one. >> Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair of the Brookline Select Board, and this is the regular meeting of the select board for December 2nd, 2025. First order of business, I'm going to move that the select board go into executive session. For the purposes
stated in items two and three of the agenda, that is to say, for approving executive session minutes and discussing strategy related to real property. The real property matter must be discussed in executive session because an open
meeting may have a detrimental effect on the negotiating position of the town and the chair so declares an executive session. therefore to be necessary. All in favor, please indicate by saying I. Let's see who's here. Paul Wine, >> I. >> David Pearlman, >> I.
>> Michael Rubenstein, >> I. >> And chair votes I uh the select board will reconvene in open session following our executive session. Thank you. Heat. Heat.
Thanks. >> Good evening. I'm Bernard Green, chair of the Brookline Select Board, and this is the regular meeting of the select board for December 2nd, 2025. Uh let's start off with uh any um
comments or updates from the select board. David, >> this past Saturday night, the Brooklyn Teen Center held comedy night. Uh, Michael Rubenstein and I were both there, as was Representative Vtolo. Uh, it's a fundraiser for the Brooklyn Teen Center. They conduct them at least three
times a year. There's also their annual gala and they have a casino night as well. Uh, multiple professional comedians performed. Uh, the content was a bit runchier than I expected, but people seemed to really enjoy it. And uh
there was quite a crowd that was assembled. I'm not sure if you wanted to add any more. >> The only thing that I would add is that uh my colleague here was called out for his dress which was exemplary. >> Okay. Anything else? >> Uh Paul.
>> Yeah. Uh just briefly um this is for my colleagues. I did um add a memo to uh the packet um describing um some learning experiences that we've had I think with respect to uh a flash
poll for gathering some feedback from the community on the expenditures and revenue study committee. I don't want to go into detail for that. Um I do think that it's something that is a learning experience for us on other types of pollings that we want to do on other uh
important activities that we want to get feedback from from the community on. And I'd hope that at a future date maybe it's a topic that we could discuss. um at a future meeting or one of our off sites because I do think it's a pretty important subject uh and a good learning opportunity.
>> Good. We always want to learn. Uh I have a you have anything? Okay. I have a announcement. First light is coming up on Thursday 12th of uh December, the 4th of December uh from 4 to 7 p.m. at
Koolage Corner. and there you can meet town officials as well as uh various members of our business community and uh have an interesting and fun time. So that's Thursday, December 4th from 7
from 4 to 7:00 p.m. at Coolage Corner. I just want to take the opportunity, this is since this is the time back for meetings from Thanksgiving to thank um the police department um and the senior center or the council on aging um the culinary program at the high school and
all the volunteers there for the work they did um providing the um dinner on thanks the Thanksgiving dinner uh last week to the uh the community was just a really great opportunity. 115 people were served. Um really wonderful. Um and in addition, the health department um
was also uh in again in partnership with um community partners was able to hand out a number of Thanksgiving meals to folks who couldn't otherwise receive them. Um I believe again more than hundred were handed out um in addition to having this u this event. Um, and I
want to thank particularly um our non-governmental nonprofit partners in the community um who have really stepped up in particular with the um loss of the temporary loss of SNAP benefits and then the longer term reduction in eligibility for SNAP. Um the community has been
extremely responsive. We have really brought a whole of government approach to that. Um it's a it's a testament to the community's efforts, to our nonprofit partners, and to the volunteers in the community um that do all this work. So I want to be in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just want to
extend our thanks to all of them um for the hard work that they're doing making this community a better place. So thank you. Thank you. Um >> just just one quick following, Chaz. um it triggered um a thank you that I I I I think we would all agree on doing that. While we were enjoying our turkey and
whatever way we celebrated Thanksgiving, our first uh responders, public safety, police, and fire were on duty doing their work and I know there was a couple of calls. So, um we're grateful for their service uh to our community and um hopefully they had some turkey and other
treats delivered to uh to the firehouses and police station. Thank you. >> Great. Okay. Uh, let's next move on to public comment. Um, Charlie, do you want to make the presentation of the rules? >> Sure thing, Bernard. Thank you for
joining us for public comment. This is an opportunity for us to hear your perspective on the issues in Brookline that matter to you. Each person speaking tonight is limited to three minutes. You don't need to use the entire time, but you may if you like. Once 15 minutes has been met, there's an opportunity at the conclusion of the select board's
business for additional comments. Members of the public sometimes raise questions during public comment. We may be able to provide a quick answer to a question, but are more likely to work with staff to get a more thorough answer and respond over email. We will let you know when you have 30 seconds remaining and when your time is up. Please
conclude your remarks at that time. If you have more to say, you are welcome to send an email to board members expressing your thoughts in greater detail. Any person wishing to speak must begin their comment by identifying themselves with their full name, either their Brookline precinct number or street address, and the specific topic
on which they wish to speak. The board encourages, but does not require that remote users turn on their video when commenting. The first person signed up for public comment is Ann Lusk. Ann, I'm not seeing you online. If you're in the room, please approach the podium. Okay, thank you so much.
>> I'm here. >> All right, great. And your three minutes will begin when you're ready. Did all of you get the piece of paper? Did you I just want to make sure that you got that copy. I had it I had Kate send it to you electronically because there it
is. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I want to make three points and then get your feedback. Number one, there was a study done >> we don't give feedback. >> Oh, sorry. Okay. Ann Lusk, uh 18 Hart Street, Precinct 5. [snorts] >> There was a study done in 2020 for a
pool in Brooklyn. That's the topic. Uh there's going to be a new study done using town money uh from Senator Cream that was given to the town, from the Brooklyn revolving pool fund, the recreation fund, and also from the Brooklyn Community Foundation. Uh that
was the friends of the Brooklyn pool committee. So money is available and it would be good if that money was wisely used and we ended up with a pool study that was extremely useful because the last one that you have a link of did not
inform as well as it could. The three locations that we had requested, one was um the Lars Anderson, the other was Putum Golf Course and the other was Fiser Hill. Um after the study came out, I had asked Aaron about Putham Golf Course and she said absolutely not. I
asked about Lars Anderson. She said absolutely not. She said go to Fiser Hill. But now at Fiser Hill there are so many competing demands and now with the world as it is, we should not have lo luners losers and winners. We should figure out a way to put the pool somewhere. This morning I had a Zoom
session with uh Anna Lisa Onus Hayden. She's a faculty member at Northeastern. I asked her if we could have senior capstone students look at the 4.4 four acres behind the town dump and study that land because there's a huge reservoir back there with a three- foot
high, three foot diameter drain pipe. There's no water in it. It's only a few pieces of fragmitees down there. It did not function. So, they could look at that land. There's a one-way road to get there. The town would maybe have 4.4 acres that they could use either for a pool or for some other purposes. I would
also like the senior capstone students to look at Lars Anderson, the walled garden that used to be the rose garden that was also a vegetable garden because it has adjacent to it the caretaker's cottage. The caretaker's cottage could have the um the pool house in it, the
changing rooms in it. So you're not building a building on Lars Anderson, which was the objection raised about the skating rink. It was be a building upright. You also would not really see the swimmers. Uh the Mstead firm had designed a pool that would be to the
right of the uh auto museum and that would be clearly visible with all that green space. >> You have 30 seconds. >> I'm all done. All I need is feedback at some point from somebody um of how I take the RFP from Northeastern and shop
it around to all the right departments in Brookline. Thank you very much. >> Okay. >> Chaz will >> we'll we'll follow up. Yes. That concludes the list of folks who are signed up. >> Chaz, we'll follow. >> We'll follow up. Thank you.
>> That concludes the list of folks who are signed up for public comment. Um, folks online can use the hand raise feature to let us know if they'd like to speak or if you're in person, you could raise your hand and the chair will call on you. >> Seeing no one, uh, let's move on to our
miscellaneous calendar. Uh first we have uh u minutes from October 4 and o and November 18, 2025. Any corrections to those that have not already been made? >> I submitted ones. Okay. They've already been made.
>> Okay. Um so I [clears throat] move approval of the minutes for October 14 and November 18. All in favor, please indicate by saying I. Paul Warren. >> I. David Corman. >> Hi. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> I chair votes I. Next, I'd like to take
um items 6B through um 6I in omnibus omnibus [clears throat] fashion, unless someone would like to pull something out and and discuss it further. No. Okay. On I'm sorry, Chess. >> No, I just wanted to highlight that um
in included in here are two um earmarks um from the state legislature and that we're very grateful to our legislative delegation, including Repto, who is here tonight um for the opportunity. Um it's a great um it's just really important. It's an important aspect of how we are
able to do business in the community especially given tight local budgets and so getting a local earmark is great. Uh and I think the rep wanted to comment briefly on that if >> we always appreciate what he does for us and we have to give him an opportunity
to talk about it whenever he wants. >> Good evening. Uh I'm Tommy Vatollo. I am Brookline state representative, formerly the 15th Norfolk District, and I wanted to flag that one of the items in the agenda is a $100,000 earmark for blue
bikes and blue bike stations. That earmark came from fair share amendment revenue, not general revenue. So, you recall we raised taxes on people who earn more than $1 million in a single year. And we use that money for transportation and education. And
$100,000 of that money uh is going to be used to fund uh blue bike stations and blue bicycles and the necessary site work, the concrete work to make sure that they have a place to to live off of the streets in Brooklyn if of course you
agree to receive the money and go ahead and spend it within the next year. Um, I would remind you that these blue bike stations, um, they are not designed to have the biggest land area coverage as possible. They're designed to help as
many people as possible. Uh, it's a network effect. They're only useful if they are near other stations because people can check a bicycle out of one station and return it to another station, but they need to do it within 45 minutes or an hour or the price ramps up. We no longer charge people money for
returning their books late at the library, but we do charge them for returning their blue bicycles late because we want them in the system and in use. To that end, I would point out that people in North Brooklyn are far less likely to have a safe, secure, and
easy place to store their bicycle. They live in apartments. Um, not all apartments have a bicycle storage room. They often are locked in basement. Uh, those are common blue bike users. they just simply can't use their own bicycle in any reasonable way. Um, and they are
folks who are less likely to own a car, who are more likely to rely on the tea. And we know the T is really good at getting folks downtown. It's not especially good at getting folks to Cambridge or to JP sort of uh radially. There are buses. They come when they
come. They don't all come on Sundays. They don't all come very often. Sometimes they get jammed up in Brooklyn Village. Um, and so blue bikes are a remarkably effective alternative for some people to not drive and and and jam
up our roads. Um, it's a great resource and you should think of it as public transportation as a public transportation resource just like the tea. It's not free, but it is low cost. Uh, and there are discounts for low-income folks. Um, I would add that
as part of the blue bike stations, including the one right in front of town hall, there are ebikes, and there has been conversation amongst the town about ebikes. I want to tell you about the ebikes that blue bike uses. They are they are called class one ebikes. They are not like motorcycles. They are more
like pedaling when you were 20 years younger. There's a pedal assist and so it's a little easier to make it up the Beacon Street Hill to Coolage Corner, right? but it doesn't pedal for you. There's no throttle. It just makes it a little easier. And so this is um getting
into accessibility for folks uh with disabilities, for folks with recurring injuries, for older adults for whom um pedaling on their own power up Harvard Street Hill or up Beacon Street Hill is a little too much. Um and so these sorts of ebikes are wonderful additions to the
blue bike network. And uh they exist now. They are in our system now. the $100,000 is enough to purchase two blue bike stations, um do the site work, the concrete work, and include some ebikes
in that purchase. I was delighted that my colleagues supported the earmark, and I'm hopeful that you will accept it and put those blue bike stations in sensible locations that really maximize their use. And I'm happy to answer any questions now or anytime.
>> Okay. Thank you. Anyone object to accepting this earmark? They de Yes. Blue bikes are not the type of uh ebikes that we're concerned about in town with respect to safety issues so
long as the riders obey traffic rules. So, >> well, there's no guarantee that anybody, pedestrian, bicyclist, or motor vehicle operator will will will follow any of the rules, but we'll all hope that they do the best as they can. >> Okay. Any other questions for
Representative? Sorry, >> I actually do. So, the the 100,000 is for Brooklyn. What about uh in terms of statewide, how much money has been provided to this effort? >> So, this is an earmark explicitly for
Brooklyn for $100,000. >> Okay. >> Um some of my other colleagues secured earmarks for all sorts of other things that were priorities in their district and some didn't get an earmark at all. Okay. Thank you, Representative. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. I'd like to just confirm that with respect to item 6H, um I know this is true, but I just want to just underline it that we're talking about sending a letter that is in our packet as exhibit two, not exhibit one.
>> Correct. >> Okay. I won't sign exhibit. >> Um Okay. Uh any questions? Okay, let's vote. All in favor of items 6B through 6 I please indicate by saying I.
>> Um Paul Warren >> I. >> David Pearlman >> I. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> Hi. >> Chair votes I. >> Let's move into our main calendar boards and commissions interviews. Uh let's start off with the uh preservation commission. I see Jean Woo is uh
available to come up to the podium. [clears throat] >> Hi. >> Please introduce yourself and tell us uh a little bit about your background and why you'd like to be on the preservation commission. >> Okay. Um I'm Gene Wy. I live on Su
Avenue in precinct 3 and I've lived in Brooklyn since 1981. I I did some work with the preservation commission a few years ago. Um I'm an editor, not an architect, but I did some work with the preservation commission on the >> Could you speak into the microphone a
little? Just get closer to it. >> Okay. On on the uh Mstead Richardson local historic district. Um I'm interested because I think the preservation commission it's an important element of the town. Uh it provide it performs an important
balancing function between conserving the heritage on the one hand and recognizing the need for the use of historical buildings for contemporary needs on the other hand and some of those needs might be to expand the housing supply. I think the one of the
attractions of Brookline is certainly the historical look of the of the town and the heritage of the town and some of the commission's work of course is to preserve the appearance of structures in the local historic districts while at the same time acknowledging the needs of
owners for necessary updates and I think all of these are important activities to the town and I would like to contribute again to the work of the commission. Um, I'm familiar with the commission, having worked with them as an editor. I'm a PhD
historian by training and an editor by profession, having worked in college textbook publishing for nearly 50 years, mostly history and government texts, mostly for H Hotton Mifflin Company here in Boston. I'm not an architect like most of the members of the commission,
but I think I can contribute as a writer and editor on things like communication to the public, um, local historic district, uh, study reports and other issues and other study projects that the commission might might undertake. Thank
you for considering me for the commission. >> Thank you. >> Questions? No. >> Well, I will ask whether people have questions. Any questions on the select board? >> I do. >> Jean, thank you so much for for your
application. Um, I have the pleasure, it's it's usually a pleasure sometimes it's not of owning one of our historic homes that's in a preservation in a historic district. >> Which one? >> Uh, which you can look up my address. Uh, but I'm in Cottage Farm. >> Cottage Farm. Um and um
so I really appreciate and understand uh the value of these historic homes, but also the challenges of owning one. >> Yes. >> And also the challenges that you have as potentially as a commission member um in ensuring that we take we're good
stewards of these historic structures. Um, could you speak about you talked about your writing and and editing, but could you speak about some of the things that you think might need to change or your views on um changes that might have to happen with some of our regulations
around these? So, for example, I could think of windows. Uh, you know, typically we're requiring single pane, wooden windows. I I happen to have all those, but what what are some of your thoughts about the things that that would be helpful to owners, but also keep in keeping with
the historic character of these these? >> Yeah. Well, um the the commission writes uh new regulations every so often, and one of the main things they address are things like that, windows, and and it all has to do with the appearance, not
anything having to do with the inside of the of the house, but the appearance of the house. Um, and I think that at least in the time that I've been associated with the commission, um, they have changed some of their regulations, especially concerning windows. Was this
recently that you, um, asked about replacing windows or >> I'm not speaking specifically about my my situation, but um, assume I've had to do everything that you could ever want to do to a historic home. So, so I do understand it, but I wanted your views about things like uh you know making
these homes more energy efficient, >> solar panels. >> Well, I I can't I can't really comment on any particular place, but I do I do um look at the the minutes and the agendas of the preservation commission even though I'm not presently on it. And
my impression is that the commission is being somewhat more flexible about things like uh energy efficient changes and and windows in particular. Um >> okay. That that's my impression that
it's not quite as rigid as it was at one time, >> Michael. >> And that's and that's I think that's all to the good. Um, thank you very much for your application and I particularly actually appreciate the variety of experiences that you would bring to the
commission. Uh, you spoke a little bit about communication and writing. Um, and I'm wondering whether you have thoughts uh or ideas about how the preservation commission could communicate more broadly with the public um in terms of
its role uh and how the importance of preservation and the balancing of issues as you've discussed already. >> Yeah. Well, the whole thing is a balancing act. Um and but I agree with you. I um at least when I was working with the commission um it didn't seem
like there was much communication with the public and um one of the things that we worked on um was the Mstead Richardson local historic district and uh that got to it I mean it passed and
the the renovation the development is proceeding but one of the things that didn't get done was to create um a sign, a placard uh that would leads to people sort of near the the uh the waterhouse
on the on the reservoir that would they would set out uh um a track for people to be able to visit uh the the several historic houses. It's not just the Richardson house, but the John Charles Mstead house and um u one other one I
forget what it is, but that never quite got that project. We wrote uh the placard, but of course it was way too long for the for the space available. And so um one of the things we need to do now, and that would be a way of
reaching out to the public, one of the things we need to do is get back to designing that so that people have a walk um a little trail that's going to introduce them to Olmstead. and it it goes past the Mstead House of course and
then goes onto the Richardson House and the John Charles Mstead house. So that's the kind of thing that I think we need to do on the more of uh reaching out to the public. Thank you. >> So you mentioned that uh you're not an architect or whatever uh you're an
editor. Um am I correct in saying that there's no real requirement that um you members be particular skill set or have >> I believe that's correct. I'll double check. Well, I I I read through I read through the bylaws, of course, which were sent to me by the office here. And
the bylaws state that um I think at least two, maybe it's three of the members need to be uh um approved or nominated by the American Society of Architects. That's not quite the title of it, but it's something like that, right?
>> One of them needs to be an attorney, and that's Elizabeth Armstrong, who's already on the commission. Um, >> there are a number of of specialized positions, but you're the position that you're applying for that that seat is not designated for. >> Yeah, that's that was my impression. Yes. >> Okay, great. Any other I'm sorry, David.
>> I see in your application you're a member of your board of the Brooklyn Historical Society. >> That's right. >> Can you comment on how that experience would inform your role on preservation? Yes, because uh the the two
organizations are uh linked but but different. Um, I've been on the board of the historical society for several years now, but that's much more much more focused on um centered at the at the
devotion house and more centered on well for example uh the the archives project which you may know about um which is an application to use the community preservation act funds for creating an
archive of Brookline history. Uh our neighboring towns all have archives and we don't we have some stuff stored up in the seventh floor here and some stuff stored in a devotion house. So uh that
is sort of linked but not the same thing as the as a preservation commission. So I think one kind of uh informs the other, but they're not they don't have really the same the same goals because the preservation commission of course is
a town a town commission that um has these various responsibilities whereas the historical society and its membership. Um mostly what we do is provide uh events for members and for
the public and uh and keep the devotion house the the caretakers of the devotion house which of course are town employees. Um um respond to their needs for things having to do with devotion house. and uh
we do a newsletter and there might be uh an opportunity for more interaction between the historical society and the commission and that's one of the things I'd like to explore. >> Well, >> yep. Uh thank you David. Thanks for your
question. Uh but that's actually an excellent question and and and I just I wanted to plant a seed. should should now that I understand um the intersection here um every single one of our historic homes has a story. Um I
researched the story of my home. Uh I know who built it, why they built it. I know who lived in it. I know how long they lived in it. I know about their lives. >> Um and every single one of our historic homes has a similar story. And it would be wonderful to be able to connect the
stories from research on the his from the historical society with the architecture. um from from the preservation commission. Um that would be the intersection. >> Well, the the the website of the historical society is excellent and I don't know whether you've all looked at
it, but uh if you sort by street, you'll get the street and that'll be maybe the street where you live or the street you're interested in. Uh and the the photographic collection in the historical society website is also excellent. Y
>> but I I agree that there might be more of a connection there. >> Seems like it. >> I I have an I have a connection to Cottage Farm myself because the the Amos Lawrence House is important to me because I was an undergraduate at
Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. >> So >> named after Amos, huh? >> Yes. Amos Lawrence. Yeah. >> Something new I learned. Okay. Thank you. We will be uh selecting people for the preservation commission at a later
date and we'll go from there. >> Okay. So, somebody will get back to me about this. >> Yeah. >> Okay. Thanks very much for considering me. >> Okay. Next, uh we have u for the building commission Jason Bowers.
So, please introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about your background and why you would like to be on the building commission. We apologize for the uh microphone being so low. >> It's it's it's happening for 50 years. Good. [laughter] >> Um, thank you. Nice to meet you all. Uh,
I'm Jason Bowers. >> Please, please try to talk into it as much as possible so that our vast TV audience can >> Okay, you should you should be able to pick it up if you It should it should come up a little bit. >> I'll I'd rather squat. >> Okay. Um, thanks. I'm Jason Bowers. I live on White Place and interestingly
with the prior conversation, we um been living on White Place for 13 years in the oldest house in Brooklyn. We actually have a preservation deed restriction in our house from historic New England. Um, I'm an architect by training. I've worked at Anam Architects, which originally was called Ana Architects and I've been there for
about 20 years. Our focus is on transforming heritage and historic buildings. Uh the work I've been working on is primarily educational, civic, um and some religious buildings. Um I have worked with the city of Boston on a number of municipal projects, fire
stations, um studies for libraries, things like that. I'm very familiar with sort of state procurement and some of the complexities uh that towns and cities have to go through when they're building buildings. Um, I'd like to be able to offer that, uh, experience and
knowledge to to the town that I live in. Uh, I have a nine-year-old son that is at Pierce right now. Um, and we very much enjoy this town and, uh, all that brings to us every day. Um, so really, it's about me being able to sort of give back to the community in some way. So,
>> okay. Yes. >> Uh, thank you. Um, and did you say you own one of the the oldest home in Brooklyn? Uh yeah, it's a 20 white place. It was built in 1680. >> That is pretty old. >> Yeah, it was it was it was moved in 1860. So it was modified, but all the
original framing superructure is all chamered by Suffach, England craftsmen that came to Suffach, Mass. So >> you have fun with that house. I bet >> it's cool. >> Um so have you been able to attend uh commission meetings and
>> No, no, I haven't. I I did meet with Karen and I think Janet Fireman uh beforehand and so to get a sense of the lay of the land for the the role that one plays on this and the general sort of structure of the the people on the board. So
>> Okay. Okay. >> Michael. Um so thank you for your application. Um I'm interested in your perspective um as an architect and the variety of things and types of buildings that you've worked on whether you see
any uh possible intersections between the responsibilities or the work of the building commission with other public bodies um within the town. Um I'm partially asking this because that's an issue that the select board is also may
look at in the future. So I'm wondering whether you have any thoughts on that >> in terms of how the the commission relates you in terms of with with the library and their their planning or the fire department and their planning >> or or other other commissions that deal
with town planning or uh preservation or other things related to our built infrastructure. >> Um I guess I would say I don't have a strong opinion on that at this moment. >> Okay. Thank you. So yeah, no I mean I I
think typically when we with the work that I've done with towns as an architect um we are involved in communications with different agencies um and every town does it slightly different from my experience. So I think
having more thoughtful people engaged in building for a town is a good thing. Um particularly if you have folks that have background in in that area. So >> thank you. Yeah. >> Uh looking at the list that you provided to us of various projects that you've
led or played a prominent role in developing, I noticed that most of them appear to be academic buildings. >> Then also public safety of course, the fire station, uh some religious institutions. >> Uh also on your list is an arboritum in
Bristol, Rhode Island. Yeah. So was that more about landscape architectures designing um open space also in your Bailey wick? >> Um as architects we frequently have large project teams and Bllythewald is
an arboritum and it is an estate in Rhode Island. So like u many um projects you we have a team that includes landscape and we enjoy working on those projects. Um, and I think many architects have strong opinions about
landscape and we, you know, we try to keep our mouths quiet a little bit sometimes, but um, they are folks that we frequently work with. Um, and so um, in that example there, it was how uh, a series of multiple different buildings
um, are framed by the landscape and sort of contribute to the landscape. Um and that's typical for for many projects particularly at a planning level um where there are multiple buildings on a site and at Bllythewald it's a significant um arburetum um we've also
done and I've done work at Fort Adams in Rhode Island and and other projects of that scale. So >> right and it's uh [clears throat] very impressive the scale of structures you've worked on. Have you also though do you also have experience with individual houses? >> Uh yeah. Yeah, I pulled a permit for our
house when we renovated. Um, no, prior to um working at ABA Anom, I did some residential work and the scale of our practice. Um, it's interesting. We
there's firms that sort of do healthcare or firms that do schools. What we specialize in is um, you know, existing buildings. And so I've never worked on the same building program twice basically. I mean some of it's academic
but like a law school or a fire station or a museum or a historic fort. So um it requires us to be pretty nimble. Um but with that comes a a wide range of scales. So we do work on smaller structures. I've done sort of existing
conditions reports on um like like visitor centers that are the size of this room. Um or you know even you know for some of the sort of parks those kinds of places we we did work at the Emerald Necklace. I didn't work on that specifically but a wide range of
different uh building scales. >> So it sounds like you do a lot of adaptive reuse if you're >> Absolutely. Yeah. and and New Construction too, but the firm was founded in preservation as part of the preservation movement in the in the mid70s. So, uh we familiar with both. Frankly, new construction's um pretty
boring once you start having to work with an existing building. There's a lot of surprises and stories in them. That's makes it more challenging and interesting. >> Thank you. So, um, based on your experience here in Brooklyn, both, uh, >> pulling permits for your old house and,
um, talking to, uh, Janet Fairman and, um, Cara Ruden, >> u, what, what would you bring? What would be your contribution to the building commission based on your unique unique background? >> Well, I I mean, I think there's a a couple things. I mean, I think one is
just this sort of how projects might get bid out, how what a knowledge of the contracting environment. That's one thing. I like to think that Anam Architect, where I've worked architects for 20 years, uh we engage in a really high level of design
and we're very proud of the design work we do. Um, and we've tried to bring that level of work to municipal areas like the city of Boston, like the fire station we work on. I hope it's it's one it's um some sense of of an understanding of what a high level of
design is and being be able to sort of help bring that to the town and I think the town has done a great job with some of the schools and things like that. Um but I think again also it's about having an understanding of when these projects are under construction. You know what is
the typical uh path for um uh you know working with the with the contractor and things like that because it's it's not easy in Massachusetts u publicly bid projects um and my sense is that if one was a architect you know you have there needs to be an architect on it and they
had primarily done residential work that's different from working on municipal projects. It's a different um it's it's I'd say it's a different skill set. You deal with different materials, different scale of contractors and things like that. So, so that I hope to bring some of that knowledge of that
sort of larger scale of construction to the town. >> Okay. Thank you. And uh we will make uh be making decisions on appointments to the building commission at a later meeting and we'll let you know. >> Thank you. >> Have a good evening. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. Hey, next uh we have um um Oh god, let's see. Oh, Philip Styman. >> Philip is online. I've just promoted him. Philip. >> Oh, great. >> Looks like you're all set.
>> Hey, Mr. Stigman. Uh please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background and why you would like to be on the diversity commission. >> Yeah, [clears throat] great to uh great to see everybody. Um thank you members of the select board. I really appreciate
the chance to talk to you again. Um, yeah. So, a little about why I'm interested in this. Um, my work and life have both been centered around helping kids, families, and communities feel connected and supported. I've spent more than a decade in state government, and now I work nationally with communities
around the country, helping them align education, health, and youth programs so that families experience dignity and belonging wherever they go. And that's been the through line for me, making systems work for real people. I'm also a Brooklyn parent of a seven-year-old. And like a lot of parents here, I really
want every family to feel like they belong and can access what they need. And that's actually what led me to co-etition article 21. Um the whole idea was simple. Bring our systems together so every child and caregiver feels a sense of connection, safety, and respect
no matter what door they walk through. And it meant uh a lot to see it pass I think unanimously um through the select board advisory committee and town meeting as a resolution and that was the uh the resolution for thriving uh Brooklyn thriving children and youth and
that told me that the town's ready for this but honestly the need isn't just here. I'm working on a national project that's called connected for kids and we're seeing the same things everywhere. Kids are growing up with less real world interaction and a lot more time on
screens. Jonathan Haye captures this well in the anxious generation. When the real world isn't offering kids enough belonging, they go looking for it online. So the question for all of us is how do we build communities strong enough to pull kids back in communities where they feel known, supported, and part of something bigger. I think
Brooklyn can absolutely do that. And that's why this commission feels like the right place to contribute. Brooklyn has a history here. where we had the Human Relations Youth Resources Commission and today the DEI Commission has oversight of programs serving youth. Article 21 is really the next step in
that ongoing work, making sure that we're coordinated, thoughtful, and proactive about belonging and equity across the places where kids and families grow up. What I bring is experience helping different groups work from the same playbook, educators, youth programs, public health, community
organizations. I'm used to bridging perspectives, creating shared language, and turning values like inclusion and safety into everyday practices that people can feel. And I try to communicate in a way that's clear and accessible. I'm always thinking about how to make people feel heard and included. So, that's really why I'm
here. I'd love to help Brooklyn build the kind of connected community that kids need right now, one that's strong enough and welcoming enough to compete with the pull of the screen. It would mean a lot to me to be part of this work. Um, thanks again for taking the time to talk to me.
Okay, any questions? Paul? >> Yep. Uh, Philip, first thanks for your for all of your work on behalf of uh the children and those who support children in Brookline. Um, as you know, I have two young kids myself. Um, and I, you know, you really spoke to me about uh
helping children today get connected to the real world versus uh the screens and and digital communities that they're all seem to be drawn to. Um, you know, I I I I'm curious about some specifics about how you might accomplish that. Frank, first of all, I think it'd be fantastic
to have your perspective on on on the commission. Uh, a youth focused uh perspective would be really helpful, but could you uh put provide a couple of specifics about how you might help? I have a second grader. Um, I just got him involved in scouts, uh, which is new and
and he's loving it, but you know, it's a totally foreign thing, uh, today to have, uh, to have, you know, clubs and groups like that. We're not doing enough of that. Could you speak a little bit about h how you might help second grade as a, for as an example, get connected, uh, in Brooklyn.
>> Yeah, I mean, I think I think a lot of it is understanding of sort of the the the the best practice. Um, and that's actually the work that I'm trying to do nationally. We have this idea about a toolkit. So, what could a scout leader best understand about how to keep kids connected and how to make them feel like
they belong. Um, and there are, you know, there are absolutely concrete strategies. Um, we talk about, um, you know, sort of designing experiences around kids personal interests. We talk about, you know, asking them, hey, how's, you know, how's grandma? How's
basketball practice? Um, so you know, I think within each of these sort of uh communities of practice, whether it's youth sports here in Brooklyn or whether it's the scouting community or the faith community um or or schools or afterchool
programs, there are there are sort of evidence-based practices that really promote this. Um, and so I think the work of of the commission within that oversight capacity or at least the technical assistance capacity that they have in working with youth programs can
offer guidance and technical assistance if not oversight. They can they can certainly apply best practices. And one of the things that we wanted to do through article 21 was sort of a framework you know and and and say what are these indicators that kids are on
the right track spending you know more time with humans than with with screens showing signs of connectedness and not disconnectedness. Um and I think that's work that we could you know sort of start thinking about again. Um, I I know we haven't done a lot with article 21
since the uh resolution was was passed in the spring. Um, and I'd love to use this as a springboard for thinking about what we hold dear as a town and we know about sort of test scores as the only real indicator of how kids are doing.
What are the other indicators that we'd really like to look at as well? um there's you know data from the uh from the uh youth risk survey that we can use around connectedness and those those other kinds of things. So that's the perspective that I would bring with me
and that connection to the communities of practice and the research communities also that are looking at these kinds of things. >> Thanks thank you Phil for your answer. >> Michael um thank you so much Phil um again for all of your work in this area. Um I'm wondering if you have any
thoughts since this um since it's part of the work of the commission is to think about the uh diverse sets of identities um within the town um and how people um think of think of their own
identities and and how the sense of fostering identity um might tie into the ideas that you've mentioned around communic communication and the other work of the commission.
>> Yeah, absolutely. Um and and my back, you know, where my background I think specifically relates to to children and youth programs, the importance of seeing yourself reflected in these kinds of activities or in, you know, communication materials. representation really matters, you know,
and and the most important thing that we can do is for the for the individuals, the the children and the adults that we're serving, for them to see themselves sort of represented within the activities that the the the that
um that they are culturally responsive to the needs of the individuals. We know about connectedness and belonging as as the most important things that we can offer to children these days. and that whatever activities they do should be sort of experiential and play-based and
that's how they stick. Um and that you know the learning and mastery is the most important work of the years of these years but that connection and belonging and relationships are the secret sauce
that make it stick for kids. What we what the experts can't tell you is how to make that real for an individual child and only the community can answer that and the and the family and the child themselves. So there are strategies around making sure that a child feels like they're um you know
connected to an experience that they're represented by an experience that they feel like they have a voice and a choice >> [clears throat] >> um in the way it comes you know across and is offered to them. Um so I I think that's certainly top of mind
for for me if I'm you know part of this commission as well. Um David >> question I have looking at your prior work experience. I see that about 20 years ago you were the director of the Matah Hunts Boys and Girls Club of
Boston and I'm wondering how that experience would help inform upon your work on this commission. >> Oh yeah, that was 20 years ago. It was a long Yeah. Um I that was my dream job. So I uh my background is youth
development. So, I got started as a 19-year-old work studies student uh working at a youth center in Burlington, Vermont. Um, and that's, you know, sort of where I cut my teeth in this work. And I went to grad school right away after college at what was used to be called Wheelock College in family studies just so I can get a director job
at an afterchool program. And that was it. Um, so that was a program in Madapan serving a high proportion of children from low-income families, children of color, mostly um HaitianAmerican families and Latino families. Um, you
know, what I I think what I learned there is is is is, you know, to Michael's point about the importance of of, you know, sort of cultural identity and making sure that these experiences are relevant to children. Um the the
goal of the 21st century community learning center program, which is federal funding that right now comes from education but might be moved over to labor soon, um is um reducing socio emotional barriers to academic learning um and promoting that feeling of
attachment that actually shows up in school attendance rates. Um so it's sort of seen as a wraparound service. Um, and to do it effectively, we really did need to make sure that those activities I learned a lot about double dutch, double dutch jump roping. I learned a lot about
um, Caribbean cooking. And, you know, these are the experiences that I think you bring with you. And you just, you know, if you're doing this work right, um, you're really lifting up the community to do it and sort of facilitating those experiences for them.
Um, and giving them a place and a and a and a platform to do it. you're not you're not the chef, you know, you're you're you're really, you know, sort of in the background um facilitating and enabling things to happen that might not have otherwise happened, but offering those, you know, resources, the the the
technical assistance, the training, >> right? Um my question is, did you learn how to do double dutch jump rope yourself? >> No, my my feet and my brain don't >> Okay, >> effectively communicate with each other. I have a more serious question. Um, you
mentioned, you talked about kids being stuck on their screens and not interacting with people in the real world. One of the consequences of that in my opinion I think research shows that uh people not just kids but people
become more um uh sharp and and strong in their views and um begin to uh create divisions uh in in uh in you know their community or whatever.
>> Yeah. Um, you know, my view is this and it's it's uh my strongly held view and I'm not going to be very uh um willing to compromise with your strong views over there. Uh and and that of course is an issue in Brooklyn just like anywhere
else and including on the diversity commission. I thought maybe you had wondering if you had any thoughts about how you you um you overcome some of the divisions that we have in this society generally, including here in Brooklyn um
in a in a commission such as a diversity commission that has that as one of its uh >> I do it. I mean, I dig in, you know, I go into Facebook comment groups and I and I and I I I engage. >> It's hard. I mean the only the only
answer I have is to get off the computer, you know, [laughter] and nothing good comes out of spending too much time behind your computer. I'm not a l I'm thinking about what what you know, how would you approach uh that in the room at a meeting of a diversity
commission or or some other uh town board where there are these strong opinions one way on on both sides on multiple sides. >> Yeah. I mean it's it sounds simple but you know find find common ground you
know discover discuss ground rules you know like what are the goals that we have for this commission um and use those as as sort of the the the grounding north star of this and anytime you start to get
off track um and heated andor you know political just say okay bring it back to our charter you you know, bring it back to the reason why we're we're why we're here. It's so easy for us to go down this [clears throat] path right now. And I I and I agree, Bernard, like I think
social media is a is a huge part of that as as well as our attention span and less time spending time with individuals and more time spending time in our echo chamber. And with kids, the ability to have healthy relationships with peers
because of COVID and also because of screens starting to really cut into their attention span. Much easier to just tune out and go into the virtual world. So these are absolutely skills that we need to, you know, continue to
hone um and not lose, not let go of the rope >> because the next step to not to be doom and gloom, but I will be just for a second. The next step to you know disconnection and isolation on your computer can be political radicalism.
It can be suicidal ideiation. nothing good comes out of this, you know, except if you're able to use AI effectively for your work, for instance. I I don't have a problem with that. Um, but more definitely more time with each
other. Community has always been the antidote. Connection has always been the dis the the antidote to disconnection. >> Okay. Thank you. And uh as I've said before, we will be deciding on appointments to the commission at a
later meeting and we'll be in touch. >> All right. Thanks so much for your consideration and have a great night. >> Okay. Hey, next on the agenda is let me find that page and I'll tell you uh
town meeting update. Melissa Goff, should be interesting. Melissa, >> good evening. Uh, in your packet, you should have a memo from me that essentially summarizes uh the outcome of town meeting and uh indicates any action that the select board um would need to
take in uh whether it be from a resolve clause or a bylaw or something that would uh ask for the select board action. So, um, we put this as a, you know, followup to town meeting looking for, you know, any feedback that the board has on it and any item that is
outstanding, we'll add to the futures list for future consideration. >> Great. Any comments, questions for Melissa? >> It was a very efficient town meeting. >> Yes. And a very efficient. >> You were grateful, Melissa.
>> Yes. Very efficient memo. >> Okay. Anything else you want to add? >> Um, I will let you know that we did receive notice that the fogra ban um got approved by the attorney general's office and the constable will be uh posting it uh momentarily. So, that will
probably be taking effect within another week or so. >> Okay. Get it while you can. >> Bummer. >> Get it while you can. Someone said um Okay. Thank you, Melissa. >> Thank you.
>> Okay. Next, boards and commissions appointments and reappointments. Um, we have, uh, the Commission on Diversity, uh, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Relations, Chichi Woo for reappointment, and, um, also the Commission Alisa Ku
for reappoint. Any discussion? Paul? >> Yeah, I do. Uh I I do want to discuss uh Chi-Chi Wu's uh reappoint. Um I first want to ask my colleagues, has everybody had an opportunity to read Jesse
Hefner's uh email to us? >> Oh, I didn't get that one. >> Okay. Because I was I was going to skip reading it, but I am going to since you haven't read it, I'm going to read it. Uh and this is with his permission. So he sent this to us. It's in our packet. Um, and and I'm going to read this
because it it is consistent with sentiments and concerns that have been raised to me by others in the community. Um, I I just read this because, you know, Jesse is a member of our Jewish community and he's articulated quite well uh a number of the issues that have
been raised about uh Chi-Chi's service on uh on the commission. I'm I'm going to read it and then I'll make a brief comment. Bernard, I'm going to ask you to be gracious with my time. It may I don't want to rush through this. How long is this going to be? >> It's it's going to take a couple of minutes. >> So, thank you. >> I'll give you a couple minutes.
>> Thank you. But don't just don't cut me off. We got We're It's an early night. Um so, this is from uh from from Jesse Heft. Jesse is for the public. Uh he's a member of the school committee. Uh he's a town meeting member. Um I and I think he serves on either the pedestrian or the bicycle advisory committee. I think
the pedestrian advisory committee. Uh, he writes, "Dear members of the select board, I'm writing in my capacity as a Brooklyn resident to strongly oppose the reappoint of Miss Chi-Chi Woo to the Brookline Commission on Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Community Relations.
The purpose of the CDICR is to support a welcoming environment by encouraging cooperation, tolerance, and respect among and by all persons who come in contact with the town of Brooklyn. by advancing, promoting, and
advocating for the human and civil rights of all through education, awareness, outreach, and advocacy. In the wake of the October 7th, 2023 mass killing in Israel perpetrated by a documented terrorist organization, Hamas, Miss Woo posted disinformation on
social media, denying the well-reerenced brutal sexual assaults of Israeli and other victims. She further posted comments that accuse Israel of intentionally killing children in Gaza. Language that echoes classic anti-se anti-semitic blood liel. These are not
harmless opinions. They are harmful falsehoods that fuel hatred retraumatize victims and make Jewish residents in Brooklyn feel unsafe and unwelcome. In one particular cruel twist, Miss Woo went when informed that fewer Jewish students were applying to Harvard
University after October 7th due to the explosion of campus anti-semitism. She publicly posted that the situation was not as bad as it there as there would be more room for Asians. This is not an a there is no apology that can
explain such behavior. Miss Woo is an adult in a professional in her chosen field. Her decisions have consequences. As a commission member, Miss Woo is expected to represent a balanced, open approach to Brookline residents and
visitors of all backgrounds. Her posts show otherwise. It is beyond inappropriate for someone who spreads such divisive and inflammatory content to serve on a committee tasked with fostering inclusion and respect. reappointing her would legitimati
legitimatize polarization and undermine the commission's credibility. I strongly urge to reject his nomination. He goes on a little bit more. Sincerely, Jesse after. Now, my thoughts. Um, I do appreciate Jesse writing this letter,
but again, it's consistent with other uh uh messages, phone calls that I've received from members of the public, specifically the Jewish community. Um, and I appreciate he took the time in in sharing this. Our diversity, equity, inclusion, and community relations
commission has a deeply important mission to foster a welcoming community to build trust among residents of all backgrounds and to model the respect and empathy that we expect throughout Brooklyn. Commissioners must embody
these values in both their work and their public conduct. After considering Miss Woo's statements and how they have been received by members of our community and specifically our Jewish community, I do not believe that her reappoint would strengthen the
commission's ability to advance its mission or maintain the confidence of those it's meant to serve. This is not a judgment about her as a person, nor a dismissal of her past contributions and advocacy, but rather a recognition that
the commission's effectiveness depends on commissioners who public whose public actions strengthen rather than undermine the confidence of the full community it is meant to serve. Upholding our values requires ensuring that those
representing this work can bring people together rather than deepen the divisions. So for those reasons, I am unable to support the reappointment of Miss Woo to the commission. Thank you, >> David. I am similarly unable to support
the reappoint of Chi-Chi Woo to the commission for uh the reasons well articulated by uh Paul. I have similarly received calls from multiple members in our community who uh expressed a lot of
dismay to put it mildly at the possibility of having someone who has been this divisive remain a commissioner on our diversity commission. Uh again, this commission is meant to foster inclusivity and openness and to be
accepting toward all. and uh Miss Woo's conduct has at times been extremely divisive. This commission is not going to be considered credible if we automatically reappoint individuals who
have a lot of opposition in the community based on documented conduct by those individuals. As the Jesse Heft letter points out, uh, as uh, my colleagues may recall, we also had Neil Gordon at a prior public comment, uh,
speak to some of his concerns, which overlap those of Jesse's, but, they were not identical. And, uh, multiple people have expressed this. I'm not trying to indict Miss Woo as an individual. as
Paul said, uh she has contributed a lot of good to our community, uh particularly her advocacy for uh our Asian population. She is a member of Baffin. She would continue to be a member of Baffin. Even if we didn't have
these concerns being art brought to our attention by members of the community, we have also discussed as a board in the past trying to spread out committee assignments so that we bring in a broader array of people into our governance and Chi-Chi Woo is already on
several other committees. She is still going to be an active member of our community. Uh but for CDICR to have this kind of division, it really hurts the mission of the commission. It hurts his credibility. We have several
other people, I believe, who have uh applied to the commission. Uh so I'm not in a position to be supporting him. >> You want to say something, Michael? >> Yeah, sure. Um first of all uh I want to express my appreciation both for the
people who have come forward with their comments uh as well as my colleagues um for expressing their strong positions um and I I appreciate and and deeply respect those positions. Um
I have a couple of as as I do in many com complicated situations um different values to consider um in this matter. Um the first um and let me reference um the quote that you made
with regard to Harvard applications um which was I believe also referenced by Mr. Gordon when he made his public testimony. Um there was uh within that uh that communication um that posting um
there was an emoticon or an emoji that came after her her uh her text. Um and while I am not an expert on emojis or emoticons or what
their communication signal uh is um I think it is important to when you are referencing uh somebody's communications particularly communications on social media that you include those uh signals
within their communications. Um, in this in this case, I believe the the emoji had something to do with either the craziness or absurdity of the situation or was a statement of irony. Um,
obviously she is not here. I don't believe she is online in order to explain what that emoji means or what it was her her intention to mean. But I think it is important for us to recognize complete communication and not being out of context. That's point
number one. Um, point number two is that my understanding is that uh, Ms. Woo is currently the only person of color on the diversity, equity, inclusion commission. Um, or will be shortly after
somebody else moves off. Um and uh I appreciate the the the messaging that we uh might make by appointing her, but there is also messaging to be made by not appointing
her and having a diversity commission which itself does not have a diverse range of voices. Um and so um I would caution my colleagues to consider the balance of those two positions. Um this
is not to in any way excuse her public behavior or her public messaging. Um but one of the aspects of uh being in community and being in a vibrant and diverse community um is to respond
Uh from my perspective to respond to um such um uh such commentary with both um consideration and an understanding of
the perspectives um that are um that are being presented. Um this is not to say that those perspectives are correct. Um but it is to recognize the grace and humanity of all of us as individuals. Um
and even in those cases where we as individuals are not necessarily showing the respect that other people deserve, that does not uh excuse the rest of the community from um counterveiling
um with disrespect of their own. So uh with those things in mind and in balance and understanding this is not a black and white uh situation um and there is there is concern on multiple fronts. Um
I am personally in support of her reappoint. >> Well let me say uh or give my two cents. Uh first of all I respect the positions that people have taken and particularly the emotional nature of their concerns. uh the this is a very emotional issue
and and sometimes emotional issues can allow us to sort of miss some of the nuance. Um my position is that I oppose council uh cancel culture uh in in most cases. I can't think of one where it's acceptable. Um, I've been the target of
cancel culture in this town and uh with respect to one of the issues that uh um a petition was taken out to kick me off the select board signed by among other people a member of the select board. Um you know I I I you have have experience
with cancel culture. However, I don't recall that Chi-Chi Woo actually put her name to the petition uh to kick me off the select board. So, I'll give it credit for that. Um, regarding u the the the substance of of people's concerns,
the uh comment about more room for Asians was just stupid. Uh, in fact, more than stupid. It was an anti-Asian comment because during that time it was it was not Jews who were being uh alleged to be
taking seats in college campuses in colleges that could be taken by other students, white students. it was Asians big push to to not so much push them out but to just highlight the fact that there are too many Asians in in in
college campuses especially the elite campuses. So that that statement was really an anti-Asian statement ironically in addition to being but I think was ant uh anti-semitic. the other u uh things that people have cited um
they're repostings and it's not clear what the repostings were in terms of the materials that we received. I mean, there's the allegation that Hamas committed sexual atrocities that she denied, but she was reposting something and I'm not sure that it's clear that uh
that she was supporting the fact that there are sexual assaults in this attack, which everyone knows um not just because we know from what happened on October 7, but that is just a consistent part of war. So you you would you would
assume that that that happened and to um suggest otherwise is is um not appropriate. Um the other allegation is that uh she stated that Israel is killing Palestinian children. Um
well I'm sorry but the government is doing things that are killing people children as well as others. Now, that doesn't mean that Israelis are killing people or that Jews are killing people in Palestine any more than the atrocities committed by the US government means that Americans and you
and I are are killing people. Uh, so I'd like to know more information about that uh reposting. Um, but I don't think that that is, in my opinion, a basis for for uh denying her a seat on the um diversity commission. Um,
and I think the point you raised, Michael, that the Asian representation that she represents would would be gone if we kick her off is a significant point. I mean, the Asian population in this town is uh almost 20%. And
unfortunately, there's not enough uh involvement by that population in civic affairs. And Chi-Chi, who I disagree with on a lot of things, um she runs with a different crowd than I do, uh nonetheless does represent in in an
important way, uh the Asian community. I think that that's important. Um, and you know, I guess final u final point I I'll make is that have to be very careful about al or I think we have to be very careful about allegations of
anti-semitism because they exist and they're real and we have to to fight against them. But we also have to be aware that it's one of the weapons being used by the current administration in Washington uh against
uh Jewish uh communities. Uh I mean the the people who are pushing this, you know, are right-wing uh almost neofascist organizations and individuals and and they're arguing um about anti-semitism. There's something wrong
there. uh and um you know it's not intended to be helpful to the the the effort uh that we all should have to uh eliminate anti-semitism and other forms of hate which are all connected together anyway. So I'm going to vote uh I'm not
going to vote against uh her reappoint. David, >> just one point. When we talk about the importance of having representation from people of color on the on the commission, I certainly agree with that, but uh Chi-Chi Woo is not the only
person of color who could possibly serve on this board. We have a a very large Asian community in town. So that alone uh in my view should not be a factor. Also, I want to be clear that I'm not making any direct accusations that she
as an individual is an anti-semite. I wouldn't do that to somebody without knowing that person. That's not at all my point. But the commission that she's applying for reappoint to is about inclusive, is about inclusion. It's about having people feel welcome. And
these remarks at a minimum based on our conversation, even for those of you who sound inclined to support her, there is controversy around it. there is dissension and why would we want to have our uh diversity commission have that
type of dissension on it that can lead to lack of credibility. Our Jewish community in Brooklyn is also quite sub substantial in size and uh many have reached out to me from the Jewish community to you as well evidently Paul I don't know if to the two of you as
well and they would really be alarmed by having us reappoint someone who has been this divisive in her public conduct. I'm not aware of there having ever been an apology. I'm not aware of there having ever been a broader explanation around
the emoji uh that you brought up, Michael. Uh when others have made controversial remarks or statements, usually they have been followed by an apology and by corrective action. And I don't think we've seen any evidence of
that here. >> Yeah. >> And this happened or some of these incidents happened two years ago. So that's a difference to me and why I don't see this as cancel culture. Also, it's the specific position being applied for our diversity commission. It's not
that she's applying for the building commission, in which case her viewpoints on uh certain political matters would not be as relevant, but for the role of diversity commission, it is important. And so it is a black and white issue for
me in the sense that having anybody who's going to be this divisive and undermine the credibility of such an important commission, I think we're doing a disservice to the town and to the other members of that commission. >> Any other comments? >> Uh the only thing I I would just add one
thing, Bernard. First, I I always appreciate your experience and your wisdom. I think you bring a lot of that to the table. Um, you know, I have the number of times I put my foot in my mouth, I I don't care to count because it's it's it's impossible to count. Uh, generally when I do do it, I either
recognize it or someone tells me. Uh, and and there's and there's some fixing to do. Um, you've done that yourself. Uh, many many times. Uh, and >> not many times. >> Well, a few times, but but it's one of the things that I I have deep respect because for you because when you do step
in it, um, you generally acknowledge it. Um, so this is not this is not an indictment of Miss Woo. It's not a a cancel culture. I I I hate that term. She has done tremendous good. She's a strong advocate. She cares deeply. She's
a very passionate person about the causes that she cares about. Um, and she and she is effective and is a very effective advocate. But this particular situation has reached over into
I really feel strongly that it's disqualifying because of the divisiveness. This is the this is the diversity inclusion community relations. And if you're doing things that are harming diversity, inclusion, and community relations, you really shouldn't be serving on the committee.
If this was Zab and we had someone coming before us and they were wanted to be on Zab and they were tweeting in their off hours about you know uh the oil industry is so important we need to do fossil fuels we'd go sorry your views are not consistent with the values in
charge of the commission. Um that's what's going on here. Um this is not canceled that Chi-Chi is serves in many capacities. She'll continue to serve in many capacities. I just don't think it's beneficial for the community or for the commission for her to continue uh in this service. So, I haven't been moved
to to change my opinion. >> Okay. Well, let's vote. >> Okay. Um >> want to make a motion? >> Well, I will. So, uh a potential note here. Um since it seems like you're split, um you don't have >> I'm going to I'm going to move that. Uh
>> Oh, wait. Let >> Well, I I I don't want to wait. >> Well, we have to wait. >> Okay. Well, I mean that that was my that was my question was do you want to wait to have a fifth member so that you have something one way or the other? >> I think we should. I mean
>> in the absence, you know, the other thing here is historically when someone is not reappointed to a board, there's usually they there's there's usually there's usually I I am not aware and I don't think Melissa's aware of a situation where
in in recent memory there's been a public non-reappointment. Usually if there's someone who's not going to get reappointed to a board, they know and they know why. Um and so that potentially so and and what happens is either they don't submit for reappointment or they do and the board
just takes up someone else's nomination and nomin and puts that person in place. So I don't know necessarily if you want to so if you don't want to wait now, if you want to say no, we're we're going to actively seek out someone else, that's
fine. You can do that. Um I think too but you know being split as you are you know the practical impact of that is that the candidate will continue to serve until such time as you find a replacement. Um you're not taking them off the board. You're saying until such
time as the select board finds a replacement for this person. They'll continue to serve >> unless presumably somebody makes a motion for to call for the resignation. >> Well again so I and I I want to do some research on this. It hasn't happened time. I don't think I don't think we should be calling for a resignation. I
think the her her res people called for her resignation before and we were told that you can't consider tweets. It's free speech and you can't ask someone to resign. At this point, we're at the point of reappoint. Um she was on the agenda a month ago. For some reason, it was delayed. I don't know why it was
delayed. Um you know, it was no secret that there were concerns about the the reappointment. I'm not sure why it was delayed. At this point, we've had the discussion. We've spent the time on it. Um, you know, I I I would like to make a motion. >> Let's continue discussion. I mean, I
before you make your motion, okay, I want to say I was out of the country last week, so no one contacted me. This appears to be an organized effort against Chi Woo. So, >> I know of no organized effort against Chi Woo. >> Pardon me. >> I know of no organized effort against Chi Woo. >> Well, we
>> over the past emails that basically said the same thing >> over the past two years. Um, >> let me finish the speech. >> Sure. Okay. Sorry. Go ahead. >> I'm almost finished. >> Okay. Go ahead. >> We got about 12 emails that I read uh today because I just got them today uh
from people basically saying the same thing. Three issues. Number one, she uh reposted something about uh um uh denying that uh people were sexually attacked by Hamas. Number two, that um actually reposted something about
Israelis uh killing Palestinians. And number three, the old uh posting she made um a couple years ago about um uh you know how more room for for Asians. Um you know, this sort of came out of
nowhere and I'm wondering you know whether we should act on something that you know came out of nowhere um without giving it some more thought uh and more time to to be digested. David. >> Uh, so I think you've been taking Philip
Stigman's, uh, words to heart about not being online because this is not new. This has been swirling for about two years now. >> The one comment about more room for Asians. >> No more. Also, uh, some of her remarks
regarding the Israel Palestine conflict. Uh, this has been going on for two years now. People commenting about it, people expressing their concerns. And like I said before, there has not been an apology that I'm aware of. There hasn't been corrective behavior that I'm aware
of. And we're not looking for a resignation. We're not looking for a removal. But we don't have an affirmative obligation to reappoint people, right? We have an affirmative obligation to um to to be reasonable in
our actions, whether it's voting against reappoint or or whatever. And you know, Chi-Chi, I I don't follow Chi-Chi online. Few things I've seen. She has a position on the uh Israeli Gaza war that
is a position that many people hold in this country. It's not anti-Semitic. It's reasonable. You may not agree with it and it may be somewhat on on the extreme, but to use that as a basis for
denying her um position on on the commission, I think is just not not reasonable. >> So, Bernard, let me let me be really clear about my view on this. Um I actually wrote I wrote my remarks for tonight's meeting before I received
Jesse After's email. >> Okay. I I parked my comments because I thought Jesse articulated it better. The the thing that I didn't include in my remarks were the the messages about uh whatever it was retweets that you're
claiming. My fundamental issue is saying that when when students were were making it clear that they were not there were Brookline High School students that were making it clear they were not going to apply to Harvard because of the anti-semitism that was going on on
campus. She knew that and she responded to a tweet. She tweeted that there was more room for Asians when someone said that Jewish Jewish members weren't applying. that that's enough that I'm not going to talk about emojis, Michael. Just hold on. You're not going to change
my opinion. I'm not going to get into emojis. That's what she wrote. Okay. That in itself at the time created such a firestorm with the Jewish community for we as a as
a appointing body cannot have commission members on this particular commission that are that that have done something so [snorts] divisive as to alienate a vast majority of the Jewish community in Brooklyn. It's just it's it's not
possible. So, I I this I cannot be moved off of this re thinking about it for another week or two, whatever you want to do. Um it's it's been on the agenda. I prepared for it to be on the agenda. Um and I do I'm going to move that we vote on this. Um I'll make the motion.
you're not going to like it, but it's >> Oh, it's not going to look good that we have a divided board either. But listen, let's >> Well, we have a divided the the reason why she shouldn't be reappointed is because in addition to having a divided board, we have a divided community about her. That's not the place for someone on
the diversity commission, an inclusive inclusion. >> We don't know how divided the community is on this, but let's let's vote you. >> Okay. So, so I so I'm going to I'm going to move uh that that Chi-Chi Woo be appointed to the reappointed to the
commission. >> There's logic to my reasoning for making that motion. >> Okay. >> Okay. So, so you can vote no. Okay. Uh motion has been made. Uh all in favor of the motion that GI will be reappointed to the commission. Uh please indicate by
saying I. Uh Paul, >> no. >> Uh David Pearlman, >> no. Michael Rubenstein. >> Yes. >> And I chair votes yes. So that's um a split vote and that means uh she's not appointed, right? Okay.
>> There's no majority either way. Yep. >> Right. Okay. So um that will be in the record and you know we'll deal with it. Okay. Uh we have next uh another appointee to the commission and that is Alisa Ku. Um reappointment.
All in favor, unless there's discussion of her two. >> Okay. All in favor, uh, please indicate by saying I. Paul Warren, >> I. >> David Pearlman, >> I. >> Michael Rubenstein. >> I chair votes. I >> And if you were if you >> Wait, wait, hold on. I was going to ask
a question. >> Okay. What's What's the question? >> My question was if if the board would be uh open to it, um, I don't need a lot of time to think about Philillip. Um, I would be happy to uh nominate him for appointment to the diversity commission. I think he'd make a fantastic
>> Okay. We we had three individuals who we interviewed and Okay. >> It would be unfair to just pick him out. >> Okay. >> Um Okay. Unless uh uh Charlie, is there anyone in the audience wishing to make a
comment at the end of our meeting? >> Well, if folks would like to make a public comment, they can raise their hand in the room or online and we will uh promote you to speak. No one in the room in the crowded room. >> Okay, we have 12 participants online and no one is raising their hand.
>> Okay, in that case u I hereby end this meeting. Thank you. >> Thank you.