Photo: James Rojas / WBZ NewsRadio
BROOKLINE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Taking a page out New York City Mayor Eric Adams' war campaign against rats, Brookline residents are taking the town's rodent problem into their own hands with a new petition.
Retirees Fran Perler and Marilyn Rosenbaum tell WBZ's James Rojas that they've made it their mission to wipe out the rats by petitioning to fund the town's Rodent Control Action Plan.
"As Tip O'Neill said, all politics are local, and this is our local issue. Although this crisis has many causes, and is broader than Brookline, we have seemed to have [fallen] behind others in Greater Boston. We need to urgently address this problem," Perler said.
Perler says the town has its heart in the right place, but it's a matter of getting the town's pocketbook in the right place too. Within their petition, Perler and Rosenbaum are asking town officials to approve funding for the RCAP, including resource avenues for rodent control equipment. Additionally, the initiative calls for inspections at local restaurants, outdoor dining fees, and stricter regulations and fines for improper storage of food or waste.
"Rodent control is a health issue. It's a quality-of-life issue. Something [like] controlling rodents, controlling solid waste disposal and storage— those are things every town should do," Perler said.
In just five weeks, the residents' petition garnered over a thousand signatures. Perler and Rosenbaum say they plan to send the petition over to the Brookline Select Board next week.
Photo: James Rojas / WBZ NewsRadio
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In November of last year, a special town meeting concluded that Brookline had a rat problem— a majority of residents voted to pass Warrant Article 3: "a Resolution to Urge that the Town of Brookline Devote More Resources to Trash Management and Rodent Control."
One poster around town read: "We need to be the squeaky wheel that has to be oiled because town revenues are less than town expenses."
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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