Brookline, MA

Position papers by Andy:

Brookline should take steps to protect mature trees on private property. Many majestic trees are cut down by developers who do not realize the value of trees in the appearance of Brookline, and the value of trees as shade, bird habitat, and in screening and privacy and cleaning the air. While Brookline invests constantly in protecting trees on public property, developers can and do clear cut trees in construction of buildings because they are accustomed to working on bare land. Clear-cutting is barbaric anywhere and is particularly so in our beautiful town. I support a Brookline Tree Ordinance that would require developers to identify the important trees on construction sites in connection with the Town planning and permitting process, and preserve these trees unless permitted otherwise by the Town. The protection of the historic beech tree at St. Aidan's, with oversight by the Town Tree Warden, is a model for what should happen with every construction site.

Also see:
The Brookline Greenspace Alliance, particularly the GreenViews Tree Bylaw

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As a result of the good efforts of active citizen input, the Comprehensive Plan offers an excellent blueprint not just for preserving existing greenspace but for increasing town greenspace. However, the Comprehensive Plan is like the Bible - no matter what you want, you can find it in the Comprehensive Plan. The problem is implementation.

I have spent twenty five years advocating for bicycle paths and greenways. This has included working for what I have long called "fixing the missing links" in the Emerald Necklace and advocating for the Carlton Street footbridge.

I was a founder of the Town Bicycle Committee. I served on the Beacon Street PAC as a bicycle representative, but also worked to preserve the Olmsted tree lines and boulevard design.

I am the only candidate for Selectman advocating a tree preservation by-law. A tree by-law will not only protect trees. It will also serve as an additional tool in controlling development and a means to preserving private greenspace. In addition, my support of transit oriented development and smart growth and desire to protect the quality of life and preserve the community character in our neighborhoods are consistent with green values.

I will be proactive about enhancing and adding to our greenspace through both subtle and broad measures, from making zoning changes and design review requirements that maintain "private" greenspace by requiring setbacks to direct acquisition of new greenspace, funding of the Conservation Trust and revisiting the CPA as a means of funding acquisition of greenspace.

I am excited about the opportunities posed to create green gateways to Brookline along Rte 9 and I would work to link 2 Brookline Place to the Riverway Park as a grand green gateway. I would go further still. Can creative design turn Rte 9 into a treelined Olmsted type Boulevard? Can we reconfigure Chestnut Hill into a "village" like Coolidge Corner or Brookline Village. Can we bury more of the deserts of asphalt parking lot and plant the ground level surfaces? Brookline real estate is too valuable to be wasted as auto storage.

In the end, I would not be content to mouth praise for the excellent program set forth in the Comprehensive Plan. I would insist that the program be implemented.

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As Selectman, I will work for Town policy to encourage walking and bicycling in lieu of using automobiles for every trip.
Noise and congestion in Brookline can be solved by greater use of these methods of transportation, as well as use of the MBTA. Cars can be left home for short trips. Bicycling and walking are good for health, including cleaner air.
I will work to make it easier for people to bicycle and walk by:

• Developing safe walks to school for children, making automobile drop off unnecessary.
• Eliminating pedestrian hazards, and, where appropriate, raising sidewalks at selected intersections, widening sidewalks, zebra striping, and, with the Senior Center, planning safe walking routes for Seniors.
• Encouraging centralized retail and other commercial development that do not need cars to access.
• Encouraging employers to provide safe bicycle parking.
• Lowering speed limits where necessary to make walking and bicycling safer and more pleasant.
• Creating a safe Route 9 crossing between the Riverway and Pond Avenue for bicyclists and walkers.
• Identifying and correcting obstacles to walking such as high manhole covers, embedded metal objects, dangerous bumps, slippery metal places, and crumbling paving.
• Encouraging good snow removal on sidewalks by homeowners.
• Identifying bike routes that would be signed with "Share the Road" and/or include bike lanes.
• Studying the possibility of bicycle use for official town travel, such as the police department does now.
• Collect information from Brookline residents about MBTA service and lobby the MBTA to improve its slow and often over-crowded trains.
• Encouraging strict enforcement of traffic laws, such as the prohibition of No Left Turns at Coolidge Corner, and prohibition of red light runners.
• Reinventing the Transportation Board, which is so single-minded about automobile transportation that it cannot develop a well rounded or green transportation policy.

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The great thing about affordable housing is that when it "works" no one knows it's there: it's invisible because it looks like everything around it.

The other great thing about affordable housing is that it makes our community more appealing and livable because it promotes economic diversity and social inclusivity.

Affordable housing has rightly been maligned when it looks ugly and congested. But when our own children and friends, our work colleagues, town employees and church/synagogue members are the would-be beneficiaries, we owe it to ourselves to take a close look at the opportunities it provides to support the goal of a vibrant, multi-generational community of children, adults, and elders.

As selectman, I will work with community and neighborhood organizations, advocates, synagogues and churches, and financing entities to strengthen Brookline's neighborhood vitality through grass-roots and non-governmental organization (NGO) affordable housing initiatives. I will support efforts to create the best designed, architecturally congruent apartments, private homes, and neighborhoods by capturing available funding to secure Brookline's attractive future.

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Reliance on oil and gas is a major problem not only in terms of cost, but also foreign policy. We in Brookline should participate in a campaign to reduce our use of fossil fuel.

As Selectman, I would actively work for:

1. Clean Car Technology All new Town-owned vehicles should be hybrid vehicles. These vehicles, which are available as SUVs as well as regular-sized cars, meet the California emissions standards, saving 20 to 50% of fuel costs and a far higher percentage of air pollutants. New taxicabs should also be required to be hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles run by batteries that are charged up by the engine when it is burning gas.

2. Green Buildings New Town of Brookline buildings and additions should have green design components to reduce fuel costs by relying on renewable energy. All new construction in Brookline should be encouraged during the planning and permitting process to incorporate green design components, such as:

• Solar panels can now be incorporated into roofs, and photovoltaic shingles may be used in place of regular roof shingles. These items, installed on south facing roofs, convert sun into electricity. In new construction, the additional costs are minimal and they contribute from ten percent to one hundred percent of heat and all of hot water.
• Well positioned windows maximize the amount of natural light entering the structure and minimize the need for artifical light.
• Geothermal heat pumps draw water from 1000 feet below the surface of the earth, where water maintains a temperature of 55 degrees. This system greatly reduces the cost of keeping the building warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
• Locally obtained materials, such as Roxbury puddingstone, require minimal transportation and support the local economy.
• Shade for the south side of buildings in the summer, for minimizing cooling costs.

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More coming...