Brookline Elections: Who's Running For Selectmen May 2?

So who is running for the Board of Selectmen in Brookline? The Board of Selectmen is composed of five members who are elected for three-year terms. On May 2, two of those seats are up for grabs and three folks are running to get a seat at the Board of Selectman table and have a major say in all things Brookline. Incumbent Ben Franco, Town Meeting Member Donnelle S. O'Neal Sr. and Town Meeting Member Heather Hamilton are the three names you can expect to see on the ballot.

All three of them are expected to make an appearance this evening at the Senior Center's Candidate Forum. But who are they? Here's a quick round up based off what the Patch could find online:

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Who's Ben Franco?

Franco was first elected to the Board of Selectmen in 2014 and now his three-year term is expiring so he's running for re-election.

Franco has chaired a number of committees while on the board, including a committee that looked into how to adjust leaf blower regulations in town. During much of 2016, Ben chaired the River Road Study Committee, which proposed new land use rules helping facilitate revitalization to improve the streetscape and the Emerald Necklace and increase tax revenue, with limited incremental cost for Town services, according to his website.

Prior to his election to the Board, Franco served as a member of Brookline's financial board, the Advisory Committee and as a Town Meeting Member. Franco has both public and private sector experience in budgeting, finance, management, and oversight, according to his website. He worked as an aide to the Mayor of Salem, followed by two years at Sun Life Financial where his team developed and implemented a new customer service platform and revised customer response procedures. Ben worked in the Massachusetts State Senate as a budget director and legislative aide. He currently works at Harvard University.

He holds an undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University and a Master’s Degree from the London School of Economics. But he grew up on Amory Street in North Brookline and now lives on Cypress Street. He graduated from Brookline’s Lawrence School and Brookline High School. (Go here to read a Patch Q&A with Ben)

(Courtesy Ben Franco's election website)

Who is Heather Hamilton?

Hamilton is currently a Town Meeting Member in Precinct 3, but is actively running for a seat at the Board of Selectmen table.

Hamilton works for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation where she has overseen fleet operations, Title VI programs and worked on the implementation of the All Electronic Tolling project. Prior to MassDOT, Hamilton has worked for various public agencies including the United States Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Amtrak.

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She has a Masters in Public Policy from George Mason University in Transportation Policy, Operations, & Logistics as well as a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. She's a member of the Harvard Club of Boston’s Pension and Retirement Committee, a board member for the Pro Bono Public Pensions, Inc, and sits on the board of the Coolidge Corner South Side Neighborhood Association, according to her website.

A Longwood Avenue resident, she has served as the president of the Town Meeting Members Association and co-chair of the Town Meeting Green Caucus. In 2015, Hamilton served as deputy field manager for the “Yes for Brookline Campaign,” to support and pass a $7.67 million debt override and exclusion. She also volunteered for the No on 2, campaign to advocate against lifting the cap on charter schools in the state. (Go here for to see a Patch Q&A with her)

(Photo courtesy Heather Hamilton's election website)

Who is Donnelle S. O'Neal?

The Village Way resident graduated from both the Pierce School and Brookline High School.

He worked for the Department of Public Works Highway and Sanitation Division, according to a letter he wrote to the Brookline TAB. While working for the DPW, he was a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 4 for a two terms. In that capacity he helped increase funds for snow removal, updating the tractors that clear snow from the sidewalks. He was also a petitioner for the removal of the decrepit Footbridge that spanned Route 9.

He currently works for Cerebral Palsy of Mass and for Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Cambridge on the pulmonary unit.

He said he's passionate about affordable housing, and the next generation (he's a father of a sixth grader at Pierce and a toddler).

(Go here to see a Patch Q&A with Donnelle here)

(Photo unavailable).

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