Braintree Candidate Profile: Charles Kokoros For Mayor

BRAINTREE, MA — With Mayor Joseph Sullivan not seeking reelection, four candidates have emerged and will run to be Braintree's second ever mayor. In preparation for September's preliminary election, Braintree Patch asked the candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Town Councilor Charles Kokoros is among the candidates running for mayor. Preliminary elections narrowed the field to two candidates, leaving Kokoros and Electric Light Board chair Thomas Reynolds competing in the town election on Nov. 5.

Are you running for office in Braintree? Contact Jimmy Bentley at jimmy.bentley@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Braintree Patch.

Previously on Patch:

• Braintree Candidate Profile: Lisa Fiske Heger For Mayor
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Thomas Reynolds Jr. For Mayor
• Braintree Candidate Profile: Thomas Bowes For Mayor

The single most pressing issue facing Braintree is _______, and this is what do you intend to do about it?

The single most pressing issue facing Braintree is the proposed 40R high-density residential development and comprehensive rezone plan. Braintree’s small-town character and sense of community are what make our town such a great place to live. 40R high-density development would increase traffic congestion and place a bigger burden on our schools. I am the only elected official to stand up against the 40R proposal at the public hearing before the planning board. As your Mayor, I will continue my fight against 40R.

We also need a new master plan. The last master plan was done in the late 1990s and, like my opposition of 40R, I am the only candidate for mayor to advocate for and vote for it. In a recent Town Council meeting, I supported the creation of a new master plan by voting in favor of the resolution brought before the council by Councilor Powers.

Both issues are incredibly concerning to our citizens. As mayor, I will withdraw the comprehensive zoning proposal and continue my support in funding a new master plan.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

For twenty-six years I have dedicated myself to furthering the quality of our community through leadership and experience in our local government, coupled with twenty-eight years of owning and operating a small business in Braintree. This multidimensional experience means as a candidate I bring a wealth of knowledge in so many areas of our government, businesses and, most importantly, the issues important to the residents of our town.

The many boards, and committees I have served on provide me with the executive, legislative and leadership experience needed in our next Mayor. I have reviewed and approved budgets and contracts as well.

Additionally, I am the only candidate to have served on the Planning Board, Fair Housing Committee, as chairman of the Tri-Town Water Board, and Chairman of Water and Sewer Commission. The many years of leadership on those boards has given me great institutional knowledge required to understand the nuances of Braintree’s governing system.

My years as a member of the Board of Selectman gave me a wealth of executive experience. While serving as chairman for two years, I created and funded a capital improvement plan for schools and roads. My initiative provided $1.4 million a year for a school and road capital program. As my business is in Braintree, I am completely accessible to residents. As mayor, I will remain accessible to the people in our town to hear their concerns and ideas, be it in-person, formally through Town Hall or digitally via feedback channels we hope to establish for residents to use.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

As mayor, I will work to get the necessary repairs done to our high school. I will continue to seek financial assistance from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund these major capital improvements, while also working with our current budgetary resources but keeping all funding options available.

I will create a collaboration with our state colleges and universities to establish a pilot program for our students to earn two years of college credit towards their four-year degree. I will work with trade groups to create in-house apprenticeship programs. This pilot program would offer students an opportunity to get a jump start on their careers in the workforce while attending high school.

Additionally, as mayor, I will create a 55+ zoning overlay district to allow our long-time residents to stay in Braintree. It will also be a top priority to create more elderly affordable housing to support our senior citizens that have worked so hard to make Braintree the community it is today.
The compressor station is a dangerous and problematic project, and as your mayor, I will continue to work with other affected towns to try to prevent this health hazard from being built.
I plan to address and improve traffic flow in town to alleviate the congestion we have all felt the effects of in recent years. This initiative includes finding solutions to parking problems in town squares.

As mayor, I will continue the infrastructure and road improvements, a program I have pioneered from its inception.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My accomplishments and result-oriented leadership in the town government make me the strongest candidate to be the next mayor of Braintree. As the Town Council vice president and former Council president, I was able to work with the mayor and my fellow councilors on many pressing issues important to our town’s future.

As Council president, I worked closely with the mayor, giving me a better knowledge of the day-to-day operations and responsibilities of the Mayor’s Office. I have reviewed our town budget and made recommendations to the mayor on operational and capital needs.

As chairman of the Board of Selectmen, I created a school and road capital repair program. My program funded $1.4 million per year dedicated to schools and roads. As councilor, I voted to continue our roads program. We have funded repairing and replacing hundreds of roads in the past decade. I have also continued to support funding for major school renovations and repairs. I have participated in numerous resident and board meetings over the last two decades. I have been actively engaged in the many important issues in our town and fought to protect our neighborhoods from cut-through traffic. I have supported our town’s budget which has provided the highest level of services for our residents.

We have a fully funded operational budget, making our schools, public safety and public works departments operating at the strongest levels. I voted to support our seniors by doubling the tax credit for those in need of tax relief. I continue to support our veterans through the Citizen’s Soldier’s Relief Tax Abatement program. Along with the Mayor, I established the Braintree Partnership on Substance Use Disorders to combat the deadly opioid epidemic. We have made sure that Narcan is available to save lives and provided public training on how to use it. I helped create and chair the Special Committee on the Opioid Epidemic, which met for many hours, giving the public valuable knowledge and education on this deadly disease.

I have executive experience as Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Chairman of the Tri-town Water Board and Chairman of the Water and Sewer Commission. Serving in these roles, I had to negotiate and settle contracts with employees. I was responsible for hiring a D.P.W. Director, Finance Director, Town Accountant, Fire Chief, Deputy Police Chief, Lieutenants, Sergeants, and many police officers. We also reviewed budgets and were responsible for many of the town departments. We oversaw the D.P.W. and road pavement programs. I also have experience from my years on the Planning Board and Park Commission. I understand the need for a new master plan because I took part in creating the last one in the town. I will continue to repair and expand our athletic fields for our youth sports programs.

My many years of leadership, experience, and problem-solving in my many elected positions make me the best candidate to be the mayor of Braintree. Most importantly, I will work with you to stop 40R and make the best decisions for a better Braintree.

What's your favorite thing about Braintree?

There is so much I love about our town. My favorite things are the people and a great sense of community. Having grown up in this wonderful town, I have had the great pleasure of going through the school system, running my small business and serving in town government to meet so many wonderful people. In Braintree, we share the pride of being part of the greatest town. We all enjoy the rich history created by the past leaders of our town and the bright future our next generation continues to create. In my many years in town, I have seen the citizens of our town step up to support one another during the most difficult times. It is who we are here in Braintree. That spirit and sense of community are what unites us. We have so many beautiful landmarks in our town, but it is our people that give us our true strength and character.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

Simply put: Braintree is my home. I was educated here, started a family here and created a business here. I truly love our town. I have gained so much experience and knowledge from so many people I have met along the way who have taught me compromise and patience but also to stand firm on making the right decisions for Braintree. The past 26 years have shown me that difficult decisions must be made to ensure the future of our town. My greatest desire at the end of the day is to give all that I can to the town that has given me so much for my entire life. We are at a critical point in deciding the direction of our town’s future which I know, with my leadership and experience, I could help write the next chapter for our town. We must maintain our small-town character for the betterment of our community. The choice is ours. We will prevail, and when I am elected as your next mayor, our residents can rest assured my passion, professionalism, and dedication to Braintree will send us into a new decade of success.