Our affiliate group, Brookline For Everyone, brought people power to the polls last Monday during the May elections, resulting in historic turnout! More than 34% of registered voters cast a ballot, making it the highest turnout ever recorded in a local election in Brookline, according to Brookline.News.
In an official statement by Brookline For Everyone, voters showed up “for progress, for change, and for investing in our community.”
In townwide elections, Brookline overwhelmingly voted for change on the Select Board by electing Brookline For Everyone co-founder Amanda Zimmerman and pro-housing candidate Anthony Buono, creating a pro-housing majority. Brookline For Everyone board member Jonathan Klein was also elected to serve on the Brookline Housing Authority. Lastly, a ballot question that sought to retain town and school fiscal budget services through a property tax override passed with a 20-point margin (8,675 votes to 5,732). This marks a new era for Brookline.
Not only did Brookline voters want change townwide, but they also brought that same energy to local Town Meeting races. Brookline For Everyone endorsed 67 Town Meeting candidates, including 34 incumbents and 33 challengers. Overall, 95.5% of their endorsed candidates for Town Meeting were victorious on Tuesday. All 34 endorsed incumbents won re-election to their seats, and 30 of 33 non-incumbent candidates won their races, adding 30 new (and returning) pro-housing voices to Town Meeting. This includes our very own Rani Balakrishna for Brookline’s Precinct 7.
Brookline For Everyone exemplifies how the power of advocacy and grassroots organizing can lead to meaningful change. Congratulations to our affiliate group, Brookline For Everyone, on these historic victories!
Further north in Marblehead, an unexpected viral moment came out of the controversial MBTA Communities Town Meeting vote. A 35-year-old Marblehead resident named David Modica has made national news after a recent social media post from Abundant Housing Massachusetts’ Board President Jonathan Berk. More than 4 million people have viewed Modica’s sarcastic remarks on the town meetings’ paper compliance to the multifamily zoning law. He asks plainly, “Like are we kind of being pricks?” This has spurred a national conversation around zoning reform, and the YIMBY movement. To read more about this, visit our relevant reads section in our newsletter.
