Brandeis alumni and Brookline native Rani Balakrishna ’25 is making an impact on her community in a big way. The former president of the Brandeis Student Union has entered local politics in her hometown by running unopposed for a seat in Town Meeting, which is the legislative arm of Brookline’s local government.

Having only graduated from college one year ago, Balakrishna has not yet determined her path in the professional world. She decided to run for Town Meeting after her predecessor, Ernest Frey, left his position with one year left in his term. Typical terms within Brookline’s Town Meeting are three years; Balakrishna, who won her election with over 500 votes, will finish the remaining year in Frey’s term.  

In the past Balakrishna has been frustrated with Brookline politics due to the slow speed of bureaucracy and the focus on political issues that the town cannot change such as foreign policy. As a representative for Town Meeting, Balakrishna plans to keep the conversation on relevant Brookline issues such as development policy and affordability for renters. Brookline, which borders the Fenway neighborhood of Boston on Beacon Street, is becoming a very popular place for younger renters to move to after graduating college. 

Balakrishna will be one of fifteen representatives from Brookline’s seventh precinct out of seventeen. She ran issues like improving the town’s infrastructure, and said that she loves “pothole politics” in a May 10 interview with The Justice. As a city, Brookline loves its public services. The city is dotted with incredible public schools, public parks and public transportation. Balakrishna wants to maintain and improve the infrastructure of these aspects of Brookline, especially since the city is expecting a major influx of tourism this summer when the FIFA World Cup comes to Boston between June 13 and July 9.

In the same election where Balakrishna won her seat in Town Meeting, residents of Brookline also voted to increase property taxes by 18% over the next three years. The tax increase will prevent mass firings within the Brookline public school system and cuts to the fire department. Balakrishna, who voted for the tax increase, believes that “[Brookline residents] need to expand our tax base for the survival of the town.” Balakrishna pointed out that the Brookline community is becoming a “kitchen-sink group of characters;” the people moving into Brookline are a diverse group of younger people who are renting instead of buying. The town’s tax base and representatives within Town Meeting need to reflect these changes in demographics to improve the quality of life in Brookline for everyone.

Balakrishna ran unopposed but campaigned anyway, resulting in her election garnering the most votes of any Town Meeting in her precinct. She, and other seventh precinct candidates handed out cards reminding Brookline residents to vote. Balakrishna was endorsed by Brookline for Everyone, a nonprofit housing advocacy group she works for, as well as Progressive Brookline, Brookline PAX, Young Democrats of Massachusetts and Real Action Inc. Besides “pothole politics,” Balakrishna campaigned on community building, stating that she wants to bring “back block parties” and “spruce up Coolidge Corner.” Her first opportunity to do so will be on Tuesday, May 26 at the year’s first Town Meeting. 

While at Brandeis, Balakrishna majored in Politics and minored in Journalism. Her time working within Student Union led her to want to work in politics professionally after graduating college. She “found a lot of gratification in student union politics.” As president of the Student Union, some of her accomplishments included the signage for the International Cultural Center and the availability of free menstrual products in bathrooms across the Brandeis campus. When asked about advice she would give to current Brandeis students, she dutifully responded with “schmooze as much as you can” and to not be afraid to say yes to opportunities you aren’t sure are a great fit. Balakrishna took a job with the nonprofit Abundant Housing Massachusetts and has since found success there, despite not knowing if she will be at the nonprofit full time.

Local politics was not always her goal after graduating — Balakrishna purposefully ran for the one-year term not knowing yet if she plans to stay in Brookline long enough to hold a three-year term as a representative. If she stays in Brookline she plans to run for reelection for a three-year term but, regardless, is looking forward to a long career in politics. She’s thought about state representation and state senates as possible career paths, as well as Congress further down the line. As for now, Balakrishna is looking forward to her time as a representative in Brookline’s Town Meeting and has many goals for the betterment of Brookline that she is excited to accomplish.