To the editor:

Barrington is two years away from being one of the most desirable places to live in New England. A historic $255 million investment means that every single school in town will be considered “net new;” giving our small town the potential to thrive over the next several decades.

And yet, somehow, we are in danger of squandering this opportunity. Regardless of your party affiliation, there's no denying that the last two years of the Town Council have been a master class in poor process.

Take the Financial Town Referendum. Voters changed the Town Charter in 2024 so each resident now has a direct vote via paper ballot. In May, 1,700 voters approved 25 questions reducing the planned budget by about $250K, including a proposed raise for the Town Manager. Two months later, the Council restored most of those cuts, raise included, based on solely a one-page email from the assistant solicitor. At the same meeting, they proposed ending line-item votes altogether. Stunning.

And that's just one example. The tax increase we knew about three years ago? The Town Council have yet to update to our economic plan. Instead of seeking a path to reduce the impact on property owners, they installed expensive, ugly signs announcing a town center with no zoning or business plan behind them. A trash rollout botched by their stunning lack of foresight and zero community engagement. ShineHarmony asking for 16 exemptions to our zoning laws, empowered by no detailed plan in place for how we will solve our affordable and senior housing challenges. A resiliency plan, approved by the Town Council, that the consultants we hired publicly stated was impossible to actually implement because we don't have the money for it. Should I go on?

Turns out our foundational problem isn’t taxes. Or the trash rollout. Or the FTR reversal. Or ShineHarmony. It’s a lack of the due diligence, sound judgment, and disciplined process we should expect from our Town Council.

What we desperately need is someone committed to minding the fundamentals: high-quality meetings, sound legal advice, solid town operations, real engagement with residents, and good use of the talented volunteers on our Advisory Committees. That's the work Town Council candidate Neile Hartman will do.

You can see her skill on display at last week’s forum. She asks tough questions, digs for root causes, and cares more about how the town runs than the issue of the month. The status quo won't get us to where we want to be. Neile will.

This November, join me in voting for Neile Hartman for Town Council and making sure the Town Council gets the message that our vision for a great town starts with them -- and the change we so desperately need.

We literally can't afford to miss this opportunity.

Patrick McCrann

Barrington