Residents press board on school‑community tensions, building‑permit records and town payouts during public comment

Several residents used the public‑comment period at the Jan. 6 Select Board meeting to press the board on matters ranging from school controversies to building‑department transparency and town liability.

Lisa Schatz (Precinct 11) began by contesting language used at a prior meeting that she said accused Jewish residents of organizing harassment campaigns against a Muslim teacher and a Palestinian student. “I wanna refute in the strongest terms a statement made at a prior select board meeting that unfairly and inaccurately characterized a group of Jewish Brookline residents, including me,” she said, calling the prior description libelous and arguing it fit a definition of antisemitism.

Kevin Casey (50 Winchester St., Unit 208) read a letter criticizing the building‑department record for Unit 103 (a renovation connected to a named resident). He said the original permit had expired, that online permit records showed no departmental sign‑offs, and that a handwritten job card filed recently had no identifying link to the permit. “My family is being directly harmed by what appears to be an unlawful situation, and we are entitled to full transparency,” Casey said, and asked for a one‑week response to several specified records requests.

Regina Frawley (Precinct 16) listed recent settlements the town has paid and urged greater supervision of staff and fiscal controls, saying the town should not be a “piggy bank” and suggesting a forensic audit if problems persist.

Board members acknowledged the comments and said staff would follow up where appropriate; the board did not take immediate action during the meeting but noted some matters (records requests and personnel oversight questions) would require staff responses and potential follow‑up reports.