To the editor:

I ran two years ago as an independent, not because I do not support national Democratic ideals, but because I believe our School Committee, like many others across the state, should be non-partisan.  

On June 3rd of this year, the Town Council had the opportunity to let Barrington voters decide if the School Committee election should be party agnostic. They voted 4-1 to not allow this referendum. I worry that having partisanship in a School Committee election only further divides our community by encouraging votes to be determined by a “D”, “I” or an “R” rather than by the very local issues that affect our schools.  

In fact, over 90 percent of school committees in the United States are elected without party labels, and yet Barrington voters were denied the opportunity to decide if they would like to remove partisan politics from the committees.

There has been a lot of vocalized concern about whom the independent candidates really are. The Barrington Democratic Committee would like you to believe that we are MAGA in disguise. Nothing could be further from the truth. Many, including myself, were lifelong Democrats before deciding to run for local office and realizing that our local viewpoints did not quite align with the Barrington Democratic Committee. 

I do not agree with the Democratic Committee’s prior push to de-level BHS, take away neighborhood schools, or several other priorities that they had at the forefront of the last election.  

In this election, I support the candidates who will listen to the community, make informed decisions, and not just follow a local political agenda. If you are unsure about the current candidates, take a minute and visit their Facebook page, go to a meet and greet, watch the recording of the debate or email them and ask about specific issues.  

Vote for the candidates that best fit your viewpoint, not just your political affiliation for national and state elections. In Barrington, there is far more that unites us than divides us, including our overwhelming support for our teachers and kids. 

I will be supporting Kamala Harris for President, Sheldon Whitehouse for Senate and Gabe Amo for Congress, but I will support Independent candidates for Town Council and Independents Karen Rasnick and Liz Singh for School Committee.  

Frazier Bell

Barrington