WHY I AM DEVELOPING THIS SITE

It has become very expensive to run a campaign in Brookline. While I firmly believe that our political leaders are motivated by their desire to serve Brookline well, there is a growing segment of the population that is concerned that at the local level, as at the federal level, people and organizations who are able to donate significant funds to campaigns have undue influence. This has contributed to distrust of town government.

In this age of the internet, it should be possible to run a local campaign at a relatively low cost. I am trying to demonstrate that it is. I intend to refrain from cluttering Brookline with signs and hope to rely on friends to spread the word about my campaign and this website.

My other goal is to add more substance to the electoral process. I moved to Brookline almost twenty years ago, shortly after my first child was born. I have always been concerned that it is difficult for voters to distinguish among candidates. Even back in the early 1990's, when rent control divided the town, voters relied on the endorsements of political action committees to separate pro- and anti-rent control candidates. Campaign literature tends to be bland, with candidates taking strong stands only on those issues where they know they can appeal to a vast majority of the electorate. Endorsements (like those you see above) and personal resumes are important. Most of the decisions School Committee members and other town leaders face are technical rather than political. Still, there are times when the School Committee is divided. It is important that voters have a chance to find out where we stand. In my last contested race, I broke with tradition and sent out a four-page newsletter outlining my positions on the major issues that had come before School Committee. Unfortunately, that election pre-dated my development of web skills, and I was only able to reach a small portion of the electorate.

Over the next several weeks, I hope to use this site to explain my positions on the key issues facing our schools. I plan to begin by posting old documents to this site and then adding updated position statements. I welcome your thoughts and comments. You can reach me at klang1@rcn.com. Please encourage your friends in Brookline to visit this site.

Sincerely,

Kevin Lang
Chairman, Brookline School Committee
and candidate for reelection