Letter To The Editor: Why I'm Running For Select Board

BROOKLINE, MA — Town Meeting Member John VanScoyoc outlines why he will be running for election to the Brookline Select Board this year in a letter to the editor:

This announcement is for my friends in Brookline, and it is personal.

I’ve made the decision to run for the Select Board in the 2020 election.

Bright and early on Jan. 21, I’ll be at Town Hall to take out nomination papers.

I've thought hard about this decision. It feels good to be sharing it with you.

Perhaps you think it’s a far reach for this behind-the-scenes TV journalist and over-eager Town Meeting veteran/Advisory Committee member to imagine serving on the Select Board. (You are not alone.)

Here’s why I’m taking the plunge.

These are challenging times.

In my experience, the Select Board is at its best when it includes diverse points of view. The board that is elected in 2020 will need at least one member who is not bound to either end of the political spectrum.

I want to be that independent voice: weighing ambitious and worthy agendas on climate change and housing opportunity, for example, while also questioning budgets and creatively pursuing new sources of revenue so that Brookline’s finances remain strong. In other words, I want to be the Select Board’s “balancing act.”

The days ahead will be a learning experience for both of us. Please message me if you have advice or offers of support. Thanks for reading this far. And, now, let’s get started!

-- John VanScoyoc, of Reservoir Road. Town Meeting Member Precinct 13, Advisory Committee