Letters of Support

Standing at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, Mr. Benka is an enormous figure in any space he inhabits. However, throughout his life, from the high-profile courtrooms where he paved his career path, to the middle and high school math classes that he graciously volunteers in three days a week today, the impressiveness of his character is what makes him a giant.

Mr. Benka has been brilliantly volunteering at the diverse Boston school where I teach for a number of years. He travels to Hyde Park to tutor, co-teach, and even sometimes substitute teach, urban middle and high school students in math.

This morning, I asked students in my 10th-grade history class, who have worked closely with Mr. Benka over the last five years, to describe him in one word. Responses were “compassionate,” “determined” and “helpful.” His focus with students who struggle in math has helped our school consistently rank toward the top of the state in MCAS scores.

Since being elected selectman his volunteer days have changed. Previously, I may have been lucky to catch a moment with him to eat lunch or converse about politics. Now, however, I don’t get those moments. He uses breaks in his schedule to rip out his laptop to email and make phone calls to conduct his duty as selectman. Still, the example he sets has truly made individuals at our school, students and teachers alike, understand the importance of their ethical development and their responsibility to our community. He had a bigger impact on me in at least one other regard.

I learned what Brookline was really about through the example Mr. Benka sets every day. He is one reason that my wife and I decided to move to Brookline three years ago. People in Brookline are committed to their community and to making it better. Mr. Benka is a great leader of our community, one who has the experience and the patience to lead, and one who certainly makes my wife and me proud to call Brookline our home. I know we are lucky to have him.

Christopher Cook
Kendall Street

Please join me in re-electing Selectman Dick Benka on May 3. Brookline is fortunate to have high quality, hard-working selectmen and women working on our behalf. Together with a talented town administration, they ensure that Brookline is an attractive place to live, has the highest quality schools and public safety departments, a wonderful library, and that our roads and sidewalks are in good repair. The selectmen make sure that all these services are delivered in a fiscally prudent manner. Dick Benka is an important member of the Board of Selectmen, which has the responsibility for making sure that our tax dollars are spent wisely. I know first-hand the professional approach he takes in understanding every important issue before the town.

As a member of Brookline’s 2008 Efficiency Initiative Committee, chaired by Selectman Benka, I saw the intelligence and commitment he brings to issues facing our town and his unique ability to understand and develop plans to address very difficult, complicated issues around which there are many, many strongly held opinions. It’s because of some of his efforts that we are in much better fiscal shape than nearly any other Massachusetts community. Under Benka’s leadership on the Efficiency Initiative Committee, and his continued focus on Other Post-Employment Benefits, the town has dealt with how to fund our very expensive liability for all post-employment benefits like pensions and retiree health care costs. This doesn’t sound exciting, but it is a costly responsibility looming over us; one that could affect our ability to provide the level of services we have come to expect. Without responsible leadership, our ability to fund renovations of public buildings, public works projects, and fix roads and sidewalks, and keep the library and other services open and adequately funded, not to mention maintaining our schools’ budgets, would be negatively compromised.

I for one am gratified that there is someone like Selectman Benka who gives his time and expertise — in what can be a thankless job — to work on behalf of all of us in Brookline. Please join me in supporting him on May 3.

Linda Carlisle
TMM, Precinct 14

When Dick Benka decided to run for a position on the Board of Selectmen, he promised to make every effort to find efficiencies in the provision of high quality services to Brookline residents. He has met that commitment and then some.

As one part of his multi-faceted, challenging and successful first term, Dick accepted the role of chairperson of the Efficiency Initiative Committee. In that role, he reminded all of us by word and example, that pushing costs off to the future is guaranteed to interfere with the town’s ability to sustain financing of quality schools and other critical town services. Dick’s efforts to have the town address long-term obligations to retirees is a perfect example of his thoughtful and diligent efforts to responsibly meet the town’s obligations and, at the same time, to reduce the town’s long term fiscal burden.

There are some who quibble with Dick’s attention to detail, particularly around financial issues. It is this intensity of attention that allows some of us to sleep well knowing that Dick’s approach to the issues at hand will sustain our ability to provide quality schools and essential services to Brookline’s citizens in stressed economic times and into the future. Dick’s practices are consistent with his commitment to the highest quality of life for Brookline residents.

Vote to reelect Dick Benka to the Board of Selectman on May 3. Your vote for Dick will give the citizens of Brookline a clear indication of your support for his conscientious oversight of Brookline’s financial policies and practices and his emphasis on careful near-term and longer-term planning.

Marcia Heist
Centre Street
The author is a former member and chairwoman of the School Committee
and a former Town Meeting member from Precinct 9.

I like Dick Benka. And I like cats. I don’t know how he feels about them. But I do know Dick Benka’s very good at herding cats.

Dick chairs the Davis Path Special District Zoning Study Committee, and I’m on the Committee. We all knew from the start that there were strong and contrary opinions on the Committee. We knew we were cats. The Committee has had a very open process. There have been 23 public meetings scheduled at times neighbors could attend. It has members with a wide range of expertise. We’ve had excellent staff support. Dick has been an active Chair and has led with focus, good humor and respect for all. We’ve produced much more than many expected and in less time than was allowed. Our proposed Amendment to the Zoning Bylaw (Article 14) goes to the May Town Meeting with unanimous support of the Committee and several interested near neighbors. The Article includes zoning ideas that are new to Brookline and could have relevance elsewhere in town. None of this would have happened without Dick Benka. We cats have all been heard, we’re just not sure we’ve been herded.

Dick works hard and works well with other members of the Board of Selectmen. He’s proof that good things don’t always come in small packages. Please join me in voting on May 3 for Dick Benka for Selectman.

John Bassett
Searle Avenue
TMM 6
Note: Dick and his wife Carla in fact have two cats, Bear and Emma, rescued from a shelter.