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Statement on BPA Letter
The Brookline Police Association has targeted Brookline leaders in a town-wide mailer with prominent handcuffs retaliating for a budget vote taken at the height of the pandemic in June 2020. Those targeted include members of the School Committee, Housing Advisory Board, the chair of the Library Board of Trustees, the chair of the Town's Green Caucus, the chair of the Zero Emissions Advisory Board, the former acting chair of the Commission for Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations, the Town Advisory Committee (finance committee), and others who have been effective advocates for equity, the schools, our libraries, climate, housing, and fiscal oversight in Town. In precincts 4, 5, 12, and 17 only one candidate appears, singled out in red and accused of contributing to "insecurity" on the letter sent to their entire neighborhood.
The vote in question was taken in the context of a town-wide budget crisis caused by the expected loss of Town revenues due to the COVID pandemic, coupled with pressing health, safety, and social needs. Drastic cuts were made to every town department, and those targeted were working from a "10% cut" budget prepared by the Chief of the Brookline Police Department himself in response to a request from the Town Administrator.
Needless to say, no other unionized Town Department has seen cause to target Town Meeting members for their budget vote in 2020, despite several Town Departments taking much sharper cuts. Given the participation of the Brookline Police Department in safeguarding the security of our election process, targeting individuals by name casts doubt on the department's ability to impartially safeguard canvassers on Election Day.
I hope that you will reward the courage of these targeted Town Meeting Members and specifically support them at the polls on Tuesday, May 3.
— C. Scott Ananian, TMM 10
