Biographical Data:
I am a 27-year-old first generation Pakistani-American Muslim woman, lifelong athlete and travel enthusiast. I live in Brookline, Massachusetts and work as a Community & Political Organizer, Nonprofit National Program Director, as well as in the aviation & green tech industries. As a community organizer, I have campaigned against oppressive legislation, promoted self reliance in communities, worked on countless community initiatives supporting: civic engagement, transformative justice, emergency housing and direct assistance, youth crime prevention, youth mentoring, public health, and inter-community cooperation and solidarity. I believe in community-based solutions and the values of equity, accessibility, and transparency in governance.
What major development and fiscal challenges face the Town and how would you address them?
Affordable childcare, affordable housing, workforce development & job skill programs, environmental sustainability, and transparency & accountability are all major issues of equity in Brookline. I have worked to address each of these as a community organizer and have experienced the barriers to community-based solutions when they reach the office of Select Board first hand. Despite the barriers, historic progress has been made. But, no amount of hard work can overcome repeated, ineffective fiscal decisions. I would employ tried and true methods, such as empowering solutions that originate from the communities with lived experience with these issues, rather than virtue signaling efforts that have little to no tangible impact. I would assess the effectiveness of the millions of dollars allocated from the lifeline ARPA funds and use the data to inform where else we should reevaluate.