Brookline Select Board - Three Years Choose 1
The Select Board is composed of five members who are elected for three-year terms. As the Chief Elected and Executive Officers of the Town, the Select Board is vested with all the municipal authority not specifically retained by the Town's legislative body, Town Meeting. The Select Board appoints a Town Administrator, responsible for the daily management of the Town.The Select Board issues the Warrants for Town Meetings and makes recommendations on the warrant articles; initiates legislative policy by inserting articles in Town Meeting Warrants and then implements the votes subsequently adopted. It adopts town administrative policies; reviews and sets fiscal guidelines for the annual operating budget and the six-year capital improvements program and makes recommendations to Town Meeting on the same.The Select Board appoints department heads and members of most official boards and commissions; holds public hearings on important town issues and periodic conferences with agencies under their jurisdiction and with community groups; represents the Town before the General Court and in all regional and metropolitan affairs; and enforces Town By-Laws and regulations.The Select Board also serves as the licensing board responsible for issuing and renewing over 600 licenses in more than 20 categories, including common victualler, food vendor, liquor, lodging house, open-air parking lot, inflammables, special events and entertainment.The Select Board meets every Tuesday, unless otherwise posted.‘*’ following a candidate name indicates an Incumbent.For Incumbent Town Meeting Candidates, Attendance Record for the last three years is shown.(NPE) is the party for all candidates. The Brookline Municipal Election is a Non-Partisan Election.
Biographical Information
Campaign Mailing Address
307 Reservoir Road
Brookline, MA 02467
Brookline, MA 02467
Campaign Website
http://johnvanscoyoc.com
Attendance
Not a Town Meeting Race
Biographical Data
I am honored to have been elected to the Select Board in 2020 and 2023, when I received the most votes of a Select Board candidate in this century. (Look it up!) Barbara and I have been homeowners in Chestnut Hill since 1975, the year of our marriage. Our children, Ellen and Robert, benefitted greatly from their K-12 education in the Brookline Public Schools (Heath/Hayes and BHS). For reasons I can't fathom, both became lawyers (immigration and real estate). My past public service: 1985-2018. Town Meeting, P13
1984-1989. Advisory Committee member
1989. Advisory Committee chair
2019. Advisory Committee member.
I enjoyed a 43-year career in journalism (Brookline Chronicle Citizen, WGBH, NECN) starting in 1975 until retirement in 2018.
What are two of your main priorities and the budget constraints that affect them? Can the constraints be overcome, and how?
1. We should continue to step up our improvements to sidewalks, streets, bike lanes
where they can be separated from traffic without loss of parking, as well as (2) essential maintenance of our built infrastructure.
2. With the guidance of the Sustainability Director, we should maximize electrification of vehicles and heating systems, and add
recharge stations and solar installations when justified by paybacks equivalent to costs. Potential budget-balancing measures: test the
market value of minimally used Town real estate assets. Limit future overrides, if necessary, to essential capital improvements, while constraining operating expenses through Rate Of Inflation-capped negotiated contracts.
Biographical Information
Campaign Mailing Address
133 Park Street
Unit 1102
Brookline, MA 02446
Unit 1102
Brookline, MA 02446
Campaign Website
http://anthonybuono4brookline.com
Attendance
Not a Town Meeting Race
Biographical Data
My commitment to Brookline is rooted in years of active service. I have served as a Town Meeting Member, a member of the Advisory Committee, and as President of the Town Meeting Member Association. Through my work on the Capital and Administration & Finance subcommittees, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the fiscal challenges and opportunities facing our community.
Professionally, I hold a Master’s degree from Boston University in Mathematics and Statistics and work as a data management consultant for the financial sector. In both my career and my public service, I pride myself on bringing people together to solve complex, data-driven problems. Those who have worked with me know I am analytical, results-driven, and tirelessly hardworking
What are two of your main priorities and the budget constraints that affect them? Can the constraints be overcome, and how?
My top priorities are improving our infrastructure for safe roadways and expanding senior care to tackle isolation and sidewalk trip hazards.
The primary constraint is Brookline’s structural deficit. Costs like healthcare recently spiked 12%, leaving us without the flexible funding needed to expand services and pay for major capital projects.
We overcome this by focusing on two economic pillars.
We must defend our AAA bond rating to keep our borrowing costs low by ensuring we have ample cash reserves. This directly allows us to afford the capital improvement plan that pays for leveling sidewalks and fixing streets.
We also have to expand the tax base through strategic commercial and housing development. Growing the pie generates the recurring new revenue we need to fund expanded senior mental health services and community outreach without overburdening current residents.
Biographical Information
Campaign Mailing Address
411 Washington Street
Unit 6
Brookline, MA 02446
Unit 6
Brookline, MA 02446
Campaign Website
http://www.amandaforbrookline.com
Campaign Facebook URL
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61582323284525
Attendance
Not a Town Meeting Race
Biographical Data
I have a PhD in bioengineering, postdoctoral training in neuroscience, and currently work in program management at a biotechnology company. This generally means I have experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets, digging into data to propose next steps and long-range plans, and otherwise getting teams to work together to hit critical milestones. I’m also a Town Meeting Member in P7, co-founder of the pro-housing group Brookline for Everyone, and I served on the Bicycle Advisory Committee and Open Space and Recreation Planning Committee. I have also filled a number of roles in service in the community, from coaching soccer and Lego robotics teams. You can find out more on my website www.amandaforbrookline.com.
What are two of your main priorities and the budget constraints that affect them? Can the constraints be overcome, and how?
I’m running on a 4-plank platform: expanding town revenue, homes we can afford for every stage of life, safer streets for all, and planning for a greener future.
For safe public ways for pedestrians, cyclists, people in mobility scooters, and vehicles, we need infrastructure changes. The most cost-effective way to enact safety improvements is to do so during the course of needed maintenance.
We need to take systemic action to decrease our carbon footprint and prepare for climate change. Some changes (like installing geothermal heating), are cost-positive in the long run, and are wise economic strategies in addition to good environmental policy.
Overall, to maintain town services and our strong public schools — without overstretching the budgets of our homeowners and renters — we need to thoughtfully increase commercial and residential development to broaden the tax base.