Zoe Lynn for Select Board

We are endorsing Zoe Lynn for Select Board, and, in so doing, are joining many Brookliners who had the opportunity to work with her.

Our work with Zoe arose out of the very successful 2019 Select Board Sustainability & Climate Action Summit that Zoe designed and led. The Summit, attended by over 150 people, brought together the Select Board, Town departments, residents, business owners, employees, and students, and was the culmination of Zoe’s work listening to a wide range of stakeholders in her first months as the Town’s Sustainability Program Administrator.

Zoe developed and executed strategy to harness the unique combination of expertise, energy and commitment in Brookline to advance the Town’s zero climate emission goal. This consisted of creating a new “working team” model that leveraged staff and resident volunteers to create concrete outcomes.

Many of us worked with Zoe on the “sustainable transportation” team. Zoe brought together residents with a wide range of interests, from people-powered and micro transportation, to electric vehicles. Our work led to a warrant article on sustainable, equitable and healthy transportation that established goals and timelines for shifting away from single-occupancy gas-powered vehicles. It passed overwhelmingly at the fall 2019 Town Meeting.

Our work gave us an opportunity to see Zoe’s many talents—talents that are not usually combined in a single person. She has a deep technical understanding of sustainability issues. Zoe is able to skillfully manage large groups of stakeholders made up of people with diverse viewpoints, many strongly held. She reaches out to people who may disagree with her to find areas of common ground to enable meaningful progress. And Zoe can plan and execute strategy, as is reflected in the success of the climate-related warrant articles that she led from community conception through Town Meeting approvals.

In our work with Zoe, we experienced an approach to solving difficult issues that we had not seen before in Brookline. We believe Zoe’s leadership skills would serve the Town well, not only in addressing sustainability, but also in addressing other challenges, including economic development, affordable housing, racial justice, equity, and financial planning.

For meaningful change, join us and others and vote for Zoe Lynn in the Town election on May 4.

Sincerely,

Blake Cady, Walnut Place

David Kroop, Osborne Road

Anne Lusk, Hart Street

Jan Preheim, Walnut Street

Leonard Wholey, TMM, Prec. 11, Lancaster Terrace