Brookline Town Meeting Night 4: Gerald Alston, MA Seal, Diversity

BROOKLINE, MA — Tonight is the last night of Town Meeting until November. At 7 p.m. some 240 elected town representatives filed into the high school auditorium with their packets of warrants and their handheld voting machines. Then they will took part in a three century's old Democratic tradition.

During the first three nights of Town Meeting, the legislators voted to continue spending money on renovation for the Driscoll School, to provide menstrual hygiene products in town bathrooms by 2021, and to bring in a racial equity consultant to look at Town Hall and make recommendations.

Night 4 had officials discussing whether the town should apologize to former firefighter Gerald Alston, who was fired after reporting a supervisor had left a racial epithet on his voicemail. A judge ordered the town to reinstate him, and the town is appealing that decision.

Another hot topic, but one that went much quicker, was a resolution asking the town to stand behind a state proposal to consider changing its seal and flag, calling it racist.

Since 1705, when Brookline was incorporated, the town has held Town Meeting, where elected representatives act as the legislative body of the town. They are tasked with approving the operating and capital appropriations, voting on any changes in local zoning and general by-laws, accepts or rejects state laws that are subject to local option, requests special state legislation for the town and passes on any major changes in town administrative structure and procedure.

An Annual Town Meeting is held each spring, in late May, and a Special Town Meeting is held each November. The Select Board has the power to call a Special Town Meetings at other times to deal with town business that may come up, and are required to do just that if 200 voters petition for it.

Town Meetings are held in the Brookline High School Auditorium and are open to the public, though they're also televised live by Brookline Interactive Group and can take a while. They generally begin at 7 p.m. and usually last until at least 10:30 p.m. It's common for the meetings to go for two or three evenings. But it's pretty rare to go to a fourth, as we have this go-round.

What's up for discussion Night 4:

Article 27/Gerald Alston: This article is related to the former firefighter Gerald Alston who reported that he received a voicemail that had a racial epithet from a supervisor, and after he reported it was eventually fired. In February a state Civil Service Commission declared that he was wrongly fired and should be reinstated. This article asks that the town issue an apology.

Vote: Passes. Brookline will issue an apology. Out of 24o Town Meeting members, 111 voted in favor, 66 voted against and 11 abstained.

Article 28/State seal: This article asks the town to support current State Legislation seeking to look into the state seal and possibly redesign it.

Vote: Passes

Article 29/Diversity in Town Meeting: This article seeks to increase diversity among elected representatives in Brookline's Town Meeting.

Vote: Passes with one opposed.

Article 30/ Pool: This article proposes Brookline explore the possibility of building an outdoor public pool.

Vote: Passes with one opposed.

Article 31: Housekeeping

Catch up on what happened the last three nights:

• How They Voted Night 1
• Brookline Makes History In The Bathroom At Town Meeting Night 2
• Brookline Bans Sale Of Flavored Tobacco
• Night 3: Dog Park Enforcement, Tobacco Ban, Pot Shops

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).