Select Board Names Negotiator for Pleasant Street Deal
The Brookline Select Board named Vice Chair Michael Rubenstein as the town's negotiator with the owner of 26 Pleasant Street after concluding the town could not afford to buy the property for open space.
Select Board · Meeting of August 25, 2026
BROOKLINE — The Brookline Select Board named Vice Chair Michael Rubenstein as the town's negotiator with the owner of 26 Pleasant Street after concluding the town could not afford to buy the property for open space. The board also voted to send a letter to parking garage and lot owners urging them not to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement's request for "surge parking facilities," appointed Deputy Building Commissioner Paul R. Campbell as interim building commissioner and Public Buildings Director Charlie Simmons as interim commissioner of public buildings following Dan Bennett's retirement, and committed $9,750 from the Affordable Housing Trust to negotiate extended affordability restrictions at 99 Kent Street and 77 Village Way.
Town Clerk Ben Coffman told the board during public comment that holding a meeting on Sept. 1, the state primary date, amounted to "voter suppression." All votes were unanimous, 5-0.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 4,309 words
Source: the Select Board meeting of August 25, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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