Brookline Select Board Candidate 2021 Profile: Nancy Heller

BROOKLINE, MA— Nancy Heller, 75, who has been on the Select Board since 2015, is running to keep her seat on the Brookline Select Board in the May town election.

Heller is one of five candidates vying for two open seats on the board. Town Meeting Member Donelle O'Neal and Miriam Aschkenasy, Select Board Chair Bernard Greene and Zoe Lynn are also running.

Heller has three adult children and six grandchildren, but she's the only one in the family who works in politics and government. Heller began her work in town politics in 1988, when she first became a Town Meeting Member. She held that role in Precinct 8, until 2015. Along the way she was a school committee member from 1989 to 2001, and sat on the Advisory Committee, the Town's financial board, between 2008 and 2015, when she was elected to the Select Board.

Heller is a trained social worker, and worked for 14 years as an attorney and another 10 years as a medical practice administrator. She has her bachelors from Barnard, her MSW from New York University of Social Work, and her law degree from Northeastern Law School.

Patch reached out to all the candidates and presented the same list of questions for each, here's how Heller responded:

Why are you seeking elective office?

I want to continue the important work that I have been a part of since I joined the Select Board in 2015. See my attached biography.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

It is very difficult to choose only one issue, since there are so many issues that are pressing and that need attention and work. I would say that climate and transitioning our society to a fossil fuel free one is the most pressing in that it affects everyone, and will affect disadvantaged people, including seniors, racial and ethnic minorities, and those who are poor, to a greater degree.

I have been working, and will continue to do so on climate advocacy as Co-Chair of the Select Board's Climate Action Committee. As a result of Climate Action Committee work, the Town now has a Climate Action Plan and a Vulnerability Assessment which is helping us prepare for the damaging climate events that we could experience in the coming years.

Specifically, I have been very involved in designing and implementing Brookline Green, which encourages every household to sign up for renewable energy in electricity use. I have also led the effort by the Select Board to impose conditions on National Grid which force the company to repair the gas leaks in the Town. Gas leaks are especially toxic to our health, to the health of our trees and to the health of the environment. I will continue to focus on these initiatives.

I am a member of Gas Leaks Allies, a group with regional representation, which is working on the issues and strategies of eliminating gas leaks and figuring out how to transition Brookline and its neighboring municipalities to become fossil fuel free.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My experience and many roles in local governance are critical differences between me and the 3 challengers. I also focus on many areas and issues of concern and have never been a one-issue candidate.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Candidate is an incumbent and left this blank

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

The data about the number of cases and number of deaths in Brookline is much lower than the data from surrounding communities. The data signals that Brookline has done a very good job keeping the rates of infection and deaths down, an important metric for any community. One of the principal reasons is that Brookline implemented a very robust contact tracing program, led by Dr. Jett and staffed with the help of the public school nurses. Another reason is Brookline's mask mandate, even though the Commonwealth had not done so. These are significant reasons why our numbers are more favorable than other municipalities.

We have also had a COVID Task Force, led by Fire Chief John Sullivan with several department heads as members, and this method of planning and communication has served us well.

I have been disappointed that the Commonwealth has been unwilling to allow Brookline to set up a large vaccination site; when vaccines first became available, we requested 10,000 doses and were turned down. We have only received 100 doses some weeks, which we have used for first responders/EMT's etc.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I have advocated for many issues as a 6 year member of the Select Board.

1. I spoke about my passion for climate advocacy.
2. As a former member of the School Committee for 12 years, I have been able to speak to situations with the schools based on my knowledge and my passion that all children have a first rate education. I am leading the BHS Expansion Advisory Committee, which is guiding the construction of a school and a community resource, with improved accessibility for not only the school/athletic buildings but also Cypress Field/Playground and the MBTA station.
3. I have focused on seniors as liaison to the Council on Aging, Co-Chair of Age Friendly Cities Committee, and see a tremendous need for an expansion of the Senior Center, and want to be a part of that effort.
4. I have led a committee to present zoning plans for a major economic project (using the former Newbury College site) and hope to do more of that.
5. I have chaired the Tree Protection Study Committee; our bylaw proposal to protect certain trees for storm-water management has passed Town Meeting. We expect to produce other proposals in the next few years, not only because trees are beautiful and greatly add to our enjoyment of our surroundings, but also because trees and landscaping play important roles in combatting climate change.
6. I have advocated for more diversity in our workforce, and training for our employees, focused on issues of diversity. The goal is to eradicate bigotry in all its forms.
7. I have been an advocate for neighborhood integrity and planning in licensing and in the various projects that come before us for approval.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My 6 year record on the Select Board, as well as many years in Town Meeting and on the School Committee are evidence that I can handle this job. See bio attached.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

When I was about 10 or 11 years old, I asked my mother about the concept of tikkun olam, which literally means "repair of the world."

My mother responded that to her, it meant that you were advocating and working to leave this planet and its inhabitants in a better place than it was when you lived on it. My mother followed that philosophy and dedicated her professional and civic life to the goal of tikkun olam.

She was my inspiration and I hope that the work that I do will make a difference for our children and grandchildren, as well as improving the situations of those of us who are here now.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I have been a productive member of the Select Board, leading committees on school capital projects, on climate advocacy, tree protection, senior issues, economic development, racial justice and equity and ask for voters to return me to the Select Board for another three year term.

Campaign website
www.heller4selectboard.com