Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The town's partnership with a small Nicaraguan town, Quezalguaque, celebrates its 25th anniversary with the Selectmen and representatives from the town.
The town of Brookline has been working with the Nicaraguan town of Quezalguaque for a quarter of a century now. Mayor of Quezalguaque Hugo Ruiz, Health Center Director Sadya Hernandez, and Director of Education Jose Murillo are visiting Massachusetts to celebrate the partnership, but also met with the Town's department heads to share wisdom from both countries. Said Selectmen Chair Betsy DeWitt, "We know that we share many municipal responsibilities, such as public education, public safety, and public health. Our two communities have worked together on issues that we share: education, literacy, and access to healthcare." She added that teachers from Brookline have visited Quezalguaque, and have started exchanging ideas about how language…
Kilsyth Road resident Bill Davidson writes in to ask that non-binding resolutions stop clogging Town Meetings.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, May 16
Town Meeting, as I understand it, is a biannual legislative gathering of Brookline's government to decide on submitted warrant articles concerning town-related business. However, it has been the practice of some Brookline residents to present their personal opinions regarding non-Brookline-specific issues to Town Meeting in the form of nonbinding resolutions. This needs to end. How does Brookline benefit from these resolutions? How do these resolutions conduct the Town's business? How do these resolutions constitute a constructive use of time at Town Meeting? The evenings of Town Meeting are long. There can be a lot of articles to consider--30 of them this May. The meeting needs to stay focused to complete its work. Non-binding …
Board of Selectmen holding some liquor license decisions while they clear up how many licenses remain in town's quota. Taberna de Haro and KooKoo's Cafe also teased expansion plans.
Three Brookline businesses may be claiming the final few liquor licenses in town, if officials have the correct number of licenses in mind. At last night's Board of Selectmen's meeting, applications for liquor licenses by Taberna de Haro and KooKoo Cafe were put before public hearings. Neither was opposed by members of the community, but the Selectmen still had to conditionally approve one and hold the other. The Town has a maximum quota of licenses which it can assign, and the number of licenses is dwindling to the final few--which may already be spoken for. Officials believe there are enough licenses for both businesses, plus MJ Ready International Bistro, which applied earlier in the year. At the April 17 meeting, the Selectmen held …
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Some tips and tricks for any Letters to the Editor you would like us to consider before Town Meeting begins next week.
The 2012 Town Meeting Warrant has thirty articles in it. Yes, three-zero. Some of the decisions are bound to hit close to home for some of our readers, whether it's raising the age of cigarette sales, building contraflow bike lanes, or an item in the town budget. If you feel we need to bring more attention to one of them, then send a letter in to the Brookline Patch editor. Patch is always open to publishing Letters to the Editor, not just about Brookline Town Meeting or Elections coming up, but also things like the Food Trucks program or other town issues. We will not be running any letters on the week of Town Meeting, so the latest you can get them in is the end of business on Friday. After that, we will not have time to process and …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
105 "Smart" meters coming to Brookline as early as June, to begin a 90-day trial period to replace the multi-space meters.
The multi-space meters in a few parts of Brookline are likely to disappear in the next few weeks, to be replaced with more familiar meter heads. In February, officials teased that Brookline's parking meters were likely to change (again), which meant that parts of town will see single-space meters again. At the Brookline Selectmen's meeting Tuesday night, the Board approved a contract with IPS Group, a vendor supplying smart meters. The contract will bring 105 "smart" meters to the Coolidge Corner, Washington Square and JFK Crossing neighborhoods as early as June, which will mark the beginning of a 90-day trial period. These new meters will accept paper bills, coins, credit cards, and could in future take payments from cell phones. The …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Five states and the District of Columbia offer a full gamut of rights to gay people, according to The Guardian. President Obama says he supports same-sex marriages.
In the wake of North Carolina's May 8 decision to amend its Constitution to ban same sex unions, Britain's The Guardian created a model looking at gay rights in each state. Just a day after North Carolina's vote, President Barack Obama announced support for same-sex marriage in an interview with ABC. This comes a few days after Vice President Joe Biden made similar comments on NBC's "Meet the Press." The Guardian's piece is a snapshot of gay rights in the States. According to the graphic, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, along with Washington state, Iowa and the District of Columbia, have the most rights afforded to gays. Massachusetts allows: Massachusetts prohibits: Also, Massachusetts' hate crime laws include crimes committed …
Several Brookline police officers were commended, while a group of Student Officers were appointed at last night's Board of Selectmen's meeting.
Brookline's seven new student officers have a high bar set by the seven officers commended at last night's Board of Selectmen's meeting. Police Chief Daniel O'Leary noted that Brookline saw one of the lowest crime rates in the last 30 years. He ascribes that to the "numerous acts of excellent police work by our officers." O'Leary then named Detective Matthew McDonnell the 2011 Police Officer of the Year, as he was given a commendation bar with one star. Per the Police Department Awards Board, Liuetenant Andrew Lipson received a two-star commendation bar. Patrol Officer Peter Muise, Detective Carlos Crespo and Detective Kieth Lacy each earned a Commendation Medal. The Chief also recognized Patrol Officers Russel O'Neill and Andrew …
Brookline Town Meeting is coming up at the end of the year, and there is a slew of articles to be discussed.
Each year, the Town Meeting Members (TMMs) of Brookline gather to discuss a warrant composed of articles proposed by officials and residents around Brookline. This year, Town Meeting begins on May 22 and will run until Town Meeting Members vote on the 30 warrant articles. See the PDFs to the right, or check the Brookline Town Website to see the full warrant, explanations, and the combined report on the article. Some of these articles may have changed from their original versions as petitioned. Voting at town meeting may be on a different version of the article than presented. Article 1: Measurers of Wood and Bark Submitted by the Board of Selectmen This article has been voted favorably by a unanimous Board of Selectmen. The Advisory …
Monday, May 7, 2012
Library Trustee contender Puja Mehta writes in to congratulate Kristen Uekermann on the win, and to express her support for the Board of Trustees.
To the residents of Brookline: I am writing to thank you for your support during the race for Library Trustee, and to offer my congratulations to Kristen Uekermann on winning a hard-fought race. I joined the race for Library Trustee, my first ever campaign, because of my passion for an institution that's at the heart of our community life. Your emails, phone calls and your votes have warmed my heart, and have reenergized my commitment to the Town and the Library. I will continue my work for the library and support the Trustees efforts in any way that I can. I will work to ensure that library service on Sundays in the summer becomes a permanent program rather than a pilot. I will also continue my work on behalf of Steps for Success and for …
Friday, May 4, 2012
It’s been an interesting week in the U.S. Senate Race between Democrat Elizabeth Warren and incumbent Republican Scott Brown.
First it was revealed that Harvard University once touted Warren’s marginal Native American heritage as proof of their faculty’s diversity. That story was followed up with another revealing one that Warren had listed herself as a minority professor between 1986 and 1995 in the Association of American Law Schools desk book, a major reference for legal professors. On Tuesday it was revealed that Brown, who ran for office vowing to kill President Obama’s health care law (and who has since voted three times to repeal it) took advantage of a key provision in it: the provision that allows him to keep his elder daughter on his congressional health insurance plan. Meanwhile, both candidates downplayed their wealth this week as they revealed their …
Bill Davidson
1:35 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Please look at Article #29 from the 2012 Annual Town Meeting Warrant: http://www.brooklinema.gov/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=6170&tmpl=component&format=raw&Itemid=654 This is the kind of warrant article, while well-meaning, doesn't belong at Town Meeting. It has nothing to do with Brookline. It just wastes everyone's time. more ›