Brookline Candidate Endorsed By Ocasio-Cortez Wins

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline's Raul Fernandez was elected to the Select Board Tuesday after a high-profile endorsement from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Fernandez, an associate dean at Boston University and a Brookline Town Meeting member, handily defeated Richard Nangle and Isaac Silberberg in the town election.

Fernandez grew up in the Bronx and met Ocasio-Cortez at Boston University when she was a student. The two became friends and he helped support her congressional campaign, which the New York Democrat won in an upset. Her endorsement of Fernandez last weekend was her first such act in office. Fernandez was also supported by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley on the campaign trail.

"I've been saying all along if we were to prevail it would be a total community effort," Fernandez told Patch at the Hops N Scotch bar as he celebrated his victory. "This was about people coming together who were inspired by a message of positive, forward-thinking and a bringing people together in a common cause."

Fernandez earned 4,668 votes, while Nangle received 3,325 and Silberberg 1,199.

Fernandez ran on a campaign of bringing new voices to the Select Board. He's an outspoken critic of what he describes as a lack of representation in local government and how that impacts the town's decision-making. He has said as a Select Board member he aims to "double down" on transparency and civic engagement and efforts to encourage diversity when it comes to those running for office.

He has proposed crafting a net-zero action plan, starting with public buildings and expanding to all new construction to have Brookline become a carbon-neutral community by 2035.

He has called the Yes for Brookline override campaign a means to relieve overcrowding and the expansion of Driscoll School and building the new Baldwin School critical to that end.

Voters did not agree. That ballot measure failed, according to early tallies, by some 900 votes.

"I've been saying that whatever happens, we have to express the will of the voters," he said after the vote. "We've gotta figure out a different path forward now. The work begins tomorrow."

He's a proponent of incubating small businesses to help them get through their first year in town. Despite the flash of having two political superstars in his corner, he said the goal was to focus on Brookline and what Brookline needs.

Fernandez, who has lived in Brookline since 2012, is an associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion at Boston University. He is also a lecturer in educational leadership and policy studies. He's been a Brookline Town Meeting Member since 2017. He also sits on the Commonwealth's Racial Imbalance Advisory Council.

Fernandez was the first to graduate from college in his family and holds degrees in communication and nonprofit management from Boston University, Barry University and Northeastern University, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Boston University’s School of Education.

Related:

• Election Day In Brookline 2019: Results, Voter Turnout
• Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Endorses Brookline Select Board Candidate
• Brookline Voters Just Said No To New Taxes For School Expansions

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).