Oh, man! Town drops ‘men’ from name of its governing board

Nov 15, 2017 | 12:44 PM

BROOKLINE, Mass. — A Massachusetts town has removed the word “men” from the name of its governing body.

Brookline approved changing the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board at a Town Meeting vote Tuesday. The title “selectman” has been replaced with “select board member.”

The five-member panel includes two women.

The Boston Globe reports the measure also requires the use of gender-neutral language in town documents and communications.

The changes were proposed by a member of the town’s Commission for Diversity Inclusion & Community Relations. Commission member Alex Coleman says the measure is intended to help reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Coleman says similar changes have been made in Newton and Amherst.

Brookline Town Meeting member Michael Burstein had proposed referring to all board members as selectwomen. That proposal failed.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press