End of an Era

Brentwood Joe's Town Hall Podcast returns with major news: After 275 years, Brentwood has held its last traditional town meeting and voted to adopt SB2. In this episode, Joe recaps the March election results—including a school board seat decided by coin toss—explains what the SB2 transition means for local democracy, and shares his balanced perspective on the opportunities and challenges ahead. He spotlights Tzuo Hann Law as an example of informed civic engagement, and announces the first Annual Preserve Brentwood Fall Flea Market on September 20th, a community event raising funds for the rec center. Whether you're concerned about property taxes, curious about SB2, or looking to reconnect with neighbors, this episode has something for you. Town meeting recap coming in the next episode.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Brentwood Joe's Town and Hall Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Hey little folks, get another round Sam. Let's let the jumbler let's break it down. Make a difference today, Brentwood Joe's Town Hall. Let's find a way!

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Brentwood Joe's Town Hall Podcast. First, let me apologize for the long layoff. A lot has changed with how I will be doing the podcast from here forward. I made the decision to start doing the podcast from my house. Previously, I was dependent on others, my brother-in-law Mike Tarmey in particular, for getting the episodes done, edited, and published. When I started this, I was unaware of how much time actually goes into a podcast. As I've been learning, I realized I was taking up entirely too much of his time to make this happen. Mike graciously recorded, edited, and published all of the podcasts for me. While I will still be relying heavily on his guidance and the talents of Cryout Media Productions, the podcast will now be recorded and edited by myself. I thank you all for your patience and understanding. Now let's get started. I've been busy, really busy. We had our town elections and we witnessed something historic. Something that won't happen again in Brentwood. We held our 275th annual town meeting. And it was our last traditional town meeting. That's right. After 275 years of neighbors gathering in a room to debate and vote on warrants face-to-face, Brentwood has voted to move to SB2, the official ballot referendum format. It's the end of an era and the beginning of something new. Today we're going to walk through what happened on voting day. Recognize someone in our community who deserves a shout-out, and then I've got some really exciting news about a new community event coming this fall. In the next episode, we will recap that historic final town meeting. I would like to congratulate those who won their respective races for the various town positions that were up for grabs. There were 1,189 ballots cast out of 3,441 registered voters. There were 24 new registered voters and 75 absentee ballots, for a total of 33.1% voter turnout. Congratulations to Melissa Hanlon for being re-elected moderator. Bob Monagari for being elected to fulfill the final year of John Morgan's term after he abruptly quit due to increasing work obligations. Paul Kleiman, who was re-elected for a three-year term on the select board. Dave Mentor was elected to a three-year term on the select board. Jessica Baluchis was elected to a six-year term for supervisor of the checklist. Gabriel Kelly was re-elected for a three-year appointment to the budget committee. Bruce Stevens and Nathaniel Kelly were elected to three-year terms on the Planning Board, and Jim Hadger was elected to a three-year term as cemetery trustee. Nick Wrighton was elected to a three-year term for trustee of the trust funds. Jennifer Bordist and Karen Myers, who were elected to three-year terms as library trustees. Zohan Law was elected to be the Brentwood member on the Cooperative Middle School District Budget Committee. Then we had an amazing thing happen. Something I think few have ever seen before. In the race for two three-year seats on the school board, we had a very tightly contested battle. Melissa Litchfield won a seat with 565 votes. Then Jim McIntyre and Katie Coppola were tied at 530 votes after several recounts. That seat was ultimately decided with a coin toss, which is state law. Katie Coppola won the coin toss and took the seat. Now before I move on, I want to talk about what SP2 actually means. Because this is a fundamental change in how Brentwood will make decisions going forward. SP2 stands for Senate Bill II. And it's also called the official ballot referendum format. Here's how it works. Instead of debating and voting on warrant articles at town meeting, we'll now have a deliberative session where residents can discuss and potentially amend warrant articles. But the actual voting happens later by official ballot, just like we vote for candidates. The idea is that more people can participate because you don't have to attend a Saturday morning meeting. You can vote on your own schedule just like in a regular election. Now I have mixed feelings about this change, and I want to be honest with you about that. On the positive side, SB2 could increase participation. More people can vote by ballot than can attend a Saturday morning town meeting. That's a real benefit, especially for working families, people with health issues, or anyone who simply can't take that time. Democracy should be accessible, and SB2 does make voting more accessible. But here's my concern, and I think it's a legitimate one. In traditional town meeting, you heard the debate, you heard both sides argue their case, you could ask questions, get answers, and make an informed decision right there in the room with all the facts in front of you. With SB2, that deliberation still happens at the deliberative session. But let's be realistic. Far fewer people will attend that session than will vote on the ballot. So where do most voters get their information? From social media, from campaign flyers, from slickly produced videos, and here's the problem. Not all of that information is accurate. Some of it is deliberately misleading. I worry that a well-funded group with a good social media team can shape public opinion with emotional appeals and half-truths. And by the time the truth catches up, the vote is over. We've all seen it happen. A compelling Facebook post, a viral video, a catchy slogan, and suddenly everyone's talking about something that may not even be true. But it doesn't matter because the narrative is set. So here's what this means for all of us, and this is important. Your research matters more than ever. Don't just read the Facebook post, don't just watch the video. Don't let someone else's agenda become your vote. Read the actual warrant articles, attend the deliberative session if you can, ask questions, look at the numbers, do your homework. Because in a ballot-only system, there's no one in the room to fact-check the claims in real time. There's no debate where someone can stand up and say, wait, that's not accurate. It's on each of us individually to be informed voters. That's why this podcast matters. That's why Preserve Brentwood matters. We're committed to giving you accurate, detailed information so you can make informed decisions, not just react to whatever's trending on social media. SP2 can work, it can work really well if we all commit to being informed, engaged citizens. But it will fail and fail badly if we let social media soundbites and campaign slogans replace actual research and deliberation. So that's my take. Brentwood has made this choice, and now it's up to all of us to make it work by staying informed and engaged. I promise you this podcast will continue to be a source of detailed, accurate information about what's happening in our town. Before I get to the big announcement I've been teasing, I want to take a moment to recognize someone in our community who embodies exactly the kind of civic engagement we need, especially now that we're moving to SB2. His name is Zohan Law, and if you've been paying attention to town issues, you've probably seen his name come up. Zoe is younger, he's energetic, and he brings something really valuable to our community discussions. Incredibly thorough research. This isn't someone who just reads a line and forms an opinion. Zoe digs deep. He wants to understand every aspect of an issue: the history, the data, the implications, all of it. He does his homework and then he shares what he's learned. In a world where too many people get their information from social media sound bites and viral videos, Zoe represents something different. He represents the kind of informed, engaged citizenship that makes democracy work. And here's why I'm highlighting him today. As we move into this SB2 era, we need more people like Zoe. We need people who are willing to do the research, ask the hard questions, and help the neighbors understand complex issues. So Zo, if you're listening, thank you. Thank you for your energy, your thoroughness, and your commitment to understanding how our town works. You're setting an example for all of us, and Brentwood is better for having you engaged. And to everyone else listening, be like Zo. Do the research, ask the questions. Don't just accept what you see on Facebook. Dig deeper. That's how we make SB2 work for Brentwood. Alright, now for some really exciting news, and this is where we get to talk about what Preserve Brentwood has been working on. You know, with all this talk about the end-of-town meeting and the transition to SB2, it would be easy to feel like community is slipping away. Like we're losing something important about what makes Brentwood special. But here's the thing community doesn't happen just at town meeting. Community happens when neighbors connect with neighbors, when we help each other, when we come together for a common purpose. And that's exactly what we're going to do this fall. I'm excited to announce the first and hopefully annual Preserve Brentwood Fall Flea Market happening Saturday, September 20th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Brentwood Recreation Center. Now let me tell you how this came about, because it's a perfect example of what community can accomplish. A while back, myself and Laura Hadger had a meeting with our recreation director, Nick Lawrence. We went in with an idea. What if we organized a community flea market, a place where residents could sell items they no longer needed, where families could find deals, where neighbors could reconnect, and what if we used it to raise money for something the Rec Center actually needs? Turns out the Rec Center needs a new stove, and their concession stand has no cooking equipment at all. So we thought, let's do this, let's bring the community together and let's raise money to help our Rec Center. Nick was very supportive and enthusiastic with the idea. In fact, he loved the idea of bringing the community together so much we're already planning to make this an annual event. And here's the vision. Every year we'll highlight a different community need. This year it's the Rec Center stove. Next year, maybe it's something else, but the point is we're creating a tradition where neighbors help neighbors, where we solve problems together instead of always going to the town budget. Now here's what we need from you. First, we need vendors. If you got items to sell, furniture, tools, kids' toys, books, household goods, whatever, we want you there. This is your chance to declutter, make a little money, and be a part of something bigger. We're keeping the vendor fees minimal because this is about community, not profit. Second, we need volunteers. We'll need help with setup, parking, coordination, all of it. If you've got a few hours on September 20th, we'd love your help. Third, we need shoppers. Come out, browse, find some deals, and most importantly, reconnect with your neighbors. Bring your kids, bring your parents, make it a family outing. The rec department is going to have a table there showcasing all the programs they offer to Brentwood residents. A lot of people don't know it's available. Youth sports, summer camps, fitness programs, all kinds of things. This is your chance to learn what your rec center offers. Every dollar we raise above expenses goes directly to the rec center for that new stove and other improvements they need. This is pure community fundraising. And here's why this matters beyond just the stove. This is proof that we can solve problems together, that we don't always need to raise taxes or expand the town budget. Sometimes neighbors helping neighbors is the answer. So mark your calendars Saturday, September 20th, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the first annual Preserve Brentwood Fall Flea Market. If you want to be a vendor, if you want to volunteer, or if you just want more information, you can reach out to Preserve Brentwood on Facebook or just come talk to me at the next Select Board meeting. In case of rain, Nick has cleared us for the Sunday, September 27th as a makeup date. This is going to be fun. This is going to bring people together, and this is going to show what Brentwood can accomplish when we work together. I can't wait to see you all there. So that's where we are, Roundwood. We've just witnessed the end of a 275-year tradition with our last traditional town meeting. We're moving into a new era with SB2, and yes, that's a big change. Yes, there are challenges ahead. But community doesn't end because the format changes. Community continues because we choose to make it continue. Whether it's showing up to vote on those SB2 ballots with informed decisions, or showing up to the fall flea market to connect with your neighbors, or just doing your research like Zoe and sharing what you learn. That's how we keep Rentwood strong. The format of town meeting may have changed, but our commitment to each other doesn't have to. So stay informed, stay engaged, do your research, show up, and I'll see you at the flea market on September 20th. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with your neighbors. Subscribe wherever you get your podcast. And if you have questions or topics you'd like me to cover, please reach out. I can be reached at Brentwood Joe's Town Hall Podcast at gmail.com, or you can message me on the Brentwood Joe's Town Hall Podcast Facebook page. This podcast exists to keep everyone informed about what's happening in our town. I'm Joe, and this has been Brentwood Joe's Town Hall Podcast. Thank you for listening. We will talk again soon when we will discuss town meeting and what was voted on. Till then, have a great week, Brentwood.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Hey there, folks, gather round the sound. Brentwood podcast will change his found. Let's come on a moment in a little town. Let's live the jumper. Let's break it down.