I was born in Boston, but I moved away when I was very young and grew up in Wales, California, and Kansas. I also have lived in Pennsylvania, London, and Maine. I returned to the Boston area as a full-time resident in 1981. I moved to Brookline when my wife, Karen, and I got married in 1995. Our daughter attended the Lawrence School.
I was educated at Haverford College, the London School of Economics, and Harvard University, specializing in international politics. For most of my career, I edited International Security, a Harvard-based journal of international politics. I also wrote articles that were published in journals of foreign policy and international relations, and as chapters in books. I retired in early 2019.
In Brookline, I have been involved in local government and community affairs for many years. I served on the Advisory Committee (Brookline’s Finance Committee) from 2003 until 2019, and was its chair for 2015 – 2019. I have been a Town Meeting member for Precinct 1 since 2011. I am the current president of the Brookline GreenSpace Alliance, and previously served as co-chair of the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance.
Apart from politics and government, I enjoy travel, reading, and walks in the woods and parks in Brookline and throughout New England.
It has been an honor to serve as a Precinct 1 Town Meeting member. I enjoy helping people, and using my experience and knowledge to benefit the precinct and town. Being a Town Meeting member is more than attending Town Meeting for a few nights each November and May. All year, I work to ensure that the Town of Brookline provides services to Precinct 1 and maintains our parks, streets, and trees, and signs. I advise residents on how to work with Town Hall and how to participate in meetings that affect them. I attend or serve on committees that make decisions regarding Precinct 1. I am involved in local organizations such as the Friends of Hall’s Pond and the Friends of Monmouth Park. I am running for reelection because I would love to have the opportunity to continue working to improve the quality of life in Precinct 1.
I also want to make sure that Brookline makes the key decisions that enable it to be a green community, an affordable community, a community in which
all public services (schools, police, fire, public works, parks and recreation) are excellent, and a community that leads by example in showing that progressive politics and government can be innovative and successful.
My Priorities
My goals for Brookline’s future include:
- A More Affordable Brookline that limits the growing burden of housing costs, including rent and property taxes, and adopts fiscally prudent budgets.
- A Brookline with Excellent Public Services, especially schools, police, fire, and public works, that are delivered with efficiency and equity.
- A Greener Brookline that protects its parks, open space, and trees, fights climate change, uses more renewable energy, and pursues sustainability.
- A Brookline with a Comprehensive Plan that includes commercial and residential development that will expand the tax base, generate more revenue, and keep Brookline a vibrant place to live.
- A Brookline with the Values we Need, particularly caring for the most vulnerable members of our community and including those who feel marginalized or excluded.