Select Board candidate Amanda Zimmerman urges voters to back $10M operating override, emphasizes tax‑base growth and housing supply

Amanda Zimmerman, a Select Board candidate and Town Meeting member for Precinct 7, urged Brookline voters to support a yes vote on an operating override scheduled for the May 5 ballot and described the priorities she would pursue if elected.

"We actually tend to fall short when it comes time to execute the ideas that are in these plans," Zimmerman said during an interview with State Representative Tommy Vitolo. She said she is running to move plans from shelves into timely action so "a family or a senior can afford to stay in Brookline, whether a small business can hit the ground running," and to reduce bureaucratic delay.

Zimmerman laid out a four‑part platform: expand town revenue and the tax base; increase housing affordability across life stages; improve street safety for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers; and plan for a greener future. She described expanding the tax base as a priority to relieve pressure on homeowners and renters and to reduce the frequency of override requests.

On the tax base, Zimmerman said the town should encourage commercial and mixed‑use projects that are feasible to build. She cited Chestnut Hill West (the Route 9 corridor) as a major development opportunity and said that a sequence of projects over several years could reduce reliance on overrides. "If you increase the number of residents by a thousand, your denominator is increasing and the effect on your individual tax bill would go down," she said.

On housing, Zimmerman distinguished between households that need subsidies and those priced out of town. She said diverse housing stock — including smaller units on the same land — can both expand supply and sometimes increase tax revenue per acre compared with single high‑value homes.

On transportation, Zimmerman emphasized reallocating existing street space to prioritize safety, especially on the roadways identified as most hazardous. She cited Lee and Clyde Street as examples and said the town should favor safety over convenience when required.

Zimmerman also urged the town to pursue municipal clean‑energy projects that produce measurable savings, citing municipal solar expansion and a proposed geothermal solution for the Pierce school as examples that could move the needle on emissions while saving money over time.

She reiterated support for the operating override the Select Board voted unanimously to place on the May 5 ballot. Zimmerman summarized the question as a single yes/no override and said the increase is "roughly" $10 million the first year, $5 million the second year and $8 million the third year, with $5 million of the first‑year increase directed to the town side and the remainder to the schools. "If the override fails, it will be a bloodbath on both the town and the school side," Zimmerman said, naming possible consequences she had heard discussed: program closures (examples she cited included the conservatory and middle‑school world language programs) and eliminating about 20 firefighter positions. She acknowledged the town faces a structural deficit and called expanding the tax base a medium‑ and long‑term remedy.

Tommy Vitolo, the program host, reminded viewers of the May 5 election logistics and promoted the station's election night coverage.

The interview closed with a campaign ask: Zimmerman directed listeners to amandaforbrookline.com to learn more, donate or volunteer. The episode recorded on Brookline Interactive Group runs through the campaign period leading to the May 5 election.