Brookline Elections May 8: What To Know

BROOKLINE, MA — Another reminder that yes, today, Tuesday is voting day in Brookline. That's right: It's the annual town election. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Hot items on the ballot are two questions that will impact Brookline's property tax as well as a contested race for School Committee and Select Board Members. It's worth heading out to vote, so don't skip it.

>> Check this link for results later tonight. <<

Here's a look at what to expect on the ballot.

Property Tax questions:

Question 1: Shall the Town of Brookline be allowed to assess an additional $6,575,425 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes of funding the cost of expenditures in the Brookline Public Schools ($5,873,642) and in municipal departments ($701,783) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018?

And that's the gist of that first one.

Question 2: Shall the Town of Brookline be allowed to exempt from the provisions of proposition two and one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to renovate and expand Brookline High School, including the acquisition and reconstruction of the property located at 111 Cypress Street and renovation repairs to Brookline High School, the Eveyln Kirrane Aquatic Center, the Unified Arts Building, the 66 Tappen Street Gym, and Cypress Field?

Remember all that talk about the expansion and renovation to the Brookline High School? The expansion is expected to feature a 120,000-square-foot building at 111 Cypress St. and a 75,000-square-foot wing would be added to the existing high school. This expansion and the taking of the Cypress Street building has been met favorably by most in the town. But the money has to come from somewhere. Enter the tax hike to cover the better part of the $205.6 million renovation cost.

School Committee:

Six candidates are running for three seats on the School Committee. Incumbent Barbara Scotto is seeking reelection whereas Beth Jackson Stram and Ben Chang are stepping down.

Jennifer Monopoli, David Pearlman, Nathan Shpritz, Sara Stoutland, and James Swaim are vying for the open seats.

Select Board:

There are two seats up for grabs for the Select Board, incumbents Nancy Heller and Bernard Greene are up against Richard Nangle and Donelle S. O’Neal, Sr. for the three year term.

You might remember Nangle of South Brookline for his leaf blower warrant articles in the past as well as his opposition to having the ninth school be built at the old Baldwin School site. O'Neal ran last year for a seat on the Select Board. Check out the guide below for more information about both newcomers.

Town Meeting members:

Each precinct has the chance to vote for Town Meeting Members to represent them at the twice annual Town Meeting where the legislative branch of Brookline's government votes on Warrant Articles and Resolutions. The next Town Meeting will be May 22.

• Precinct 1: Uncontested
• Precinct 2: Uncontested
• Precinct 3: David Aronson, Dennis Doughty, Jane Gilman Donald Leka are running for reelection. Ben Doughty and Gary Jones are running, vying for the five open seats.
• Precinct 4: Uncontested.
• Precinct 5: Dennis DeWitt and Cynthia Drake are running against one another for a two year seat.
• Precinct 6: John Bassett, Arthur Conquest, Chris Dempsy, Virginia LaPlante, Daniel Saltzman and Cecilia Y are vying for five seats in a three year term. Meanwhile: Malcolm Doldron, Jeffrey David Rudolph and Anne Trecker are running for two seats that last for a one year term.
• Precinct 7: Susan Cohen, Susan Ellis, Susan Granoff and Jonathan Margolis, Christi Electris and Sara Jarell are running for five seats with a three year term.
• Precinct 8: Eight people are running for five seats with a three year term, including David-Marc Goldstein, Anita Johnson, Edward Loechler, Lisamarie Sears, Tracie Elliot Burns, Mitchell Heineman, Cynthia Lee, and Michael Toffel.
• Precinct 9: Uncontested
• Precinct 10: Uncontested
• Precinct 11: Six people are running for five open seats for a three year term including, Carrie Benedon, Shira Fischer, David Lescohier, David Pollack, Jacob Pourati and Jeffery Wachter.
• Precinct 12: Six people are running here for five open seats for a three year term including, Lee Cooke-Childs, Amy Hummel, Mark Lowenstein, Judy Myers, Harry Margolis and Jules Milner-Brage.
• Precinct 13: Uncontested
• Precinct 14: Uncontested
• Precinct 15: Eight people are running for five open seats for a three year term, including Eileen Berger, Beneicte Hallowell, Janice Kahn, Ira Krepchin, Ab Sadeghi-Nejad , Elisabeth Cunningham, Barbara Gutman, and Sandra Isaacs.
• Precinct 16: Uncontested

No contest but up for reelection:

No one is running against incumbents for seats for the Trustees of the Public Library and Housing Authority, town clerk or town moderator.

League of Women Voters Guide:

The Brookline League of Women Voters have put together an in depth handy guide to the election as they do for each election in town. It includes questions and answers from candidates. The league itself is non partisan with the goal of just getting the vote out. Check out their guide for this election:

Find your local polling place by visiting wheredoivotema.com or calling the town clerk’s office at 617-730-2010.

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch