Anthony Buono says May 5 override is needed to avert cuts, frames campaign on affordability and growth

Anthony Buono, a candidate for the Brookline Select Board, said in a televised interview that a May 5 property-tax override is necessary to prevent immediate reductions to town and school services and that his campaign will prioritize expanding the tax base and affordable housing.

Buono said affordability is "the largest issue in Brookline, Massachusetts, and America," and described the override as a short-term necessity to avoid cuts he said would harm services residents rely on. "Right now, if we do not pass this override, there will be a loss of around 220 teachers, pushing class sizes up to 35 to 1," Buono said. He added that town operations could lose a fire truck and a fire company, six police positions, and that cybersecurity funding billed through a federal grant would lapse in 2027.

The candidate tied those potential cuts to broader fiscal choices and past policy: "The reason we are in this override environment is because past leaders did not prioritize growth commercially or residentially to expand the tax base," Buono said. He said his approach would combine short-term support via the override with a longer-term effort to "grow the pie" by encouraging economic activity and cautious development to expand revenues.

Buono also identified specific uses at risk if the override fails, saying the town could lose about $170,000 that now supports a senior-center transportation program. He framed maintaining school and public-safety staffing levels as central to protecting Brookline's property values and services.

On housing, Buono said the town should use existing planning work — the comprehensive plan, the housing production plan and recent studies — to guide targeted growth and that the Affordable Housing Trust Fund should be adjusted for inflation so it retains purchasing power.

Buono cautioned that he could not promise an override would be unnecessary three years from now but said he would work to expand the tax base so future overrides are less likely. The candidate did not present supporting documents or independent corroboration for the staffing-loss estimates; those figures were presented as his assessment of budget consequences if an override fails.

The May 5 override will be decided by local voters; Buono's remarks framed the ballot question as a tradeoff between near-term service preservation and longer-term affordability goals. The interview did not record an opponent's perspective or independent analysis of the fiscal projections.

Next steps: the override vote on the May 5 ballot will determine whether the funding Buono described remains available.