Brookline Select Board Chair Bernard Greene To Run For Reelection

BROOKLINE, MA — Bernard Greene, who was first elected to the Select Board in 2015, said he is running again this year to keep his seat as the town prepares to head to the polls for townwide elections in four months.

"I am running as a Thoughtful Progressive," Greene said in his campaign kickoff Monday. "A Thoughtful Progressive looks at our problems with a clear head that takes in their full complexity and finds practical solutions that are powerfully effective for all of Brookline."

Townwide elections will be held Tuesday, May 4.

Greene said his priorities include economic challenges related to the pandemic; equity and inclusion, including fair and impartial policing; residential and commercial smart growth to increase economic and racial diversity, while increasing the town's tax base.

Before Greene was elected to the Select Board he was elected to Town Meeting in 2006 member for precinct 7, he served on the town's financial board, the Advisory Committee in 2013, and joined the Administration and Finance and the Public Safety subcommittees, before being elected to the Select Board.

Greene said he is proud of his work that pushed for the Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations Commission and the Diversity Office that set up the Citizens Police Complaint Policy.

"I have been instrumental in guiding the Town to significantly increase hiring and retention of African American and Hispanic employees in Town departments, including two department heads," he said. "I helped make possible the Town’s successes and leadership in providing affordable housing, taking environmental action, and accelerating economic development."

Greene has also been on the receiving end of criticism for his stance on the case of the former firefighter Gerald Alston who was fired several years after he reported racial harassment in his department. Greene was one of three current Board members who voted for the town to fire him in 2016 (At the time all five voted to do so). At the time he said his decision was based on the recommendation from the independent hearing officer. Greene also supported the town's continued appeals.

Greene said he will only take campaign money from people who live in town or have strong ties to the town, and is imploring other candidates to do the same. He's also limiting donations to $250 per person.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.