Brookline Town Meeting Moderator To Step Down After 27 Years

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline's Town Meeting Moderator Sandy Gadsby, the man who has presided over the town's legislative body for nearly three decades, is stepping down, he told Town Meeting members Friday.

"I have made this decision with some ambivalence," Gadbsy said in an email to Town Meeting members. "Being your moderator has consumed a significant part of my life during the past 27 years and it has had its rewards, although I confess that the rewards have diminished as the tribulations of the office have increased in the past few years."

Gadsby has said during the previous year - amid some calls for him to resign - that he would not seek reelection if someone he deemed "competent" to perform the duties of moderator decided to run.

So far, three Town Meeting members have indicated they plan to run for his seat, which is up for election this May; Michael Burstein, Scott Ananian and Kate Poverman. If all three secure the signatures required to run, and run it would be the first time in recent memory there has been a contested race for moderator. Gadsby has run unopposed since at least 2000.

In his announcement Friday, Gadsby endorsed Poverman.

"In my view Kate has the necessary qualifications, wisdom and temperament for the role, which are reasons why I selected her as one of my potential deputies," Gadsby said in his email to Town Meeting members. "Accordingly, my tenure as moderator will conclude on May 4."

Gadsby said later that he was only aware of Poverman officially announcing her intent to run, and was indicating that because a qualified person announced their run he would step aside. He said his mention of her was not meant as an endorsement.

Gadsby said he would carry out the duties of the office, particularly in preparing for the Annual Town Meeting set to begin May 19.

But, with the election set for May 4, Gadsby will not moderate that meeting for the first time in 27 years.

"When my successor is elected, I will of course do whatever is necessary to effect as smooth a transition as possible," he said. "I will leave the podium with good will for all, including my harshest critics, and the hope that Town Meeting will survive its current turmoil with renewed health."

In recent years, some Town Meeting members have criticized Gadsby for cutting off women, but not men who go over their allotted time to speak. During the fall meeting, his muting of one Town Meeting member Deborah Brown's microphone, but not others, prompted an outcry on social media among Town Meeting Members and spurred the hashtag #IStandWithDeborahBrown.

Gadsby said such accusations are wrong.

"One of the least enjoyable parts of the moderator's job is trying to keep all speakers within these limits, and I defy anyone to prove that I am not impartial in doing this," he said in an email to Patch. He said Brown used an improper point of order to "jump the queue" of those waiting to speak, then refused to be silent when asked.

"My muting her was certainly brusque, for which I apologized to her, but I was absolutely within my rights to have done what I did," he said.

Town Meeting member Tommy Vitolo, who is also a state rep for Brookline, noted that the job of moderator is a complex one. The moderator works about 40 hours a week during two to three months leading up to the twice-annual meeting, and about 10-20 hours a week the rest of the time for a term of three years, he said.

"It’s an incredible amount of work, and on top of that, things happen in real time, anything that happens he needs to be ready for," Vitolo said. "It’s relatively high stress, he’s expected to be firm yet flexible on every decision. It’s an impossible task. He’s set the bar really high, he’s not without fault, but to his credit in nearly every case he really quickly recognizes where he’s been at fault and apologizes for it."

Although Gadsby will likely attend the virtual town meeting that he is helping to prep for, Vitolo said it was unfortunate that it would be virtual.

"There’s a real Norman Rockwell charm to in-person Town Meeting," Vitolo said. "It’s too bad he won’t be there in person for the round of applause he deserves."

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.