Video from the Barrington Town Council General Election forum
"Is it affordable to live in Barrington? If not, do you support the creation of more affordable housing in town?"
On Monday evening, the League of Women Voters RI (LWV-RI) teamed up with Scott Pickering of East Bay Newspaper Group to hold three forums featuring candidates for office in Barrington. I covered the forum featuring incumbent Representative Jennifer Boylan (Democrat) and her Republican challenger, Janine Wolf, here. I will cover the Barrington School Committee in an upcoming piece.
The Barrington Town Council General Election Forum featured all six candidates for office, including Independent candidates Brian Hughes, Derick Daley, and Bryan Hoffman; and Democratic Party candidates Liana Cassar, Kerry O'Neill, and Jordan Jancosek. I covered the LWV-RI Barrington Town Council Democratic Primary forum here.
The top five vote-getters in the General Election on Tuesday, November 5, will be sworn onto the Town Council in January.
Due to time constraints, I can’t transcribe the event, but here’s the video which starts with opening statements and introductions. Below are the questions asked by the moderator, Scott Pickering, with direct links to the candidate’s answers.
Question 1: There are many issues for our small town to address in the coming years - from lack of an economic development plan, increasing personal property taxes impacting many of our seniors, and rising seawater levels to name a few. If elected, what would be your number one priority to address in your capacity as a town counselor?
Question 2: The school district's current plan is to make improvements at three elementary schools and move students out of the Hampton Meadows School. Assuming this moves forward as planned, what are your thoughts about future uses of that building and property?
Question 3: Is it affordable to live in Barrington? If not, do you support the creation of more affordable housing in town?
Question 4: Are you in favor of requiring town services and town department heads to adopt climate friendly practices?
Question 5: There are two major initiatives to create artificial turf field complexes in Barrington - one at Barrington High School, which is combined with the renovation of the track, and the other at Barrington Middle School, to create more durable field options for youth programs. Do you support or object to either of these plans and do you support the use of artificial turf as a solution to the field problems for youth and school sports teams?
Question 6: What would you do as a town counselor to impact the business sector in Barrington?
Question 7: Is there anything you would like to talk about that we have not talked about so far tonight?