Letter: Don't be 'one of the two'

Posted 3/11/17

To the editor:

As most people in town well know, in November Barrington voters approved a bond referendum for construction of a new Barrington Middle School by an almost 2 to 1 vote. In January, …

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Letter: Don't be 'one of the two'

Posted

To the editor:

As most people in town well know, in November Barrington voters approved a bond referendum for construction of a new Barrington Middle School by an almost 2 to 1 vote. In January, our town council also approved the project with a unanimous affirmative vote. Now, there is one final approval required before the project can move forward: a Special Financial Town Meeting on Thursday, March 16 at Barrington High School, at which more than 50 percent of the people in the room will need to vote yes - in person.  

Prior to the November vote, I wrote to Barrington Times to share my story about not being "one of the two". A few people have suggested that I share this again, so here is an abbreviated version.

In 2013, my family was living in Cornwall, NY - a small town on the Hudson River just north of West Point. We had moved there for the same reasons that brought us to Barrington last year, drawn by the strong sense of community and the excellent reputation of Cornwall’s schools.

Every year prior, Cornwall voters had passed the school budget by a comfortable margin. But, 2013 was a different story. There were funding cuts at the state level that required a school budget over the tax cap in order to prevent elimination of programs and teaching positions.

When election day came, many people thought the budget would pass and did not get to the polls to cast a vote; they were busy with work, carpools, dinner, and homework. The school budget did not pass that day. It was two votes short.

So back to Barrington and the in-person vote on March 16. At least 100 people are needed for the vote to take place, and majority rules. In November, while there were 5,978 residents who approved the BMS bond, there were also 3,388 who voted against it. If turnout among the majority who voted yes in November is not strong, this vital project that has been approved by the electorate as well as the town council could be derailed.

Please, mark your calendar for Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m. and get to Barrington High School to vote YES for BMS - again. There will be babysitting provided for those with young children. Our schools, our property values, our community, our kids are counting on us!

Respectfully,

Julie Sullivan Owens

Barrington

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