Nancy Daly: I Recommend Poverman, Greene, Heller, and Frias

The Town election is on May 4. There are some in Town that would like to radically change the way the Town does business. Unfortunately, some of the newly engaged aren’t familiar enough with the Town budget to understand that there is very little of it that is discretionary spending. Having served for 12 years on the Select Board myself, I can say that trying to stretch the Town budget to meet the needs requires some creativity and some resolve.

For Town Moderator, I recommend Kate Poverman. I believe Kate will have the steadiness and the legal acumen necessary to run Town Meeting fairly, efficiently, and impartially. As a Town Meeting Member, Kate has shown a willingness to learn the nuances of various issues. She had a distinguished legal career and now is willing to devote her time and energy to the Town's interests. Her opponent has been a vocal proponent on many issues in the past and may find it difficult to be impartial.

For Select Board, I am supporting the incumbents Bernard Greene and Nancy Heller. Both of them have the knowledge of the budget that we require now. Increasing costs and decreasing revenue related to COVID-19 have made the budget problems more acute. Bernard, who spent many years serving on Town committees prior to joining the Board, brings a diverse perspective coupled with competence and good humor. Nancy was a former chairperson of the School Committee. She currently oversees the Brookline High School expansion and the Selectmen's Climate Action Committee.

I recommend Valerie Frias for the contested one-year seat. Valerie is a civil rights attorney. Over the past several years, she has directed several non-profit groups serving the low income and disabled community. Not only has she been able to plan and implement comprehensive budgets for those groups, but she has put together public/private partnerships to leverage the dollars she has available.

Nancy Daly
Member of the Select Board 2005-2017
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 12