Editor at Brookline.News, a nonprofit news site covering the town of Brookline, MA. Before this, I was a reporter covering transportation and energy policy in DC and Boston.https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3ml5kmlwik22yAlong with some very surprising Town Meeting results, huge gains for progressives and pro-housing candidates in tonight's Brookline election. More reporting to come on that later this week [contains quote post or other embedded content]06 May 2026 01:33 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5kmlwik22yhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3ml5kku3prs2yBreaking news: Two-term Select Board member John VanScoyoc was defeated in Tuesday's Brookline election by new candidates Amanda Zimmerman and Anthony Buono. In the School Committee race, Suzanne Federspiel, Laura Baines-Walsh and Faiza Khan beat out Aylit Schultz. https://brookline.news/vanscoyoc-ousted-from-select-board-federspiel-baines-walsh-and-khan-win-school-committee-seats/06 May 2026 01:32 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5kku3prs2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3ml5ire3tjs2lBreaking news: Brookline override passes overwhelmingly, staving off severe cuts to schools and town departments https://brookline.news/voters-overwhelmingly-approve-tax-override-staving-off-cuts-to-schools-and-town-departments/06 May 2026 00:59 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml5ire3tjs2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3ml4qg6pzys2eOne override "no" voter we talked to said the town should spend less on schools and more on roads. "These people don’t know how to spend money, they’re [expletive] stupid." "You could take the population of Brookline and put them under a tree with a tablet, and they’re going to learn." [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 May 2026 17:44 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4qg6pzys2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3ml27ylrp7c2yWe're hiring a reporter at @brooklinenews.bsky.social a nonprofit hyperlocal newsroom in Brookline, MA. Full time position focused on the education and schools beat, with some additional general assignment reporting. $62.4k salary + 20% flexible benefit stipend https://brookline.news/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Brookline.News-reporter-job-listing.pdf04 May 2026 17:44 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml27ylrp7c2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mkyi33kwhs26I'm sure there's much more to it that a racing nerd could explain but it's wild how much of a difference in entertainment levels you get between cars going in a circle vs in a fun different shape every week04 May 2026 01:04 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkyi33kwhs26https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mkq7lkndgk22Wild list of errors and that's even before you get to "sits peeing down" [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 18:11 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq7lkndgk22https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mkgcswqn6222Me when I'm going places for reporting26 Apr 2026 19:42 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkgcswqn6222https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mk3um3zyds2oHerald readers are always kept up to date on the important issues22 Apr 2026 16:01 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk3um3zyds2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjzq7mhr722oLongshot here, but anyone know of a good municipal tax policy expert in the Boston area, ideally an academic, who could weigh in on a story?21 Apr 2026 19:37 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzq7mhr722ohttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjzg3vf23227There's a big local election coming up in Brookline and social media and email listservs are lighting up with posts making arguments one way or another and there is SO MUCH being written by AI. I have no fully formed thesis about this but I will just say it Seems Potentially Really Bad.21 Apr 2026 16:36 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjzg3vf23227https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjwvgelpq22gThe problem with suing a magazine that wrote that you drink excessively is that if you lose, now a judge or jury also said that you drink excessively20 Apr 2026 16:32 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwvgelpq22ghttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjwrh4s5bc2uIt's always the parking. The developer behind the The Street (Newton shopping center) is opposing zoning for a commercial development right across Route 9 in Brookline, over worries that parking minimum is too low and drivers will overflow into its own lots. https://brookline.news/owner-of-the-street-opposes-brooklines-zoning-for-commercial-development-over-parking-fears/20 Apr 2026 15:21 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwrh4s5bc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjozzkn3ns2dJake Auchincloss is a heavy favorite to win reelection in the MA 4th, but he's not without challengers, including two progressives and a Brookline Republican who is also a Bernie fan. Shoutout to BU student reporter Nathan Metcalf for helping us cover this race! https://brookline.news/two-progressives-and-a-brookline-republican-will-try-to-unseat-auchincloss-in-4th-district-race/17 Apr 2026 13:33 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjozzkn3ns2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjn32luhvc2nSometimes you look up a Facebook troll you've been arguing with and you find their prior federal prison sentence for trying to sell corporate secrets from the company they worked for to the Israeli government. Then maybe you just blink a couple times and move on with your day16 Apr 2026 18:46 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjn32luhvc2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjkrj66gsc27One candidate's past Town Meeting votes to abstain from LGBTQ+ resolutions take center stage in the Brookline School Committee election. She's also been criticized for comments on the deaths of children in Gaza that she says were taken out of context. https://brookline.news/school-committee-race-marked-by-controversy-over-candidates-town-meeting-votes-on-lgbtq-resolutions/15 Apr 2026 20:50 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjkrj66gsc27https://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mjf7zf6rbk2jThis is a really nice piece of local political reporting about changes at Quincy City Hall from the Globe's great Brian MacQuarrie https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/13/metro/quincy-city-hall-politics-changing/13 Apr 2026 15:54 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjf7zf6rbk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/samjmintz.bsky.social/post/3mj3tvrpclk2dHelp from the state legislature doesn't appear to be coming anytime soon for Brookline and other MA communities facing a budget squeeze because of Prop 2 1/2. [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Apr 2026 22:23 +0000at://did:plc:7gqfdvcsh4c52nim4wrfa4wf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj3tvrpclk2d