To the editor:

In a recent letter-to-the-editor endorsing Cindy Coyne for the Senate, Louise House, past director of the Barrington Senior Center, describes Ms. Coyne as a “dedicated advocate for the seniors” with a “moral compass and is committed to this vulnerable population.”

It’s not clear from the letter exactly what Ms. Coyne did to deserve such praise, but the record of Ms. Coyne as a Barrington council member, Trustee of Barrington’s Spencer Trust, and time in the Senate, paints a different picture. 

In spite of Barrington being one of the highest per-capita cost of living towns in the state, especially for seniors, Councilor Coyne put residents second when it came to handing out property tax breaks for wealthy affordable housing developers paid for, in part, by Barrington seniors. On March 3, 2014, Councilor Coyne stated her position in a council meeting that the only way she would address the controversy of property tax breaks in favor of housing developers was if a resident sued the town. In sum, she would have to be forced.  

As a council liaison for the Barrington Senior Services Advisory Board, why was it not Councilor Coyne, but instead, residents, who ultimately provided the Advisory Board with important information about the Spencer Trust? Ms. Coyne spent 2010–2014 as an official of the Spencer Trust, yet nothing in her record demonstrates a willingness to alert Barrington seniors on the existence of the Spencer Trust until residents themselves took up the cause.

During most of Ms. Coyne’s tenure as a trustee for the Spencer Trust, the availability of funds remained well hidden from the Barrington Tap-In center, the Barrington Senior Services Advisory Board, and the Barrington Senior Center. It wasn’t until public pressure forced Ms. Coyne to finally "Discuss Correspondence from TAPIN" in a November 4, 2013 Spencer Trust meeting that Barrington seniors began to realize the Trust was there for them, not multi-million dollar housing developers. 

Senator Coyne has demonstrated that she can follow the orders handed down to her by political superiors, even when criminalizing blowing leaves would become a heavy and extra cost burden carried by our most vulnerable seniors. Did Senator Coyne think for a moment about who would get hit the hardest with such a ridiculous law?  Apparently, no! 

Ms. Coyne’s lack of interest in resolving these issues in the best interests of seniors clearly points her moral compass in the direction of: “If seniors can’t afford their homes, then consider moving out.” Is that the direction we want our moral compass to be pointing?

Gary Morse

Barrington