To the editor:

Well, there was a landslide vote last week in Barrington. I do not believe this landslide will favor Barrington taxpayers. 

At the 2017 Financial Town Meeting, a vote was taken that led to three new members being appointed to the Committee on Appropriations. The new committee only seemed concerned with making sure the schools got the budget they wanted. There was no push to lower either the municipal or school budget during their first budget season. 

Now we have a new school committee with three new members and two incumbent members. I believe when they get sworn in in January, one of their first meetings and implementations will be to institute the new school start times. This has been their mission all along. 

They will not take the taxpayer into effect, but wait, most of you voted for them. Our taxes will surely rise with the transportation needs (2- or 3 tier bus system) to support this initiative (although they will tell you it is cost neutral). They will also be faced with teacher contract negotiations, which, in the past, have not favored taxpayers. Maybe the town should be looking into a 2- or 3-tier tax system where people in town with kids pay a higher tax and the rest of us get a tax break. 

I was disappointed to see a long-time resident and Barrington business owner voted off the town council and a person who has lived here for three years voted in. 

Should there be only one voice on our school committee, town council and COA? That is what this town voted for on Tuesday.

As for question 3 about having the DPW do school maintenance, do not complain when streets take longer to plow or other services they provide are late — they only have 21 people and they are spread thin now. Maybe the town should hire 10 more to help. 

This is my opinion. Hopefully they prove me wrong but I don’t see that happening.

Tom Rimoshytus

Barrington