Explore Candidates on BearBallot

• Rick Lipof — City Council: Lifelong Newton resident and community advocate. Former Newton City Councilor running for State Representative.
• John R. VanScoyoc — Select Board: Six-year Select Board veteran seeking re-election. Emphasizes experience and independence. Key issues: balanced approach to Chestnut Hill West development, fiscal restraint on overrides, sustainable budget growth, and pausing Beacon Street bridle path spending until costs are clearer. Retired news producer, 40+ year Brookline resident.
• Amanda Zimmerman — Select Board: Focused on moving Brookline from planning to execution. Priorities: climate action, safe streets, revenue growth, and housing. Wants to guide town staff to implement existing plans rather than create new ones. Emphasizes that time is critical for affordability and sustainability.
• Anthony Buono — Select Board: Town Meeting Member and Advisory Committee veteran with a data/finance background. Priorities: protecting Brookline's AAA bond rating, expanding the commercial tax base to avoid endless overrides, roadway safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and senior care including sidewalk accessibility and mental health outreach.
• Suzanne Federspiel — School Committee: Incumbent School Committee member committed to equitable, high-quality public education for every Brookline student.
• Laura Baines-Walsh — School Committee: Educator and parent running on "every child seen, supported, challenged." Priorities: clear academic benchmarks, cell phone/technology policies, stronger middle school experience, good governance and fiscal transparency, critical thinking, and meeting all students' needs.
• Aylit Schultz — School Committee: Nephrologist and 20+ year Brookline resident making her first run. Focuses on academic excellence and fiscal responsibility. Concerned about leadership turnover (seven superintendents in ten years) and wants a focused, strategic, financially disciplined School Committee.
• Faiza Khan — School Committee: Public school educator and district math director with a doctorate in educational leadership and an MBA. Priorities: high academic expectations with student support, transparent budget alignment with educational goals, and long-term collaborative planning rather than crisis-driven decisions.
• Chris Chanyasulkit — Trustees of the Public Library: Incumbent library trustee committed to expanding access, digital resources, and community programming at Brookline Public Library.
• Marissa F. Vogt — Trustees of the Public Library: Planetary physicist and Library Trustee since 2023 running for re-election. Champions intellectual freedom (anti-book-bans), inclusive library programming, and community accessibility. Also a Town Meeting Member focused on affordable housing, school support, and pedestrian/bike infrastructure.
• Amy Newell — Trustees of the Public Library: Software engineer turned library advocate. Believes libraries are critical democratic infrastructure. 25 years in tech, Brookline resident since 1998, Town Meeting Member since 2023. Wants to bring tech and leadership perspective to the trustee role.
• Shawn K O'Neal — Trustees of the Public Library: Civic leader and community organizer running to make Brookline's library more equitable and accessible for all residents.
• Petra G. Bignami — Trustees of the Public Library: Runs on governance, budget/finance, and talent management expertise. Emphasizes moderation and compromise over polarized politics. Pledges to support the new Library Director and ensure strong programming. Endorsed by Brookline PAX, Brookline by Design, and Brookline for Responsible Government.
• Jonathan Klein — Housing Authority: Civic activist and Town Meeting Member focused on expanding Brookline's affordable housing stock.
• Joseph Figler — Constable
• Sarah Ericsson — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 1
• Amy R. Evenson — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 1
• Carol B. Hillman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 1
• Bettina Neuefeind — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 1
• Paul Warren — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 1
• Robert M. Miller — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• Colleen Newsome — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• Markus L. Penzel — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• Ariel Soiffer — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• David Trevvett — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• Megan Hinman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 2
• Murray Dewart — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Anne L. Turner — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Sadaf K Kazmi — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Gregory Wheeler — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Leigh Heyman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Sean Leckey — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 3
• Elizabeth Childs — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Christopher Dempsey — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Matthew Hyatt — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Liz Linder — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Awet Teame — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Zahriyannah Karakashian-Jones — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 4
• Anthony Evans Flint — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 5
• Wendy Friedman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 5
• Wendy Stahl — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 5
• Ian Huntington — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 5
• Benjamin Day — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 5
• Catherine C. Anderson — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 6
• Patricia Ann Correa — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 6
• Bitsy Perlman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 6
• Clinton Q. Richmond — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 6
• John P. Hebert — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• Amy Isikoff Newell — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• Jessica W. Stokes — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• Matthew D. Zalesak — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• Samantha Rothberg — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• Rani D. Balakrishna — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 7
• John Harris — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Nancy Heller — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Alexander Lebovitz — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Francine B. Perler — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Eric C. Stone — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Kailey Bennett — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Catherine Michaels — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 8
• Lee L. Biernbaum — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Marion Freedman-Gurspan — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Martin R. Rosenthal — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Judith A. Vanderkay — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Carey Goldberg — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Ben Chostner — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Aron Unger — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Jess Levasseur — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Emily Jaffe — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Katherine Wilkins — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 9
• Suzette Abbott — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• Kimberly Elizabeth Loscalzo — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• Ariel C. Maddocks — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• Jessica M. Lang — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• Nimisha Schneider — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• Robert T. Rogers — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 10
• John Franklin Hilliard — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• John A. Rumpler — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Andrew Riely — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Akiva Leibowitz — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Jennifer Goldsmith — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Andrew Halpert — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Carol B. Caro — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 11
• Michael A. Burstein — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Stephanie A. Bruce — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Margaret B. Molloy — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Jonathan Phillips — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Tracy Margaret Harrison — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Christopher James Stadler — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 12
• Michael Thomas Best — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• Werner Lohe — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• David Mendels — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• Victoria Fernandez — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• Philip Steigman — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• Leigha Cuniberti — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 13
• Youkavet Samih — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 14
• Sharon R. Schoffmann — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 14
• Sami Zelkha — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 14
• Sassan Zelkha — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 14
• Brenda Hefter — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 14
• Arisa Susan Boit — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• Jane M. Flanagan — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• Benedicte J. Hallowell — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• Rory Hallowell — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• James C. Rourke Jr. — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• Blair Hines — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 15
• Deborah Moore Abner — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• David S. Day — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• Michael Harrington — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• Judith Leichtner — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• Joseph Ross — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• Nick Fetzer — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 16
• Katherine Elizabeth Haenschen — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Elizabeth A. Schafer — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Joseph Valencia — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Anthony J. Buono — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Jonathan Golden — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Elizabeth Hudson — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Franklin Cohen — Town Meeting Member — Precinct 17
• Bruce Arfsten — Mayor: Re-elected Mayor of Addison, TX. Resident since 2003, 30-year real estate professional, and six-year council veteran.
• Chris DeFrancisco — City Council: Incumbent Deputy Mayor Pro Tempore and banking executive. Over 15 years in finance, currently President at PlainsCapital Bank. Served on Addison City Council 2011–2015 and again since 2022.
• Howard Freed — City Council: Incumbent council member whose term expires May 2026. Vocal advocate on city financial matters and supported the DART withdrawal referendum.
• Darren Gardner — City Council: Incumbent Mayor Pro Tem. Lifelong Texan and Addison resident for 8 years. Founder of TeksInc and experienced business coach with corporate leadership background at TU Electric, Microsoft, and ClubCorp.
• Trish Stuart — City Council: Challenger candidate for Addison City Council in the May 2, 2026 election.
• Schnell Blanton — City Council: Challenger candidate with over 25 years in business development, instructional design, and project management. Owner of a wholesale wine and liquor distribution company and experienced non-profit board member.
• Luis Palomo — Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees: Candidate for CFBISD Board of Trustees in the May 2, 2026 election. Community member running to bring fresh perspective and advocacy to district governance.
• Carolyn Benavides — Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees: Incumbent CFBISD trustee seeking re-election in May 2026. Has served the district since 2023 and brings three years of board experience to the race.
• Cinthya Noda — Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees: 14-year public education veteran, bilingual coordinator, and single mother of two CFBISD students. Daughter of immigrant parents and first-generation college graduate.
• Dave Jimenez — Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Board of Trustees: Technology consulting executive with 30 years of organizational leadership. Coppell resident with deep CFBISD ties — his wife spent 30 years in the district as a teacher, administrator, and principal.
• Sarah Weinberg — Dallas ISD Board of Trustees: Incumbent District 2 trustee, CPA and Chartered Financial Analyst. Former Chief Strategy Officer of United to Learn and Leadership ISD Dallas alumna, first elected June 2023.
• Winnetka K. Smith — Dallas ISD Board of Trustees: Challenger for DISD District 2. Grassroots independent candidate focused on expanding career and technical education pathways, zero-based budgeting, and student mental health services.
• Joyce Foreman — Dallas ISD Board of Trustees: Incumbent District 6 trustee since 2014. Retired 30-year business owner, Doctorate of Divinity, and former DART Vice Chair. District 6 is the only DISD district with no D or F campus ratings.
• Stephen Todd Poole — Dallas ISD Board of Trustees: Challenger for DISD District 6. Long-time teacher and education activist running against incumbent Joyce Foreman in the May 2, 2026 election.
• Joe Carreon — Dallas ISD Board of Trustees: DISD alumnus, Harvard Kennedy School graduate, and practicing attorney. Former Obama White House education policy staff and founder of the Student Voices Leadership program at Thomas Jefferson High School.