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Brookline Town Meeting - Pct 14 - Three Years {_getChooseLabel(this.selections.length)}

The Brookline Municipal Election is Non-Partisan.Town Meeting is Brookline s Legislative arm of government. It consists of 255 elected Town Meeting Members plus the members of the Select Board, and any state representative or state senator who resides in Brookline. In addition, the Town Moderator, who presides over Town Meeting, and the elected Town Clerk, who acts as secretary, are voting members. The 255 membersare elected by precinct, with 15 members elected from each of the Town s seventeen precincts. The members are elected for staggered, 3-year terms so that 5 members are elected from each precinct each year in the May annual town election. Depending on vacancies some precincts will have more members to be elected.Town Meeting is responsible for passing a balanced annual town budget and enacts all town by-laws. An Annual Town Meeting is held in the spring to enact the following year s budget, plus whatever other matters are placed on the Town Meeting Warrant, either by the Select Board or by citizen petition. The Annual Town Meeting is usually held the last week in May or the first week in June. A Special Town Meeting is held each fall, usually in November, to deal with any budget changes, zoning by-law amendments or other matters placed on the warrant. (No salary; no health insurance.)‘*’ 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.

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    Carla Wyman Benka*
    (NPE)

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    Richard (Dick) Benka*
    (NPE)

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    Jesse Hefter*
    (NPE)

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    Kathleen M O'Connell*
    (NPE)

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    Lynda E Roseman*
    (NPE)

Biographical Information

Biographical Data:

What three issues are most important to your constituents, and how would you address and/or resolve them?

Campaign Phone 617-277-6102
Campaign Website http://N/A
Campaign Twitter Handle @ N/A
Campaign Instagram URL http://N/A
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Attendance 30 of 30
Town Meeting member since 2002: Advisory Committee, Vice-Chair, and Chair, Capital Subcommittee; Brookline Naming Committee: Zoning By-law Review Committee; Selectboard’s “Dangerous Dog” Committee (Article 29;) Planning Board’s Strategic Asset Subcommittee; Park and Recreation Commission’s Article 26 Committee; Comprehensive Plan Planning Process Study Committee; Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Study Committee; Executive Board, Brookline Neighborhood Alliance; former Brookline Preservation Planner; former Heath (Now Hayes) PTO Co-President; parent of Heath (now Hayes) and BHS graduate; former Vice-chair and Grants Committee Chair, Brookline Community Foundation

Proposed redesign of Chestnut Hill Avenue, increasing deterioration of roads throughout the precinct/town, cars speeding on neighborhood streets, and children safely crossing Eliot Street to get to Eliot Playground are among constituent concerns. Another concern is the inappropriate size/design of the proposed development at 845 Boylston Street and its impact on abutters and the greater neighborhood. Overarching these two issues are both the responsiveness (or lack thereof) of Town Hall staff to residents' concerns and tepid recognition of the validity of residents' views. I will continue to attend public meetings and public hearings, communicate with Town Hall staff on projects that impact the precinct, and advocate for my constituents.
Campaign Phone 617-277-6102
Attendance 30 of 30
Current: Expenditures & Revenues Study Committee; Committee on Town Organization & Structure; 36-yr Town Meeting Member. Past: 2-term Select Board; chair Zoning By-Law Committee; chair Efficiency Initiative Committee; chair Moderator’s Committee on Zoning–FAR; chair Davis Path Rezoning Committee (enabled Homewood Suites with property/hotel tax revenues; Brookline’s first use of “sky plane” providing neighborhood protection); co-chair 2014 Override Study Committee; chair MBTA-Communities Act Multifamily Permitting Committee (enabled State law compliance; rezoned for Brookline Housing Authority redevelopment). Retired attorney. 18-year volunteer math teacher, tutor and track coach at 93% Black/Latinx Boston public charter school.
1. Projected Town and School budget shortfalls. 2. Impact of continuing property tax and fee increases. 3. Perceived decision making by Town staff, committees and boards without adequate neighborhood input, or in the face of neighborhood concerns (e.g., impact of 845 Boylston Street project and impact of proposed Chestnut Hill Avenue redesign on immediate abutters and on neighborhood). I will continue my focus on fiscal issues as a member of the Expenditures & Revenues Study Committee, with a continued expectation that decisions will be data-driven. I will also continue my focus on zoning issues, seeking to balance neighborhood concerns with other goals in the drafting and review of warrant articles that will come before Town Meeting.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Campaign Phone 617-734-5331
Attendance 30 of 30
I am a 37 year resident of Brookline and a retired Brookline public school teacher. I own a condo in the Hayes School neighborhood and serve as secretary for our neighborhood association. I have been a Town Meeting Member for over 10 years and I am also a member of the Brookline Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
Three issues important to my constituents are schools (quality & budget), housing (shortages & development concerns) and maintaining the overall quality of life in Brookline. As to the school system and its budget, I am glad we are performing a comprehensive audit and looking at the possibility of greater town oversight of the budget at least in the short term. In the area of housing, I’m optimistic that once the comprehensive plan is complete, we can make some logical zoning changes to encourage more sensible and affordable housing development. Finally, I’m supportive of efforts to maintain and improve our streets, tree canopy, parks and safety, while continuing to take a lead on mitigating the impacts of climate change on our residents.
Campaign Phone 617-823-2737
Attendance 30 of 30
I have lived in Brookline since 1979 and am a retired Driscoll PreK para and Hayes School substitute teacher. My four adult children went to Brookline schools and my oldest is a Brookline educator. I have served on Town Meeting since 2013 and have served on many committees. I was Chair of the first iteration of the Police Commissioners Advisory Committee and currently serve on the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Study Committee. I am co-founder and co-president of the Settlement Neighborhood Ass'n and Co-chair of the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance.
My neighbors are most concerned with preserving our neighborhood character which includes keeping our neighborhood park, Eliot/Warren beautiful and well maintained, (which it is) and being able to afford to stay in Brookline.