To the editor:

After living in Barrington for more than 55 years and attending many Town Meetings over the decades, I have never seen our town quite like it is today.

I encourage Barrington residents to watch the July 27 Barrington Town Council meeting and listen carefully to the discussion surrounding proposed changes to the town charter. 

In my view, some of these proposed changes appear to add new steps and restrictions following a recent vote that did not produce the outcome some council members had hoped for. Council President Braxton Cloutier expressed those sentiments during the meeting, in my opinion.

The issues being discussed are important because the town charter serves as a framework for how Barrington is governed and how decisions involving local finances and other municipal matters are made. Any proposed changes deserve careful consideration by voters.

The results of recent votes demonstrate, in my opinion, that residents are paying attention to the issues facing their community and are capable of making thoughtful and informed decisions. It is important to remember that budgets were not cut. Rather, proposed increases were rejected. There is a significant difference between reducing an existing budget and declining to approve an increase.

I am also concerned about the belief that Barrington has unlimited resources to spend. It does not. Taxpayers must live within their means, and I believe our town government should be held to the same standard.

I also disagree with the suggestion made by a former council member that Barrington residents are not informed. The discussion surrounding Belton Court and the former Bible college also raises questions about the suggestion that elected officials are always better informed than the residents they represent.

As I recall, some officials who have since commented on these issues opposed the acquisition of those properties when they served on the council. That history is worth remembering when considering the suggestion that elected officials are always the most informed voices on matters affecting the town.

Does someone who has lived in Barrington for only a few years and has recently been elected to the council automatically know more about the town's history, finances and politics than residents who have lived here for decades and regularly participated in town meetings? I do not believe that is necessarily the case. Experience and institutional knowledge exist throughout the community, not only among those who currently hold elected office.

Even members of the current council have acknowledged that they are continuing to learn about the town and its government. That is understandable. But it should also serve as a reminder that longtime residents have valuable knowledge and perspectives that deserve to be respected.

There was also discussion about moving money within the town budget and whether that authority already exists under the current charter. (This was explained by Maryanne the finance director at a special town council meeting April 15.)

My understanding is that the charter allows funds to be moved within an affected budget. If authority has been expanded, or is now being proposed, to allow money to be shifted from unrelated line items, voters should carefully examine what those changes would mean and whether they have previously approved such authority.

That is why I encourage Barrington voters to pay close attention to the proposed charter changes that will appear on the November ballot. If you believe voters should continue to have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting the town budget, take the time to review each proposed change.

Understand what is being proposed and consider how those changes could affect the role of voters in local government.

If you disagree with the proposed changes, vote against them and make your position clear. In our system of local government, elected officials serve the community, and ultimately the voters have the responsibility of deciding who represents them and how their town should be governed.

Finally, if we are truly concerned about how school budgets are handled and the inability of voters to consider individual budget items, then town officials should also be encouraging our state legislators to examine whether state law should provide local voters with a greater opportunity to weigh in on individual school-budget line items.

Barrington residents have an important responsibility and an important right. Stay informed. Ask questions. Attend meetings. Review the proposed charter changes. And just remember that people are looking to be re-elected again that have put us in this place.

And most importantly, vote.

Tom Rimoshytus

Barrington