To the editor:

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the individuals who step up to serve our community on our School Committee, Town Council and Committee on Appropriations. 

Municipal public service is time-consuming, public-facing, and challenging, and certainly is not well-paid. 

While we may not always agree with the decisions of elected individuals, our municipal leaders deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. 

Over the past few years and especially under the cloud of the pandemic, public engagement with these bodies has been evolving and civility in the meetings and in individual correspondence has been eroding. 

During public meetings and in all correspondence with elected officials, input from the public can serve to highlight different ideas and opinions regarding policy. However, individual attacks and intimidation have no place in a healthy public discourse. 

Across the country, municipal leaders are being attacked in public forums, leaving our public servants feeling unsafe. 

Barrington is not immune. For months, it has been necessary for the police department to be present at all meetings and occasionally to escort some of our school committee members to their vehicles afterwards. Things have gone beyond the simple expression of disagreement, and real threats exist here within our community.

It is a true commitment to public service for someone to run for office and serve for four years. Politicians on the national stage have teams of support for getting their work done. In contrast, our municipal elected officials are individuals stepping up to help the community without a similar support structure. In the best of times, it is a lot to ask of a neighbor. In the current climate of anger and polarization, it may become impossible to find individuals who are able and willing to serve our community. 

The hostility and vitriol that is becoming commonplace in our public meetings is not elevating the discourse but making it more likely that those who engage and win these seats in the future will be more extreme in their agendas. The strength of a democracy is that citizens with a diversity of opinions and ideas come together to arrive at a compromise for the best solution for a community. 

Dissatisfaction can be remedied at the ballot box, not by tearing down our public officials or waging personal attacks for the decisions that are made. It is never acceptable to create a hostile work environment.  

Thank you again to all of those who have served as municipal leaders in the past and those who are currently serving our community during these challenging times. 

Pam Lauria

Barrington

Liana Cassar

Barrington

Ms. Lauria is chairwoman of the Barrington Democratic Town Committee. Ms. Cassar is vice chairwoman of the Barrington Democratic Town Committee.