Katherine Quinn sat before the town council and told her story.

The Barrington resident explained how she had tried multiple times to earn a spot on the town’s zoning board only to face a series of set-backs and challenges — most of them coming from the council president, Michael Carroll, who holds much of the power when it comes to board appointments. Ms. Quinn said it was clear to her that the council is determined to exclude certain people from serving on boards and commissions.

She said she was shocked and upset by the situation.

At least one member of the Barrington Town Council believes Ms. Quinn has every right to be upset, after twice having her application delayed because she was the only person to apply for a zoning board opening.

“I would be upset too,” Mr. Brier said.

During the public comment period of the Dec. 6 council meeting, Ms. Quinn offered a summary of her experiences while trying to get appointed to the town’s zoning board. She said she first applied for the board months ago, but later received an email from the town stating her interview would not be on that month’s council agenda because she was the only person to apply. Ms. Quinn said she was told her application was being held for a later meeting, when there would be a larger pool of applicants. 

Ms. Quinn challenged the truthfulness of that message. She said she has attended other council meetings when single applicants sat for interviews and also got appointed. 

In fact, just minutes before the public comment period of the Dec. 6 meeting, the council interviewed single applicants for the board of elections and the resiliency and energy committee. The council voted to appoint both applicants to their desired committees, even though they were the only people interviewed that night.

Ms. Quinn questioned the inconsistencies in the process. 

She said she applied for the zoning board a second time and again discovered she was the only applicant. And again, she received an email from the town stating that her application was being held until the following council meeting, she said. 

Later that month, Ms. Quinn attended the zoning board meeting, she said, and watched as the board could not reach a quorum. 

“This is insane,” Ms. Quinn told the council. 

But her story was not finished. Sitting in front of the council on Dec. 6, she said she applied a third time for the zoning board and at the November council meeting she was interviewed along with three other applicants. The council appointed the three other applicants for the three openings, she said. Ms. Quinn said that while all the appointees were qualified, she felt that they all brought very similar backgrounds to the zoning board and that she would have offered a unique perspective. 

Ms. Quinn said she later discovered that at least one of the applicants to earn a spot on the board had applied after the posted deadline. Mr. Brier confirmed that information. 

Ms. Quinn said she emailed a town official to see if the council had erred when appointing someone who had applied late, but she learned that Mr. Carroll was well within his powers to do so. 

Ms. Quinn read the email she received — it stated that the council president was not restricted by the application deadline listed with the board openings, and, in fact, had the power to appoint anyone he wanted to. 

Ms. Quinn said she was glad that Mr. Carroll did not break any laws and that he was free not to be sued, but added that she believed it was clear the council was intent on excluding certain people from serving on certain boards. 

“I’ve been trying to volunteer to be on the zoning board,” she said. 

“I’ve been trying to step up, and it’s not OK. What’s going on behind the scenes to exclude certain people and include other people, it’s not OK.”

In the past, Mr. Brier has pushed for the council to establish a more transparent process for board appointments. He said he wanted the council to create a clear, consistent process. The current process leaves full discretion to the council president.

The Dec. 6 meeting was not the first time Ms. Quinn has faced off against the council president. In the fall of 2020, Ms. Quinn and another resident filed complaints against Mr. Carroll and former councilor Kate Weymouth. Ms. Quinn alleged that Mr. Carroll “used his position of power to harassingly silence and gaslight” Ms. Quinn as she was trying to advocate for another resident. 

The town’s attorney wrote a memo stating that Ms. Quinn’s complaint failed to meet the four elements necessary as set forth in the town’s anti-harassment policy. 

The council later voted 3-1 to take no further action on the complaint. Mr. Carroll recused himself from the vote, and Mr. Brier was the lone dissenting vote. 

The Barrington Times emailed Mr. Carroll, requesting a response to Ms. Quinn’s comments made during the Dec. 6 public comment period. Mr. Carroll did not respond.