Town meeting members

Town Meeting, the legislative branch of Brookline government, is made up of 240 Town Meeting members, five Select Board members, the Moderator, the Town Clerk and any state representative living in Brookline. In Town Meeting, legislation is passed in the form of bylaws (actual legislation) and resolutions (statements of priorities or plans). Town Meeting is in charge of the yearly budget and meets twice a year, in May and November.

Past Town Meeting votes have influenced racial justice, climate legislation, affordable housing and policing. Last June, despite the efforts of many community organizers and activists, Town Meeting voted against reallocating funds away from the police department twice in separate amendments.

Town Meeting Members (TMMs), the main body of the Town Meeting, are elected by precinct, which means that only the people living in their precinct can vote for them. There are 16 precincts and 15 seats per precinct. TMMs have three-year terms, so that every May five seats are up for re-election in each precinct.

One way to find out running TMMs’ priorities and views is to look at their voting records if they are running for re-election. Since Town Meeting Elections are so local, Mautner Mazlen said you can reach out to candidates individually.

“The people who are running for Town Meeting have given the Town their phone number and email. So if you have questions for them, reach out. Like, ‘Hey, I see you’re running for town meeting in my precinct. I was wondering what your stance is on warrant article 34.’ These people are in your neighborhood, reach out to them,” Mautner-Mazlen said.

To see who is running in your precinct and if their race is contested, click here. You can learn more about the platforms and campaigns of starting on page nine of the League of Women Voters Election Guide, and find their contact information here.