Campaign Phone
857-225-0402
Attendance
Not Incumbent TM Member
Retired public finance lawyer – general counsel, MA Clean Water Trust; Swarthmore College; Boston College Law. Lived around the world as child in multiple diverse environments; formative adolescent years in Philadelphia. Brookline resident since 2002; Town government since 2006, when elected to Town Meeting (Precinct 7). Select Board 9 years, 3 as chair (current chair). Served on many committees including Advisory and the Audit Committee (chair for seven years). Have two adult children: daughter, a lawyer in NYC; and son, recent grad, U.Mass, Boston – attended Lawrence and Brookline HS.
Market driven development will result in Town of largely high-income residents. Comprehensive plan can moderate this. Plan goals should include preserve middle-income housing &incentivize new housing for middle/low-income families &seniors. Tools include: Housing Auth; inclusionary zoning, including using Afford. Housing Trust for low &moderate income housing; zoning changes for more density in prudently targeted areas; regulatory changes to permit housing types for middle income &starter housing; new zoning like T-5NH. Fiscally, SB must balance needs/desires of residents with tight fiscal resources & be active player in guiding Town Administrator &Depts with its Goals &Objectives – a part of decision-making at start of budget process. Goals should include growing revenue by new bus. develop. &increasing capacity of hotels, restaurants &bars to add to local option tax revenue.
Campaign Phone
407-538-3645
Attendance
Not Incumbent TM Member
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.
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.
Campaign Phone
401-793-6279
Attendance
Not Incumbent TM Member
I am an 8-year resident of Brookline, a Coolidge Corner renter, & a Town Meeting Member who has led the passage of critical bylaws & warrant articles dealing with fiscal management, public health, & housing affordability. I joined local government to make a difference for our community & I am committed to ensuring that opportunity & stability exists for everyone in Town. In my career, I am a Medicaid policy analyst focusing on the safety net. I know the impact that data-driven & compassionate policy can make in people's lives & I am running for Select Board to make Brookline more affordable, inclusive, & welcoming. I am proud to be the only candidate endorsed by Brookline for Everyone, the Brookline Equity Coalition, & Run for Something.
Brookline faces serious challenges – our budget is strained, residents are facing a rising cost of living, & housing costs, driven by a shortage of affordable units, continue to increase. The disproportionate impacts of both issues fall on seniors, families, & vulnerable communities. I will develop a comprehensive revenue plan that expands our planning capacity, encourages commercial development, reforms our PILOT policy to encourage local non-profits to contribute their fair share, & incorporates transparency & accountability into our override process. We also need to develop new housing that suits our community needs. I support increasing density around public transit, adopting a reformed ADU bylaw, encouraging mixed use developments, & securing funding for new affordable units. I also support policies that provide rapid relief to residents, including rent stabilization & tax relief.
Campaign Phone
551-574-0690
Attendance
Not Incumbent TM Member
I taught middle school, high school, and college English and Lit. I was a former Department Head at an International School and designed the high level 11th and 12th grade International Baccalaureate Curriculum. I am a children's author and have written four books which have all been translated into Spanish. The Booksmith carries most of them. My husband Kee and I have lived in Brookline 9 years, and we have three amazing daughters two of which have graduated from college, and one is at BHS. I am a former Girl Scout Troop leader, was on the Advisory Committee, am the Vice President of the Town Meeting Member Association for two years, a Town Meeting member for 2 terms and got my Public Leadership Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School.
We know that Brookline is headed into the "lean/tight years" meaning that finances are tight. We need to be sensible and go back to the basics of spending on what we can afford. I am a retired teacher and know the importance of excellent teachers, curriculum, and leadership. We need to trim on things that don't affect our students quality of learning. I am also excited to really support increasing our revenue in commercial developments. I have a vision to build up the Chestnut Hill West parcels of land and make it a destination location which will bring in revenue for the town which will offset our taxes. We can also pick up the Rt. 9 study that already started and was set aside. It takes leadership to keep identifying revenue sources which I intend to do, and my track record shows that I am a doer. We also need to see where we can get state aid to support our many Brookline projects.
Campaign Phone
617-894-6893
Attendance
Not Incumbent TM Member
I am a near life-long resident of Brookline since 1986. I grew up in Coolidge Corner, graduated from what is now known as the FRR school, BHS, Brandeis University, and Boston University. I live with my wife and 9-month old son. I have served in Town Meeting for 10 years since 2013 and School Committee since 2018, the last two years as Chair. I have worked diligently to keep costs down while meeting the needs of our schools and our commitment to the environment. Professionally, I am a child welfare attorney at the trial and appellate levels, representing primarily indigent parents and children in a spectrum of areas, including abuse and neglect, housing instability, mental health, domestic violence, substance misuse, and public education.
Higher property taxes affect us all whether we are renters or homeowners. Affordability is not only an economic priority, but a housing priority, and a racial justice and equity priority. Commitment to the Comprehensive Plan, and growing the proverbial pie through well-planned mixed-use economic development and housing production (with a significant affordability component) will be essential to expanding our tax base in a sustainable manner that can help close the structural deficit and support the level of diversity and services we expect and deserve. I view initiatives around housing, commercial growth, Complete Streets, and climate change mitigation as complementary. Development proposals should include detailed financial and environmental impact studies, with robust opportunities for public input. I will lead by listening and making thoughtful decisions that unite rather than divide.
