A Letter to Citizens
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
My first term on the Brookline Board of Selectmen is coming to a close. Being on the Board has been challenging and gratifying, and I believe I’ve made a positive contribution both to the Board’s work and to the long-term future of the Town. For these reasons, I am seeking re-election on Tuesday, May 3, 2011.
Three years ago, I vowed to find efficiencies in providing Town services, to seriously address our long-term obligations to Town and School retirees rather than imprudently deferring costs, and to protect neighborhoods while recognizing the importance of appropriate commercial development to the tax base. Finally, I pledged to work hard and use my best judgment, legal and fiscal training, and experience to protect the interests of Brookline as a whole.
I have kept those commitments uppermost in my mind, and have been able to address them as well as other issues in a thoughtful and balanced manner. For example,
- During my first year on the Board I chaired the newly established Efficiency Initiative Committee, a panel of forward-thinking residents who identified a number of ways to increase cost savings and new, non-tax revenues. A number of those recommendations have already been implemented.
- I successfully urged expanded commitment to funding our long-term financial obligations to retired employees, thereby helping to protect future Town and School budgets from crushing obligations. I also successfully urged that we measure the true “all-in” costs of operating our government, explicitly incorporating for the first time the impact of deferred costs in our decision making.
- Chairing a committee on the redevelopment of the former Red Cab site on Route 9 has given me the opportunity to work intensively with a talented and engaged group of citizens, seeking compromises and creative zoning tools aimed at increasing tax revenues for the Town while reducing adverse impacts on abutters.
- My legal training and experience have proven useful in reviewing proposed Town contracts with developers, contractors, and the state and federal governments. Contractual terms that would have posed unacceptable risks to the Town have been eliminated and provisions that protect the Town’s interests have been added.
The Town has weathered an extremely difficult economic downturn without sacrificing essential services. At the same time, we have been able to respond to the needs of a growing school population by investing in renovation and expansion at the Runkle and Heath Schools. The on-going challenges that we face will continue to demand thoughtful responses in order to ensure that Brookline maintains its excellence.
I look forward to continuing to address these challenges, and respectfully ask for your support as I run for a second term.
Thank you,
Dick Benka
c/o Jonathan Fine, Treasurer
57 Willow Crescent
Brookline, MA
02445
Co-chairs: Marcia Heist, Donna Kalikow, Paul Saner