Optimism and excitement voting for Scott Ananian for Moderator

This letter is posted on behalf of Cher Duffield, Town Meeting Member, Precinct 6:

As Brookline moves forward to address many social justice issues locally that mirror national tensions and debate, our legislative body, Town Meeting, will play a substantial role in the direction we choose.

And that is why, on May 4, I will vote for Scott Ananian for Town Moderator, the role that not only manages and leads the process of Town Meeting, but also makes appointments to influential Town policy committees, including the Advisory Committee.

I am deeply invested in the Brookline community, as my husband and I have four children who have benefited greatly from the Public Schools of Brookline.

My involvement in our community has included: serving as the PTO co-chair at the Pierce School, volunteering with children’s scouting groups, teaching yoga at Healthworks in Coolidge Corner, teaching girls empowerment through Girls on the Run, and serving as a member of Town Meeting. I have also worked on two override campaigns in support of the Public Schools of Brookline.

Scott Ananian is a kind and brilliant computer scientist who has dedicated his career to the support of fair, constructive, neutral, fact-based and collaborative public discourse.
Scott has worked for eight years at the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that supports the online, collaborative, news, informational, and educational platform, Wikipedia.

A recent article in The Atlantic wrote:

“In 2002, the Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig helped create the Creative Commons license, allowing programmers to make their inventions available to anyone online.

“Wikipedia—which for all the mockery once directed its way has emerged as a widely used and mostly unbiased source of information—still operates under one.

“Wikipedia is a glimpse of the internet that might have been: a not-for-profit, collaborative space where disparate people follow a common set of norms as to what constitutes evidence and truth, helped along by public-spirited moderators.”

True to the values and mission of Wikipedia, Scott values more participation, more voices and more transparency in Brookline’s decision-making. He has the highest integrity, is always respectful of other voices, and listens with genuine interest and concern to everyone.

All of the above is why I feel so much optimism and excitement in the opportunity to vote for Scott for Moderator on May 4.

I ask you to join me in doing so, to move Brookline forward in a collaborative and inclusive manner.

Cher Duffield
Gardner Road
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 6