With five candidates running for two seats on the town’s Select Board on May 7, voters will decide the make-up of the five-member panel that serves as the town’s executive branch, The candidates for the two Select Board seats are Chair Bernard Greene, Sana Hafeez, Alec Lebovitz, Susan Park and David Pearlman. Click on their… Continue reading ‘Expectations and complexity are high’: Meet the five residents running for Select Board, Brookline’s highest elected office
Category: Elections
With three seats up for grabs, May 7 election could remake School Committee
Four candidates are running for three seats on the School Committee as town voters go to the polls on May 7: Miriam Aschkenasy, Jesse Hefter, Sarah Moghtader and Carolyn Thall. Click on each of their names below to read more. The decision of Chair David Pearlman to run for Select Board instead of reelection means… Continue reading With three seats up for grabs, May 7 election could remake School Committee
Why run for Town Meeting as a new candidate? It’s all about housing, survey says
Running for Town Meeting, Brookline’s 255-member legislative branch, as a new candidate is intimidating and a big time commitment, members say. It can be tough to unseat an incumbent. So why try? Brookline.News surveyed 60 non-incumbent candidates on the ballot for Town Meeting on May 7, many of them running for the first time, to… Continue reading Why run for Town Meeting as a new candidate? It’s all about housing, survey says
Meet the candidates running for the Brookline Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners
On May 7, voters will decide on a new member for the board of commissioners at the Brookline Housing Authority. The three candidates are Shawn O’Neal, Kimberley Richardson and Lynne Sweet. Click on each of their names below to learn more about them. The BHA operates over a dozen affordable housing buildings throughout town, housing… Continue reading Meet the candidates running for the Brookline Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners
A guide to voting in the Town Election on May 7
Brookline is holding a local election on May 7, with 18 residents running for town positions like Select Board, School Committee, Moderator and Town Clerk, and hundreds more for seats in Town Meeting. Brookline.News will be publishing an election special edition on Monday, April 29 with interviews and information about the key races, and residents… Continue reading A guide to voting in the Town Election on May 7
School Committee candidate Aschkenasy faces ethics complaint over campaign video
A complaint filed with the State Ethics Commission alleges that Miriam Aschkenasy, a member of the town’s Select Board who is now running for School Committee, violated conflict of interest laws by using a Town Hall hearing room for a campaign video. Fred Levitan, a former Town Meeting member, said that he filed a complaint… Continue reading School Committee candidate Aschkenasy faces ethics complaint over campaign video
What’s keeping Brookline’s young people away from the polls?
With a town election on the horizon in May, is voting on the to-do list for the 24% of Brookline residents who are between the ages of 18 and 29? Across Massachusetts and the United States, voter turnout increases with age. On Brookline’s frequent voter list, which consists of residents who have voted in at… Continue reading What’s keeping Brookline’s young people away from the polls?
May election: 18 residents running for town-wide office, and 127 up for Town Meeting
Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more detailed coverage coming soon about the upcoming May election. The deadline to register to run in the Brookline municipal election on May 7 has come and gone, and 18 residents have thrown their hats in the ring for townwide positions. Several of the most important positions in town promise… Continue reading May election: 18 residents running for town-wide office, and 127 up for Town Meeting
Biden, Haley win Brookline in presidential primaries
Nikki Haley took Brookline in her quest for the White House but lost the state of Massachusetts to former president Donald Trump in Tuesday’s Republican primary. The former South Carolina governor won 1,675 votes to Trump’s 647 in Brookline, a margin of 69% to 27%, with “no preference” and a few other fringe candidates making… Continue reading Biden, Haley win Brookline in presidential primaries
How to vote in the presidential primaries
The presidential primaries are coming to Massachusetts on March 5th, giving voters a once-in-four-years chance to elect their party’s nominee for the highest office in the country. Here’s everything you need to know about voting in Brookline. How do I register? If you’re not already registered to vote, you can do so with the town… Continue reading How to vote in the presidential primaries
Brookline, Newton state Rep. Ruth Balser is retiring after 25 years in the State House
Ruth Balser, who represents parts of Brookline and Newton in the state legislature, will retire from her position at the end of this year. Balser, 75, has been the state representative for the 12th Middlesex District for 25 years, representing southern Newton and at times parts of Brookline. Most recently, because of redistricting in 2022,… Continue reading Brookline, Newton state Rep. Ruth Balser is retiring after 25 years in the State House
Why Miriam Aschkenasy is leaving the Select Board
Miriam Aschkenasy, a member of the town’s Select Board, recently announced that she is stepping down from her position in May, at the end of her first term. Aschkenasy, a progressive who is widely viewed as the furthest left member of the board ideologically, plans to run instead for a seat on the School Committee.… Continue reading Why Miriam Aschkenasy is leaving the Select Board
Election update: More names in the hat for School Committee, Town Clerk Kaufman will run again
Editor’s note: Stay tuned for more election coverage, including in-depth interviews and profiles of each candidate for town-wide office, later in the spring. Two more residents have put themselves in the mix for seats on the town’s School Committee, making it a contested race with four total candidates now running for three seats in the… Continue reading Election update: More names in the hat for School Committee, Town Clerk Kaufman will run again
Candidates line up to run for key local government seats in May election
Editor’s note: This article marks the start of our 2024 election coverage. Stay tuned in the months leading up to the May election for more, including in-depth interviews with every candidate running for town-wide office. A Select Board member is running for School Committee, and a School Committee member is running for Select Board. It… Continue reading Candidates line up to run for key local government seats in May election
News in brief: New leader for Mothers Out Front, town installs ballot boxes
New leadership for Brookline Mothers Out Front The Brookline chapter of Mothers out Front, a national organization focused on climate activism, is adding a new leader to its ranks. Anne Sudduth, who has been a co-coordinator of the chapter for three years, is stepping into a statewide role with the organization, she said. Laura Knott,… Continue reading News in brief: New leader for Mothers Out Front, town installs ballot boxes
Brookline’s ranked choice voting advocates make their case on Beacon Hill
In the latest installment of Brookline’s years-long consideration of ranked choice voting, state legislators heard testimony on a bill that would allow the town to implement the practice in some elections. At the Dec. 5 hearing, the Legislature’s Committee on Election Laws heard testimony on a home rule petition approved by Brookline Town Meeting in… Continue reading Brookline’s ranked choice voting advocates make their case on Beacon Hill
School officials likely violated campaign finance laws, Town Counsel says
Several Brookline school officials likely violated campaign finance law by sending out emails to parents with information about ballot questions ahead of the May election, according to Brookline town counsel Joseph Callanan. By sending “unsolicited” emails to various school email lists about the operating override and Pierce school rebuild ballot questions, Superintendent Linus Guillory and… Continue reading School officials likely violated campaign finance laws, Town Counsel says
New campaign wants to put Brookline’s system of government on the ballot
Should the town of Brookline consider becoming a city? That question could be on the ballot next May if a group of residents can collect thousands of signatures in the next few months. A campaign is underway to create a charter commission to reexamine the structure of Brookline’s government. It’s the first stage of what… Continue reading New campaign wants to put Brookline’s system of government on the ballot
Town Meeting update: Members approve ranked choice voting, office of housing stability
Town Meeting wrapped up its spring session last week, putting an end to proceedings until a special Town Meeting expected to take place in November, when members will likely be asked to vote on a compliance plan for the controversial MBTA Communities Act. The town’s response to the law, which sets new requirements for multi-family… Continue reading Town Meeting update: Members approve ranked choice voting, office of housing stability
Town Meeting signs off on Pierce rebuild
Brookline Town Meeting overwhelmingly approved funding for the Pierce School rebuilding project last night, putting an end to a brief but dramatic post-election debate over the school’s future. In the end, the vote was not close: The $210 million appropriation needed a two-thirds vote and ended up getting more than 80%, passing with 197 yes… Continue reading Town Meeting signs off on Pierce rebuild