To the editor:

Last week's Phoenix featured a front page article regarding the recent local candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Bristol Phoenix, and one of the first questions asked was the recent controversial decision by the Bristol Town Council to allow the installation of Flock cameras in our town.

Anyone who follows local and national news has seen the stories of numerous cities, towns, and even entire states banning the use of Flock cameras due to privacy concerns, government overreach, and unscrupulous police officers using Flock cameras for nefarious purposes, but to my surprise, during the forum, the current Town Council chairman doubled down on his decision to allow Flock cameras, despite widespread concern from his constituents, along with the upcoming election next month.

To their credit, Town Council members Aaron Ley and Tim Sweeney expressed reservations about the installation of Flock cameras when they were first proposed. Ley opposed, but unfortunately was outvoted by the other members of the council, as is the case in many decisions that come before the council.

I'm quite cognizant of the fact that it's pretty much a guarantee Aaron and Tim will be in the minority on the council for at least the next two years, but hopefully in the 2028 election, Bristol voters will realize it's time for a change, and poor decisions such as voting to approve Flock cameras will come to an end.

Poor voting has consequences, and the approval of Flock cameras in Bristol is a perfect example of that.

Mike Proto
Bristol