Friday, December 7, 2012
Preserving the Planet for Posterity
In one of his short stories, writer Spider Robinson, known for his Callahan’s Bar science-fiction stories, has a character make an observation about our connection to our family. “Everybody's got roots in the past,” Robinson's character notes, “but they's all got roots in the future, too.” I thought about Robinson’s observation last month during Brookline Town Meeting. I’ve been an elected member of Town Meeting for over a decade. Most of what we do is relatively straightforward. For example, we pass the budget every May, after the Selectmen, Advisory Committee, and town departments have spent months planning it out for us to consider. After all, when you get right down to it, governing is mostly about figuring out where you will get money…
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Shortly after the Brookline polystyrene food box warrant article ban breaks, Boston City Councilors propose similar ban.
Both Brookline and Boston will soon consider banning the use of polystyrene foam food boxes or coffee cups. One of the warrant articles to be considered before town meeting will ban foam food containers from Brookline--and Herald Columnist Margery Eagan talked with the petitioner about the proposed plastic foam ban. Nancy Heller, the petitioner for the Brookline ban, mentioned "styrofoam cups" at coffee shops, which "bothered her," and a move to ban it, she told Eagan she felt it was "the right thing to do." A representative from Dow Chemical clarified to Brookline Patch yesterday that Styrofoam brand foam is used in construction, crafting and floral projects, while the foam used in food containers is made using a different chemical …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
A warrant article on the docket for fall's Special Town Meeting will ban polystyrene food containers from use in town.
[Correction: Styrofoam is not used to make food containers, a representative from Dow Chemical confirmed earlier today. Styrofoam is used in construction, crafting and floral projects, but the foam used in food containers is made using a different chemical process. Sept 24] Some town residents are foaming at the mouth to be rid of foam food containers--or more accurately, they feel strongly enough to write a warrant article that would ban them. The warrant articles have not yet been approved by the Board of Selectmen, who will vote on the proposed warrant at an upcoming meeting. However, the polystelene ban and a move to limit plastic bags are both included in the version which the Board saw last night (Sept. 11). Margery Eagan talked …
Sunday, June 3, 2012
A week in review following the end of Town Meeting--a vote to leave Norfolk County and up the tobacco sales age, the closing of Bertucci's, and Memorial Day.
Monday, Memorial Day, featured a program of services remembering those who gave their lives for the country. Best Of Patch Readers' Choice Brookline 2012 is going on Summer Vacation. The final night of Brookline Town Meeting was Tuesday, and we began the day looking at decisions from the past session: Town Meeting Voted for Cost of Living Adjustment Inceases, and Apologized for Brookline's Slave-Owning Past. There was a Strong possibility of Thunderstorms. Brookline Police Log included an arrest for package thefts from a building, and Brookline Arrest Log had a "discussion" with a roommate and an axe. Brookline Votes to Leave Norfolk County, we reported Wednesday. High Schoolers and Town Meeting also voted to increase the smoking age and …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Two articles proposed by Brookline High School students pass almost unopposed at Annual Town Meeting.
Two of the articles discussed and voted on during last night’s Town Meeting were proposed by students at Brookline High School, who are part of the school’s Peer Leadership program. “It’s heartening to me as moderator to have high school students…participate in the civic process,” said Moderator Sandy Gadsby. Town Meeting voted almost unanimously to increase the age of tobacco sales to 19, and unanimously to impose clean air standards for construction programs. Article 12, submitted by Eric Dumas, proposed that the age of tobacco sales be raised to 19 years old. Belmont and Needham have already taken similar measures, and Watertown is considering doing the same. “When you drive by Brookline High School, what is the first thing you see?” …
Brookline Town Meeting votes on the 30 warrant articles brought forward, voting to increase the COLA base, remove Brookline from Norfolk County, and increase the tobacco sales age, among other things.
Town Meeting season is over, votes cast and decisions made. A number of subjects, ranging from slavery to summer at the library, came before Brookline's annual Town Meeting for discussion. For information on the 30 warrant articles, and what Town Meeting's vote on them means, scroll through the list. See the Full results document from the Brookline Town Meeting Downloads page to the right, as well as the 2012 Town Meeting Honor Roll, remembering Town Meeting Members who have passed. More coverage on last night's Town Meeting to come later today. Article 1: Measurers of Wood and Bark Submitted by the Board of Selectmen Article 2: Collective Bargaining Agreements and Salaries Submitted by the Human Resources board Article 3: Compensating …
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Town Meeting votes for an article expressing regret for its slave-owning past. Not everyone, however, think this article does the job.
Some parts of the Town of Brookline were, at one point, part of America's slave-owning past. It is the task of the Hidden Brookline Committee to bring that past to light. During Thursday night's session of Town Meeting, the first article discussed was Hidden Brookline's Article 27, a resolution to express regret for its part in the slave trade. The article was ultimately passed, but there was discussion about Brookline's racial past and present, and the future of education. "To everything there is a season. We can do something tonight that others were not able to do," said Dr. Barbara Brown, the chairman of Hidden Brookline, "We can face the painful past, and a painful part of that past." Slavery existed in Brookline for the first 25 …
Town Meeting votes to bring up the cost of living adjustment for retirees, despite some concerns about how to pay for it.
Of the 30 warrant articles for this year's Annual Town Meeting, only one prompted demonstrations. Town employees from a number of departments came out last Tuesday night with signs urging Town Meeting to vote for article 21. Article 21, which passed, increases the base on which the cost of living adjustment (COLA) is calculated for every retiree. For Selectman Benka, speaking for a divided Board of Selectmen, the concern is the "future operating needs of the town and schools." "We have to consider future pension funding, we can’t just kick the can down the road," Benka said. The Board had voted against it, three to two, because of the financial implications. The increase would amount to "a lousy $30 a month" (as one retiree who called …
Five things on JFK's birthday today: speeches from the Kennedys, a singer at EPOCH, and a writer with a hilariously unconventional love life.
1. According to the National Weather Service, it looks like rain. There is a 40 percent chance of heavy rain during the day, and then a 70 percent chance in the evening. There is also a chance of strong thunderstorms, which the NWS has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook about. High of 82ºF, low of 67ºF. 2. The speeches of John, Robert and Edward Kennedy are memorable, powerful and being examined at Coolidge Corner Theatre, when The Kennedy Brothers Speak at 10 a.m. this morning. RSVP ahead of time, by e-mailing RSVP@NorthHill.org. Coincidentally, today is also JFK's birthday, and the Theatre is a few blocks from his birthplace. 3. EPOCH Assisted Living at Boylston Place has The Singing Trooper coming by to perform. Dan Clark, the Singing…
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Trader Joe's chocolate chip change worries local kosher community, Elizabeth Warren stops by, Mitt Romney raises funds in Chestnut Hill, Town Meeting works through two-thirds of the Warrant Articles.
Monday, we checked out the new See Say app from the MBTA. The Norfolk District Attorney's office is putting in some cash for the After the Prom Party. We kicked off our Where Do You Go for the Best Live Events in Brookline poll, including some names like Brookline Booksmith, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Puppet Showplace Theatre. Brookline Police Log featured an armed shoplifting incident at TJ Maxx. To prep for Town Meeting, we showed you our Brookline Town Meeting 2012 Warrant Article Roundup Tuesday. We learned that a Brookline High Alum will take the helm of the Teen Center. There was a drug bust (allegedly) in the Brookline Arrest Log. We saw a few new photos from the Walk to End Hunger. It was also night one of Town Meeting. Wednesday, …
Janna Silverstein
9:25 am on Friday, December 7, 2012
Here in Seattle, we've banned the use of plastic bags altogether, and it's been a great change. The use of fabric totebags has gone up--everyone uses them now, and the reduction of waste is noticeable and beneficial. I commend you for endorsing this kind of action locally where you are, and hope the town takes it up as willingly and enthusiastically as Seattle has. It's a good thing. more ›