You Decide

As I’m stepping down, and Michael is stepping up, I realize that Brookline is a wonderful place to live, but keeping to that standard requires bringing experience and independence of thought to bear on the many challenges we face. Michael has that experience and independence.  

I know he will work to increase the availability of housing and support the economic development to increase our commercial tax base, and that he recognizes the importance of our schools in making Brookline a wonderful place to live.

I’m proud to support Michael Rubenstein for Select Board because I know that his compassion, willingness to listen, and keen desire to find fair and rational solutions to the challenges and opportunities facing Brookline are what our town needs. From addressing the impacts of the climate crisis to the rising cost of housing and our fiscal challenges, Michael’s tested and proven leadership skills will serve us all well.

Michael is a committed housing advocate who was a key component in the grand compromise that resulted in the overwhelming support and passing of the MBTA Communities Act consensus warrant article. His leadership in the YES campaign to support Brookline was pivotal. He is a smart, engaged, and thoughtful advocate for Brookline, and I look forward to voting for him on election day.

I strongly endorse Michael Rubenstein for Select Board. I’ve found Michael to be a thoughtful, reasonable, and decent person who truly values public education. He has taken the trouble to inform himself on the issues facing PSB, become a regular presence at School Committee meetings, and offered constructive feedback on difficult and polarizing issues. I respect that.

Michael provided astute analysis on housing for town meeting and on labor issues for our schools.

As a fellow Town Meeting member, I’ve seen Select Board candidate Michael Rubenstein’s  thoughtful, strategic approach to addressing complex issues. His leadership on housing, healthcare and fiscal planning stands out. Among the three Select Board candidates, Michael brings unmatched experience, from growing a small business into a global company of nearly 400 people and managing large budgets, to dedicated public advocacy at the state and local levels.Michael is curious, analytical, empathetic, and always willing to learn — traits that make him exceptionally well-qualified for the Select Board.

His Town Meeting voting record reflects his pragmatic progressive values: he is the only Select Board candidate to have voted YES on the MBTA Communities Act compromise to support housing and economic development, and NO to delaying zoning changes that would allow more three-family units in two-family zones. Moreover, he voted NO on an unfunded budget amendment and YES to issue municipal bonds to rebuild the Pierce School after the voters approved.

Brookline would be fortunate to have Michael Rubenstein on the Select Board.

Michael has experience. He has been involved. He cares. And he also has good judgment - he helped get to consensus on the MBTA Communities Act and then voted for it, to help our town build greatly needed housing. And importantly, he is humble and honest - if he doesn't have enough information, he says so, and then he asks experts to help him learn more about a topic, or seeks out relevant stakeholders to help him gain greater understanding of the issues. Being a good listener is a rare but critical quality in a leader. Because of his broad relevant experience and who he is, I trust Michael to thoughtfully make the tough decisions that come before the Select Board.

Michael is one of the most collaborative, thoughtful and hard working TMMs. He cares deeply and is willing to do the hard work to understand the tough issues facing Brookline.He shares my concern about housing and affordability but also understands the importance of fiscal responsibility and strong management.

I am supporting Michael for his thoughtful approach to Brookline's challenges. He listens to everyone, mediates, and thinks of the most vulnerable among us.

I've been a renter, and owned a house and a condo. My son grew up here and thrived in our Public Schools. I passionately want the Town to move forward, welcoming younger, working, people of diverse backgrounds, but the lack of affordable housing makes it close to impossible. Michael Rubenstein has been a steadfast supporter of housing justice in our Town. He worked with Select Bd member Paul Warren and others on the compromise forged between supporters and opponents of the MBTA Communities Act in Brookline. He is also committed to addressing our financial issues with creativity and compassion, and I think his background in business and non-profit management will allow him to do that. Michael is a dynamic leader who raises thoughtful questions during the meetings of Select Board and other town commissions.

I have seen firsthand the impact his leadership brings. Michael consistently seeks out and listens to all points of view, takes time to master the pros and cons of various approaches to the issue at hand, and establishes trust with stakeholders on the way to a sound resolution for the common good. In other words, he weighs options based on the merits, he brings people along, and he gets the job done!

I support Michael because I’ve seen how he works. He reaches out to people, he listens closely, and he brings people together

Michael demonstrated a consistent steady capacity to listen, build consensus, stay focused on a mission centered outcome, and calmly persist through complexity. I feel so fortunate to have had Michael by my side as we managed through an unimaginable set of circumstances; Beacon would not be in the position of strength it is in today without him.

Michael brings a thoughtful intelligence and deep humanity to all he does. I rely deeply on his perspective and his ability to see both the big picture and the potential inflection points when evaluating a situation or planning an action. Michael’s ability to motivate people to act together for the community, be it within TI, Brookline, or all of Massachusetts, is remarkable.

Michael built a series of robust processes that allowed our school to survive and thrive through the twin challenges of the COVID pandemic and working for Racial Justice. I greatly value his broad experience, his valuable insights, and perhaps most of all his ability to see things from different perspectives.

I would gladly work with Michael again. We worked together as partners, always in agreement in all strategic and tactical directions of [CambridgeSoft]. Michael had outstanding immediate understanding of his job requirements, performing aggressively ahead of planned schedules, dealing with multiple conflicting job requirements professionally and accomplishing beyond expectations. He has excellent interpersonal skills and sensitivity working with superiors, peers and subordinates.

Michael Rubenstein, a Town Meeting member, entrepreneur and housing advocate, is running for Select Board. In a letter announcing his run, Rubenstein said he aims to prioritize dealing with the town’s fiscal constraints, addressing rising property taxes and unaffordable housing costs and responding to climate change and environmental degradation. More...

In Nov. 2023, [Michael] was among the 84% of Town Meeting members who voted in favor of the compliance plan. He is the only candidate in this year’s Select Board race to do so. More...

As a fellow Town Meeting member, I’ve seen Select Board candidate Michael Rubenstein’s thoughtful, strategic approach to addressing complex issues. His leadership on housing, healthcare and fiscal planning stands out. Among the three Select Board candidates, Michael brings unmatched experience, from growing a small business into a global company of nearly 400 people and managing large budgets, to dedicated public advocacy at the state and local levels. More...

Given the Town’s bleak fiscal outlook, I am glad this year’s Select Board debate has centered on new tax growth from mixed-use/commercial development. Only Michael Rubenstein has the voting and executive leadership record to achieve this. More...