Brookline belongs to all of us! Discover the many ways you can help shape its future.
Run for Town Meeting
Each of Brookline's 17 precincts are represented at Town Meeting by 15 elected Town Meeting Members who serve staggered three-year terms. That means every May at the Town Election, there are five Town Meeting seats up for election in every precinct. To run for Town Meeting, you must be a registered voter in your precinct. To have your name placed on the ballot, you will need to pick up nomination papers from the Town Clerk's office in Town Hall and have them signed by at least ten registered voters in your precinct. To check the deadlines for submitting nomination papers, visit the election calendar.
Apply to serve on a board or commission
Brookline has more than 75 appointed boards and commissions, many of which are seeking applications for new members. Find out which boards currently have open seats and apply online on the Town's Boards and Commissions page.
Write a warrant article (a proposed new by-law or resolution)
Is there something you'd like to change in Brookline? Any resident can write and submit a warrant article (after obtaining signatures from 10 Brookline registered voters). For more on how to get started, visit https://www.brooklinema.gov/275/Submitting-Articles, or reach out to any of your Town Meeting Members for advice. We are happy to walk you through what's needed to craft a strong article and get it before Town Meeting. You can read current and archived warrants here: https://www.brooklinema.gov/1020/Town-Meeting-Files
Attend a meeting of a Board/Commission
See upcoming meetings of boards, committees, and commissions on the Town calendar or use the Notify Me service to sign up for automatic emails or text alerts in advance of the meetings that interest you. Many meetings are now held in hybrid format (i.e. can be attended either in person or via Zoom online).
Contact us
You can download a spreadsheet with a complete list of Town Meeting members and their contact information here (https://www.brooklinema.gov/DocumentCenter/View/6574). Or learn more about/contact the Town Meeting Members from your precinct.
Visit the Town's civic engagement website to learn more.
Find Brookline News
Wondering how to keep up with local news? We hope these resources might help:
1) Notify.Me: You can sign up for news and meeting notices from any of the Town departments and committees here: https://www.brooklinema.gov/list.aspx?Mode=Subscribe#newsFlash. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you’ll see that most departments and major committees have a “highlights” update that you can receive. We also recommend signing up for the Town Administrator’s really helpful monthly newsletter at the very bottom of the page, or by clicking on the link on the Town’s home page.
2) Brookline.News: A nonprofit news site, https://brookline.news is just a year old, but growing! Staffed by professional journalists and dedicated to covering Brookline news, the goal is to provide quality, comprehensive local news both online and (eventually) in print. The Executive Editor is Sam Mintz. Sign up for free, and get Brookline.News in your email inbox weekly.
Local Civic and Advocacy Groups
The Brookline League of Women Voters publishes an annual voters' guide and sponsors candidate events.