MassVoter.com← BrooklineMunicipal votes · 2024–2025 Board
Brookline Select Board
How the Brookline Select Board voted, from the Select Board’s official minutes. 5 Select Board members elected townwide. David Pearlman joined the board after the May 2024 town election; Miriam Aschkenasy left. On May 14, 2024 the board chose Bernard Greene as Chair and John VanScoyoc as Vice Chair (each 5-0). Covers 35 meetings, May 14 to April 29, 2025.
A monthly email on what it voted on, starting in November.
What does the Select Board do? It is the town’s executive board. It prepares the Town Meeting warrant (the list of articles voters decide), appoints members of many town boards, hires the town’s top staff, signs warrants to pay town bills, and grants licenses and permits.
Town Meeting, not the Select Board, votes the town budget and town bylaws.
Sources: Massachusetts Select Board Handbook (MMA) · Mass. Division of Local Services: the town budgetYour Brookline ballot: 13 quizzes, about a minute each.
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Coming up
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Under the state Open Meeting Law, boards post notice at least 48 hours ahead, not counting weekends and legal holidays.
Members
ChairBernard GreeneChair · Elected townwide · at 35 of 35 meetingsVice-ChairJohn VanScoyocVice Chair · Elected townwide · at 34 of 35 meetings
David PearlmanMember · Elected townwide · at 35 of 35 meetingsMichael SandmanMember · Elected townwide · at 35 of 35 meetingsPaul WarrenMember · Elected townwide · at 35 of 35 meetings"At X of Y meetings" counts the members the minutes list as present at the start of each meeting in this record. Members who step out are listed on each meeting page.
Meetings
About missing minutes
Loaded: Select Board minutes from January 2, 2018 through September 15, 2026, from the town’s CivicClerk meetings portal, which holds Select Board minutes back to 2005 (MassVoter has loaded 2018 on). The minutes are typed files with a text layer. Not here: meetings with an agenda but no minutes online, including December 18, 2018; several May and June 2019 sessions; January, March and September 2020 special sessions; July 26 and 28, 2021; January 23, March 19, April 2, 9, 16 and 17, May 21 and 29, June 11 and December 10, 2024 (for January 23, May 21 and December 10, 2024 the portal holds a copy of another meeting’s minutes instead); November 14 and December 23, 2025; and meetings after September 15, 2026. The Select Board Licensing Hearing Panel (one board member and town staff, whose recommendations go to the full board) is not included. Brookline’s minutes record almost every vote as a roll call naming each member (“Aye: … Against: … Abstained: …”), so we show each member’s vote as recorded. Members listed as absent for a vote are left out of it. Where a roll call names a member the minutes do not show as present, lists a member twice, names someone who is not a board member, or does not match the count written in the minutes, we show the count only (or the result only when no count is written) and add a note. A few votes have no roll call or count written down; we show those as passed or failed with no count. The minutes rarely say who made or seconded a motion, so no mover is shown. Votes taken by other boards at joint meetings (School Committee, Advisory Committee, Library Trustees) are not included. We will ask the town to confirm any noted vote.
Votes where members disagreed
Most board votes are unanimous. These are the ones where at least one member voted no or abstained, newest first.
Apr 29Approve contract PW/25-34 "Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Transportation Study"…Motion: Question of approving contract PW/25-34 "Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Transportation Study"…Passed 4–1 · No: VanScoyoc
April 29, 2025: Approve contract PW/25-34 "Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Transportation Study" with Kittelson and Associates in the amount of $132,469 for phases 1 and 2 of the study
Question of approving contract PW/25-34 "Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Transportation Study" with Kittelson and Associates in the amount of $132,469 for phases 1 and 2 of the study. John VanScoyoc read a statement: I wish to seek consensus on a modification of our procedures regarding consultant contracts. The immediate concern is the Kittelson contract under item 3j, but the broader concerns are these: 1. for all consultant contracts funded from operational budgets, I believe we should seek an assessment by the requesting department as to whether the consultant contract connects clearly to an operational need, and further that the operational need can be met only by an outside consultant.
Yes: Greene, Pearlman, Sandman, WarrenNo: VanScoyoc
From the minutes
“3j. Question of approving contract PW/25-34 "Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Transportation Study" with Kittelson and Associates in the amount of $132,469 for phases 1 and 2 of the study. John VanScoyoc read a statement: I wish to seek consensus on a modification of our procedures regarding consultant contracts. The immediate concern is the Kittelson contract under item 3j, but the broader concerns are these: 1. for all consultant contracts funded from operational budgets, I believe we should seek an assessment by the requesting department as to whether the consultant contract connects clearly to an operational need, and further that the operational need can be met only by an outside consultant..”
Apr 29No action on Article 20Motion: On motion it was, Voted No action on Article 20Passed 4–1 · No: Pearlman
April 29, 2025: No action on Article 20
On motion it was, Voted No action on Article 20
Yes: Greene, Sandman, VanScoyoc, WarrenNo: Pearlman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted No action on Article 20 Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, Paul Warren, John VanScoyoc Against: David Pearlman.”
Apr 29Refer articles 14 to the Select BoardMotion: On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 14 to the…Passed 4–1 · No: Pearlman
April 29, 2025: Refer articles 14 to the Select Board
On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 14 to the Select Board
Yes: Greene, Sandman, VanScoyoc, WarrenNo: Pearlman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 14 to the Select Board Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, Paul Warren, John VanScoyoc Against: David Pearlman.”
Apr 29Refer articles 15 to the Select BoardMotion: On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 15 to the…Passed 4–1 · No: Pearlman
April 29, 2025: Refer articles 15 to the Select Board
On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 15 to the Select Board
Yes: Greene, Sandman, VanScoyoc, WarrenNo: Pearlman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted to refer articles 15 to the Select Board Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, Paul Warren, John VanScoyoc Against: David Pearlman.”
Apr 29Favorable Action on ArticleMotion: On motion it was, Voted 3-1-1 Favorable Action on ArticlePassed 3–1 · No: VanScoyoc · Abstained: Sandman
April 29, 2025: Favorable Action on Article
On motion it was, Voted 3-1-1 Favorable Action on Article
Yes: Greene, Pearlman, WarrenNo: VanScoyocAbstained: Sandman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted 3-1-1 Favorable Action on Article Aye: Bernard Greene, Paul Warren, David Pearlman Against: John VanScoyoc Abstained: Michael Sandman.”
Apr 1No Action on the contractMotion: On motion it was, Voted No Action on the contractPassed 3–0 · Abstained: Greene, Sandman
April 1, 2025: No Action on the contract
On motion it was, Voted No Action on the contract
Yes: Pearlman, VanScoyoc, WarrenAbstained: Greene, Sandman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted No Action on the contract Aye: Paul Warren, John VanScoyoc, David Pearlman Abstained: Bernard Greene, Mike Sandman.”
Apr 1No Action on Article 16Motion: On motion it was, Voted 4-0-1 No Action on Article 16Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Warren
April 1, 2025: No Action on Article 16
On motion it was, Voted 4-0-1 No Action on Article 16
Yes: Greene, Pearlman, Sandman, VanScoyocAbstained: Warren
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted 4-0-1 No Action on Article 16 Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, , John VanScoyoc, David Pearlman Abstained: Paul Warren.”
Apr 1No Action on Article 21Motion: On motion it was, Voted 4-1 No Action on Article 21Passed 4–1 · No: Pearlman
April 1, 2025: No Action on Article 21
On motion it was, Voted 4-1 No Action on Article 21
Yes: Greene, Sandman, VanScoyoc, WarrenNo: Pearlman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted 4-1 No Action on Article 21 Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, Paul Warren, John VanScoyoc Against: David Pearlman.”
Mar 25Add Marion Freedman Gurspan to the proposed membership slateMotion: On motion it was, Voted to add Marion Freedman Gurspan to…Passed 4–0 · Abstained: Sandman
March 25, 2025: Add Marion Freedman Gurspan to the proposed membership slate
On motion it was, Voted to add Marion Freedman Gurspan to the proposed membership slate.
Yes: Greene, Pearlman, VanScoyoc, WarrenAbstained: Sandman
From the minutes
“On motion it was, Voted to add Marion Freedman Gurspan to the proposed membership slate. Aye: Bernard Greene, John VanScoyoc, Paul Warren, David Pearlman Abstained: Mike Sandman.”
Feb 11Approve the Washington Street Complete Streets Preferred Design Alternative,…Motion: VOTED, to approve the Washington Street Complete Streets Preferred Design Alternative,…Passed 4–1 · No: VanScoyoc
February 11, 2025: Approve the Washington Street Complete Streets Preferred Design Alternative, as voted by the Transportation Board at its February 5, 2025 meeting, and to advance that Design to the Massachusetts...
VOTED, to approve the Washington Street Complete Streets Preferred Design Alternative, as voted by the Transportation Board at its February 5, 2025 meeting, and to advance that Design to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation with a letter of support.
Yes: Greene, Pearlman, Sandman, WarrenNo: VanScoyoc
From the minutes
“VOTED, to approve the Washington Street Complete Streets Preferred Design Alternative, as voted by the Transportation Board at its February 5, 2025 meeting, and to advance that Design to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation with a letter of support. Aye: Bernard Greene, Michael Sandman, Paul Warren, David Pearlman Against: John VanScoyoc.”
From the Brookline Select Board’s official minutes, posted on the town’s CivicClerk meetings portal. We check every vote against the Select Board members present and quote the exact wording. MassVoter never grades or scores officials. Photos: Brookline.News (candidate profiles, 2024 and 2026) and the Michael Rubenstein for Brookline Select Board campaign website.
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