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Brookline residents and advocacy groups urge reinstatement of Chi Chi Wu as Select Board debates appointments to diversity commission
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Summary
Dozens of residents and advocacy groups defended Chi Chi Wu at the Select Board meeting, calling the board’s Dec. 2 vote not to reappoint her unfair; the board questioned whether applicants’ past social-media posts risked alienating communities and heard interviews from candidates including Carrie Goldberg (who withdrew) and Masha Kogan.
Select Board members heard an extended public outcry on Dec. 16 over the board’s decision not to reappoint Chi Chi Wu to the Commission on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Community Relations.
“I was shocked, dismayed, and, frankly, embarrassed by the discussion and decision by this select board against reappointing Chi Chi Wu,” Lisa Geisbond, a Precinct 12 resident, told the board, saying the Dec. 2 vote left Wu “ousted” despite a record of civic service. Alicia Hsu, speaking for the Brookline Asian American Family Network, urged the board to restore Wu’s seat and called the process “deeply disturbed by the lack of due process.”
Wu herself addressed the board and the public, saying the reappointment process was “defective” and that she had been “tried and convicted in absentia.” She said two of three contested tweets were taken from a much larger archive she had removed and that she plans to file a civil‑rights complaint with the attorney general’s office and to use the town’s own diversity office procedures. “If the impact of my tweet offended anyone, I would apologize to those persons,” Wu said, adding she would not apologize “to the folks who have harassed and bullied me.”
At the same meeting the board interviewed three applicants for the commission. Catherine Henschen, a town‑meeting member, spoke at public comment to oppose one applicant, Carrie Beth Goldberg, citing Goldberg’s role organizing neighbors against housing at 16 William Street and arguing Goldberg’s public statements stigmatized people with substance‑use disorders; Henschen cited the Americans with Disabilities Act in her remarks.
Goldberg addressed the board in an extended interview, defended her record and said she believed the commission needed reimagining; at the end of her remarks she withdrew her application and said she would instead launch a local newsletter. Masha (Masha/Maria) Kogan introduced herself as an immigrant Brookline resident and said she would prioritize inclusive, calm public dialogue if appointed.
Select Board members debated whether a small number of social‑media posts should disqualify applicants, emphasizing the commission’s charge to be broadly welcoming. One member said the board must weigh “intent and impact” when evaluating applicants’ statements; others urged balancing viewpoint diversity with the need for the commission to avoid alienating groups.
The board did not announce further appointments at the meeting and indicated it would continue vetting candidates. Several residents urged the board to consider whether process and communication could be improved when handling sensitive appointment matters.
