was a losing night for the most progressive candidates for seats on the Select Board and School Committee. Alec Lebovitz, who ran for Select Board, and Miriam Aschkenasy, who gave up a… Continue reading Election results: Greene, Pearlman win Select Board seats as Thall, Moghtader, Hefter elected to School Committee
Local election fundraising by the numbers: Candidates bring in $134,000
More than $134,000 in political fundraising has circulated in Brookline ahead of the May 7 election which will see voters choose new members of the Select Board, School Committee, and Brookline Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. The campaigns for townwide positions reported their financial activity to the town at the end of April, as required… Continue reading Local election fundraising by the numbers: Candidates bring in $134,000