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Select Board votes 'no action' on petition to bar nuclear‑weapons contractors from town bids
Summary
After a public hearing, the Select Board voted no action on a home‑rule petition that would allow Brookline to disqualify companies involved in nuclear‑weapons manufacture or maintenance from bidding on town contracts, citing scope, exceptions, and legislative practicality.
A student‑led petition and co‑petitioner presenters asked the Select Board to submit a home‑rule petition that would permit Brookline to disqualify bidders that design, manufacture or maintain nuclear weapons from town procurement. Petitioners pointed to Northampton and other municipalities as precedents and said the policy would send a moral and political signal.
Board members raised multiple concerns: how broadly to define ‘‘involved in nuclear weapons’’ (subsidiaries, suppliers, investment holdings), whether exceptions for critical goods or services (for example HVAC or other commercial products) would vitiate the policy’s effect, and whether sending another home‑rule petition to a busy Legislature was a practical use of bandwidth. Some members said similar petitions have passed elsewhere but cautioned about unintended consequences for local contracting.
After discussion and public comment, the Select Board moved and carried a motion of no action on the petition by roll call. Chair Bernard Green thanked the student petitioners for their work but said the board did not think this was an appropriate municipal bylaw for Brookline at this time.
What happens next: The petitioners may revise the petition or pursue additional community outreach. The board’s 'no action' vote means the Select Board will not forward this home‑rule petition to town meeting for approval to send to the Legislature.
