Brookline Town Election: 18 People Have Declared Intention To Run

BROOKLINE, MA — If you're thinking about running for office in Brookline, you have until March 12 to take out and return nomination papers for the May 4 town election, according to the town clerk's office. So far, 18 people have declared an interest in running for townwide office.

There have been 83 people have taken out papers indicating they want to run to represent their precinct as a Brookline Town Meeting member. But no one has yet stepped up to run for the office of Town Clerk.

The last day to obtain nomination papers from the clerk's office for any open seat is March 12. The last day to return papers with the proper number of signatures from registered voters in March 16.

Candidates for Town Meeting need to secure signatures from 10 registered voters in their precinct to get on the ballot, for other elected town offices, candidates need to get 50 signatures from registered Brookline voters town-wide.

Positions up for election:

Town Meeting Moderator: Three-year term
Description of Office: The Moderator sets the order of the Agenda and presides over Town Meeting. The Moderator also appoints members of the Advisory Committee, the Committee on Town Organization and Structure and ad hoc committees authorized by Town Meeting.

Who has pulled papers:

• Sandy Gadsby*
• Michael Burstein
• C. Scott Ananian

Town Clerk: Three-year term
Description of Office: The Clerk is responsible for keeping a wide range of records such as deeds, voting lists, election records, vital statistics, mortgages, business ownerships and licenses. The Clerk is responsible for the legal conduct of elections, care for voting machines, preparation of
sample machine ballots, training of election workers, and reporting results to the Secretary of State. The Clerk records attendance proceedings and votes at Town Meeting. In 2021 there will be a ballot question for voters to approve or reject the change from elected to an appointed Town Clerk, approved at the Fall 2020 Town Meeting.

No one has yet pulled papers to indicate interest in this role.

The previous Town Clerk has been out ill for the past year.

Select Board: Two Select Board members will be elected for a three year term.

Description of Office: The Select Board is made up 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.

Who has pulled papers:

• Bernard Greene*
• Nancy Heller*
• Donnelle O'Neal Sr.

School Committee: Three school committee members will be elected for a three-year term and One school committee member for a one year term.
Description of Office: Nine Brookline residents are elected with authority to select and to terminate the superintendent; to review and approve budgets for public education; to seek funding to support its programs from available town, state and federal sources; and to
establish educational goals and policies for the public schools.

Who has pulled papers for three year term:

• Barbara Scotto*
• David Pearlman*
• Jennifer Monopoli

For one year term:

• Dimitry Anselme

Library Trustee: Four library trustees will be elected for a three-year term. One library trustee will be elected for a one-year term.

Description of Office: Brookline Library Trustees oversee services and programs provided at the three Brookline public libraries.

Who has pulled papers for the three-year term:

• Carol Axelrod*
• Carol Lohe*
• Regina Healy*
• Sassan Zelkha
• Kristin Hung

For the one-year term:

• Matthew Shakespeare

Housing Authority: One housing authority board member will be elected for a five-year term.
Description of Office: The Brookline Housing Authority owns and manages more than 1,500 units of affordable housing in town.

Who has pulled papers:

• Michael Jacobs

Constable: One constable will be elected for a one-year term.
Description of Office: Five registered voters are elected to serve as Town Constables. They deliver summons and complaints, executions, real estate attachments, and writs and trustee process; civil and criminal arrest warrants; summary process summons and complaints and evictions; subpoenas and writs from courts; restraining orders; small claims notices; and posting of Town meetings, warrants and other notices.

Who has pulled papers:

• Samuel Botsford

To see who has pulled papers in your precincts head to the Brookline Town Clerk's office online.

Important Information For Voters
You can check your voting status on the Secretary of State's website. You can also use the website to find your polling place. Make sure you register.