On Brookline

A classic e-mail from former Selectman’s Chairman Robert Allen landed in my lap this evening [click here to read].
Allen might have mentioned how grateful he is that the Zoning Board of Appeals agreed to let a Court decide whether his corporate client’s development on Spooner Road ought to be torn down.
And, um, Bob…no one’s saying [...]

I just took a look at the compromise language Brookline Town Meeting crafted on the proposal to impose higher excise taxes on SUVs.
Oh, suffering Jaysis. Brookline Town Meeting is going to put together a committee to draft statewide legislation designed to create “fair and effective tax dis-incentives” on the purchase of SUVs. I’ll bet [...]

Remember that June 5th hearing into what happened at the ZBA/Brookline Police after-party a week ago today? You know, the hearing that Town Meeting Moderator Sandy Gadsby implied would be held when he said:
“…I have spoken to the Chair of the BOS and he has assured me that issues relating to the ZBA hearing [...]

Today’s TAB coverage on the Brawl at Town Hall includes this from columnist (and Town Meeting Member) Regina Frawley:
“However understandable the universal frustration at Thursday’s ZBA meeting was, few adults involved demonstrated grown-up behavior. There’s enough blame to go around. Selectmen, chief of police and even the Town Meeting Members Association should discuss civilized board [...]

Ah, remember when.  Back in August of 2002, a “Project Review Team” looked into the feasibility of the St. Aidan’s housing project/money pit. And the Team’s Finance Subcommittee reported to the Selectmen that:
“The overall level of funding requested by the (developer), estimated at roughly $2.5 million, is appropriate for the level of affordable units [...]

When the going gets tough, the tough build employee lounges. As forecast, last night Brookline Town meeting approved $16 million in new funding to renovate Brookline Town Hall. The plans call for several new employee lounges to make things a little more comfortable for managers and staff.
Anyone who thinks this project is going [...]

Gee, for a board made up of “zoning experts” Brookline’s Zoning Board of Appeals sure does make a mess of things. The recent flap over a building on Somerset Road is only the recent entry in the Board’s distinguished service to developers. And why not? Many of the ZBA’s members spend their [...]

Leave it to the Brookline Selectmen to appoint to its Zoning Board of Appeals a lawyer who makes his living attending to the needs of real estate developers. Lawrence Kaplan (the ZBA member who needed two Brookline police officers to walk him to his car because a five foot grandmother challenged him to an [...]

In a previous post, I mention that Town Meeting Moderator Sandy Gadsby is cautioning members from getting too hopped up with the Police Chief and Selectmen over Thursday’s ZBA hearing fracas, because criminal charges are being contemplated. Here’s what Arthur Conquest tells me happened in the lobby of Town Hall:
“The sergeant initially told me [...]

In keeping with his tradition of making life comfortable for those who deserve it the least, Brookline Town Meeting Moderator Sandy Gadsby advises town meeting members to show restraint in discussing the Brawl at Town Hall and the role of town employees played in roughing up a few citizens who were exercising their right to [...]