On Brookline

The Globe’s City Weekly section takes a run at political analysis in today’s issue. And let’s just say they’d better stick to re-purposing press releases from Brookline Town Hall.

Beyond not knowing the proper spelling of the saint (Aidan) whose name graces a demolition project wreaking havoc in North Brookline, the Globe thinks that the civic organizations which endorse candidates each May are something more than shells for political insiders.

To wit, comes this passage in City Weekly’s poli sci term paper:

The self-defined “centrists” at the Brookline Civic Association and the more conservative Coalition Against Unfair Taxation both have given their imprimatur to incumbent chairwoman Daly and challenger Benka. The coalition cited the candidates’ financial experience and “fiscal discipline.”

Robert Sperber, a spokesman for the Civic Association, said his board based its endorsement on experience and character.

Nancy Daly? Fiscal Discipline? Character? Holy cow, I must have been watching an entirely different political body in action over the past three years.

Nancy Daly has let the Brookline DPW run amok, and when she was told that the FBI was investigating the department she called it “overblown”. When DPW employees were pocketing the proceeds from the sale of town property she told the the town treasurer she didn’t want him wasting his time looking into the matter.

And remember, this same tax fairness group (CAUT) endorsed Selectman Bobby Allen in his race two years back, presumably due to his fiscal discipline. And what they’d get? A panel constituted of Allen and Daly, a panel responsible for a “services”(i.e., consultants) budget line increase of $3.2 million (which, if avoided, makes an override unnecessary).

As for the Civic Association, I have been covering town government for six years and I honestly can’t tell you what they do. And only a useless organization would appoint former schools superintendent Robert Sperber as their “spokesperson”.

I don’t know Dick Benka well enough to judge his experience and character. But I have watched Nancy Daly in action. And while she may be a lovely person who is devoted to this town, she is also a political figure of significantly low character.

The real laugher in the Globe piece comes when Daly says that she regrets how the Arthur Conquest matter was handled.

Folks, I sat through all the proceedings involving Conquest and the selectmen (not more than 30 feet from Daly). She was not a person torn while she presided over those meetings - she was given her instruction by the two gentlemen to her left and she carried them out dutifully, with a maddening smirk of contempt.

That tells you all you need to know about a person’s character. And those who vouch for it.