Eric Stone for Brookline

Brookline's housing shortage won't be solved with vague good intentions or by another 10 years of planning. This isn't about "building for building's sake", but for now, progress requires voting yes on specific projects, and creating real zoning pathways for responsible development in the right locations.

I support mixed-use, transit-oriented development in Coolidge Corner and along our commercial corridors, filling in the "missing teeth" of our streetscape with housing and ground-floor retail that make our neighborhoods more walkable, more vibrant, and more affordable.

The MBTA Communities Act was a start, but it didn't go far enough to spur meaningful building. I support efforts to increase the allowable number of floors by-right and remove other zoning barriers that make it nearly impossible to build the affordable, mixed-income housing Brookline needs. We need to create pathways for responsible development, not just check a compliance box.

This May, I will vote yes on the Chestnut Hill development, a project that brings 245+ new homes (including 21 deed-restricted affordable units), over $10 million for our Affordable Housing Trust, and $5 million in annual tax revenue that eases the burden on every homeowner in town.

I also support the proposed 26 Pleasant Street project, a seven-story residential building on a private Coolidge Corner parking lot. Nearly fifty years ago, a senior housing project was proposed on that same site and fell through. We can't afford another half-century of inaction. Homes where they make sense, not more gravel pits.

Explore my interactive guide to the 26 Pleasant Street project ↗

The override is to ensure that the town services and outstanding schools we cherish and depend on can continue to make Brookline the incredible place to live and raise a family that it is. Failing to pass it will cause devastating cuts to both the town and schools, including firefighter layoffs and potentially closing a firehouse, massive teacher cuts leading to 30+ kid class sizes, and no language education or orchestra program in the elementary and middle schools. Town Administrator Chas Carey and Superintendent Bella Wong have reviewed their respective budgets thoroughly, and made the override as lean as possible while preserving these essential services.

Brookline's revenue, like almost all other Massachusetts municipalities, grows slower than inflation and our costs. Prop 2½, a state law capping existing property tax revenue growth to 2.5% each year, has not been updated to reflect a world where healthcare and other essential costs rise at double-digit rates year after year and state aid stays flat.

I'm campaigning for Yes for Brookline because without the override, we lose more teachers, more programs, and more of what makes Brookline's schools worth fighting for. The best long-term solutions include growing our commercial and residential tax bases so the burden doesn't always fall on homeowners, pushing for responsible reform of Prop 2½, and advocating for new revenue sources like a real estate transfer tax.

As Deputy Chair of the Shared Mobility Advisory Committee and a member of the Bridle Path Design Review Committee, I'm working to make Brookline a place where walking, biking, and taking transit are safe and convenient options for everyone.

I'm actively pushing to bring traffic calming measures to Coolidge Corner and surrounding streets. I want to see more Bluebikes stations and protected bike lanes connecting our neighborhoods, senior-friendly sidewalks and crossings with better lighting, and infrastructure that makes it easy and safe to get around without a car.

And as we build more housing and welcome more development, I will continue to fight to protect our incredible tree canopy. Density and green space aren't at odds. Done right, we can have both, and we must.

I've voted for warrant articles calling out anti-democratic behavior at the federal level. If re-elected, I will vote yes on the coming session's warrant articles that would prohibit local cooperation with ICE activities in Brookline.

Brookline should be a place where every resident feels safe, regardless of immigration status. Our local government should not be doing the federal government's enforcement work, especially under an administration that has shown open hostility toward immigrant communities.

In a moment of federal aggression against the communities and values we cherish, local action matters more than ever. Inaction is unacceptable.

Town Meeting is where the decisions happen. 255 elected members vote on Brookline's budget, zoning, and bylaws.

This May, Town Meeting will vote on a tax override, the Chestnut Hill commercial development, protections for immigrant neighbors, and more. These votes directly affect your property taxes, your kids' schools, and whether Brookline stays a place regular people can afford to live.

It matters who fills those 255 seats. I show up, I do the homework, I vote with conviction, and I'm accountable to the voters of Precinct 8.

That's exactly why new development matters so much. The override buys us time, but the real structural fix is broadening our tax base through both commercial and residential growth.

Here's the bind we're in: Prop 2½ caps the revenue Brookline can raise from property tax growth to 2.5% a year, and the state has refused to allow our Town Meeting-approved real estate transfer tax to become law, just as it has blocked similar efforts by other municipalities. We can't wait around for Beacon Hill to fix this. We need to grow revenue from the source we can actually control: new development.

Both commercial and residential projects generate new tax revenue for the town. Commercial development is especially impactful because Brookline's split tax rate means commercial properties are taxed at $17.16 per $1,000 of assessed value, compared to $10.24 for residential. But new housing matters too: every new unit adds to the tax base and contributes to the "new growth" that Prop 2½ allows on top of the 2.5% cap.

The Chestnut Hill project alone would generate roughly $5 million in new annual tax revenue. That's the difference between funding essential services and cutting them.

Yes. A public pool is a basic municipal amenity that Brookline lacks. It would serve families, seniors, kids learning to swim, and residents of all ages and incomes. It's the kind of community infrastructure that makes a town worth living in.

And the numbers work. Newton's 2024 pool renovation cost $9.3 million. Belmont's aquatic complex was $5.3 million (roughly $7 million in 2025 dollars). No tax increase is required. Capital costs can be funded through the Capital Improvement Plan over two years, and other Massachusetts municipalities have also used Community Preservation Act funds. Brookline can too.

Operating costs can be self-sustaining: memberships, day passes, swim lessons, team fees, facility rentals, community events, and a snack bar can cover the ongoing costs.

This one comes up frequently, and it's a real quality-of-life issue. Nobody wants rats in their neighborhood.

I voted yes on Warrant Article 18 in May 2023 to increase fines for solid waste violations, bringing the penalty schedule up from a flat $100 to a tiered $100/$200/$300 structure for repeat offenders. Proper trash containment, consistent enforcement, and holding property owners accountable are the tools that actually reduce rat populations.

I also voted yes on Warrant Article 18 in November 2024, a Home Rule Petition to restrict second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) in Brookline. These poisons kill raptors, owls, and coyotes. That's unacceptable on its own terms, and it also undermines rodent control by eliminating the natural predators that help keep populations in check.

In a budget crunch, I think we need to be strategic about where we invest limited resources. I'd rather see the town focus on proven, enforcement-based approaches than expensive new programs. The basics matter most here: clean streets, sealed containers, and consequences for violations.