To the editor:

In their insistence on allowing the misguided flag policy to continue the Barrington Town Council has now become a parody of itself, more akin to a bad Saturday Night Live skit than a functioning local governmental entity. To avoid further clownish behavior I suggest the following.

Whereas the Council has presumed to become the moral and social conscience for the Town it will be incumbent upon the voting public to select the members on the basis of expanded criteria. I propose that the considerations below be incorporated into any future selection process.

1. Religious affiliation- to evaluate personal moral codes and seasonal display preferences.

2. Listing of favored charities especially those to which tax deductible contributions have been made for the previous five years.

3. Stock portfolios- to ascertain if ownership of socially and environmentally conscious companies are prominently present.

4. Brand of automobiles owned or leased- only the most environmentally friendly vehicles allowed. At least hybrids if not all electric.

5. Domicile characteristics- compact, high density, multi-family preferred. Must show sensitivity to both affordable and non-suburban spread housing as well as “live where you work” and “walk-to-work” concepts of low impact residences.

6. Household presence of LED lighting, solar panels, wind turbines, maximum insulation, set back thermostats, Low-E window glass, high efficiency boilers, tankless hot water heaters, carbon monoxide and radon monitoring, rainwater recapture and reuse system, low flow plumbing fixtures, native non-invasive, non-exotic property plantings, insect, bird, mammal, amphibian and soil microbe friendly landscaping, and organic fertilization.

7. Semi-annual carbon footprint assessment, both personal, family and business if self-owned.

8. Diversity, gender sensitivity and sexual harassment training- Accredited courses required.

9. Compilation of retail expenditures- only locally grown produce permitted. No beef or pork which contribute to environmental stress (CO2, methane, manure waste). Free range only chicken permitted. Aquatic farm seafood only.

10. Weekly weight and volume determination of landfill bound trash. Evidence of high degree of recycling behavior with special attention to styrofoam, packaging, and plastic.

11. Monthly drug and alcohol monitoring.

12. Notarized analysis of good character and personal probity by at least five unrelated individuals such as clergymen, supervisors, employers, colleagues, subordinates, immediate neighbors, customers, lien holders.

13. Tax returns and credit history to determine fiscal honesty and prudence.

14. Clubs and memberships- must be multi-ethnic, non-partisan, minority and gender quota driven.

15. Commitment to both equal opportunity and equal outcomes for all, including documented and undocumented populations

16.  Publicly recorded “Speaking Truth to Power” messaging

17.  Properly mounted lawn or window signage supporting socially and politically correct causes must be evident at home and business addresses.

18.  Leadership in the judgement of forbears holding them to current standards, including but not limited to statue and gravestone demolition, plaque removal, renaming of schools, public edifices, parks and recreational facilities, destruction of writings and museum exhibits and the eradication of any reminder of lessons to be learned from historical evils.

19. Demonstration of competency in utilizing the tools of shaming, cultural cancellation, censorship, book burning, denigration of opposing opinions, cloture of citizen commentary, disrupting free speech and avoidance of public accountability.

In order to guarantee that only the most deserving of banners, flags, colored lights, etc. are displayed on town property our Council members must be properly vetted so that we citizens can be assured that their opinions carry enough moral and socially conscious sanctity to speak as one voice for all Barringtonians.

Stephen E. Glinick

Barrington