Four residents filed a complaint against two members of the Barrington Town Council last month, alleging that they violated the town's anti-harassment/discrimination policy.

The complaint took center stage during the Nov. 2 council meeting, as some residents spoke out in defense of the accused — council president Michael Carroll and vice president Kate Weymouth — while others supported Mariana Silva-Buck and Katherine Quinn, the two alleged victims.

The meeting offered a lengthy discussion about the complaints, but no real action, as three members of the council had recused themselves — Mr. Carroll, Ms. Weymouth, and Jacob Brier.

Instead, the topic was continued to the Jan. 11, 2021 council meeting, after three new council members are sworn in.

The allegations

A letter signed by Barrington residents Sara Jordeno, Lisa Lowenstein, Mariana Silva-Buck and Jack Van Leer details a situation involving council member Ms. Weymouth that occurred during the Sept. 14 council meeting, as well as a second incident that took place involving Mr. Carroll during the Oct. 5 council meeting.

During the Sept. 14 meeting, Ms. Weymouth discussed her proposed "Listening Project," which is intended to give people in town an opportunity to share their experiences about being "othered" while in Barrington. The proposal, explained as a tool to counter discrimination, states that "By listening we will honor their experience and reflect on how we interact with our community. By speaking we will share our experiences and take a step towards healing."

But the project has apparently failed to garner support from some residents in town, particularly some folks who were also calling for the creation of a committee focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.

During the Sept. 14 discussion, Ms. Weymouth allegedly "called out" Mariana Silva-Buck for not supporting the Listening Project, stating that she was "stunned" Ms. Mariana-Buck has "ignored the whole project."

The complaint specifically cites that comment.

"The singling out of a person of color for not behaving or responding in a way that is expected by a white person in a position of power is discriminatory, offensive, and hurtful," stated the complaint.

During the Oct. 5 council meeting, Barrington resident Katherine Quinn spoke during the public comment period, referencing the Listening Project and asked if Ms. Weymouth had apologized to Ms. Silva-Buck for the Sept. 14 comments she made.

It was during Ms. Quinn's comments when the audio feed appears to grow spotty, although the complaint alleges Ms. Quinn can still be heard and understood. It was alleged in the complaint that Mr. Carroll made the decision to mute Ms. Quinn's microphone, stating that he understood her message.

"He did not give Ms. Quinn a chance to finish her comments, nor did he acknowledge the complaint regarding Vice President Weymouth's discriminatory actions towards Ms. Silva-Buck," stated the complaint. "President Carroll did, however, take the opportunity to praise Vice President Weymouth for her past work on social justice issues and affordable housing, concluding his statements by thanking Vice President Weymouth for her efforts."

Mr. Carroll rejected the claim that he muted Ms. Quinn's microphone.

"I certaintly did not mute Ms. Quinn’s microphone during the meeting – I’ve never muted any speaker during a meeting," Mr. Carroll said.

The four residents' letter alleges that Mr. Carroll "used his position of power to harassingly silence and gaslight Ms. Quinn, who was trying to advocate for Ms. Silva-Buck…"

The complaint asks that any member of the council who is found to have violated the relevant policy be required to "publicly apologize and actively seek input of the victim(s) to understand how they can make amends for their discriminatory and harassing behavior."

Residents respond

Monday night's council meeting offered residents an opportunity to share their opinions regarding the alleged complaints.

Ms. Quinn opened by stating that the council had handled the situation inappropriately. She said that offering people a chance to speak out on the complaint right before the council was scheduled to honor Ms. Weymouth and other retiring council members was insulting.

"That's intentional," Ms. Quinn said of the agenda order.

She also said the town's webpage link for the council's rules and procedures was not working and needed to be fixed.

But following Ms. Quinn's outrage was a series of comments supporting Mr. Carroll and Ms. Weymouth. One woman said Mr. Carroll had helped her children, offered assistance to elderly neighbors, and sponsored a refugee family from Eritrea.

"I stand behind Mike Carroll 100 percent, as does my family, as do my neighbors," she said.

Eileen Ryan-Saeger said she had watched the video-recording of the Oct. 5 meeting. She said Mr. Carroll did not harass, gaslight or silence anyone.

"You have a group of people working for change and you’re devouring each other," she said.

Ms. Ryan-Saeger added that the video and audio feeds were spotty during the meeting and had grown more and more difficult to follow, offering the reason why Mr. Carroll had muted Ms. Quinn's microphone.

She also said she has known Mr. Carroll for 18 years, that he has served as a youth sports coach, sponsored mission trips to orphanages, and is a "devoted public servant."

Ms. Ryan-Saeger said the complaint against Mr. Carroll was mean-spirited and done to diminish his goodwill.

Boris Skurkovich said he has known Mr. Carroll for 30 years and Ms. Weymouth for about 10 years and never detected anything discriminatory or racist in either of the council members. Mr. Skurkovich said that he experienced discrimination and abuse as a white person in the Soviet Union and saw this complaint as an attempted character assassination against Mr. Carroll and Ms. Weymouth.

"I would urge everyone to cool their jets," he said. "It's a small town. Everyone knows each other. It's not a good way to go."

He said Mr. Carroll and Ms. Weymouth are not as they were described in the complaint.

Anteneh Kutonplon-Rayess said Mr. Carroll was a very kind man, very understanding and very welcoming. Mr. Kutonplon-Rayess, whose family comes from Ethiopia, said that when they first arrived in Barrington, he was welcomed by Mr. Carroll and his family. He said he is good friends with Mr. Carroll's son and that the people in Mr. Carroll's family were the most accepting people he has ever met.

Trinki Brueckner said Mr. Carroll and Ms. Weymouth have selflessly served the town for years. She agreed that this complaint has meandered into character assassination. She also said that Ms. Weymouth's Listening Project referenced in the complaint was created in part by a woman of color.

Ms. Brueckner said that while she respects the people who spoke out during the Oct. 5 council meeting, it is important to remember that when someone does not agree with someone else it does not make them a racist.

Ms. Silva-Buck rejected the idea from residents that the complaint was a character assassination; she said she just wanted to hold someone accountable. She said no one has the right to tell her how to feel. Ms. Silva-Buck also said she wanted Ms. Weymouth to apologize.

While Ms. Silva-Buck continued to speak, Ms. Quinn began holding up a paper sign to her computer's camera — the sign read: "Effect matters more than intent. Period."

Barrington resident and resiliency department consultant Kim Jacobs said she has known Mr. Carroll and Ms. Weymouth for years, and that the letter "definitely" undermines their character. She said the letter was hurtful, and hopes that there could be some type of resolution to the issue.

Rep. June Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Bristol and Warren) also spoke in defense of the councilors. Rep. Speakman, a former Barrington Town Council member herself, said she and Ms. Weymouth worked hard to make Barrington more welcoming and inviting — she mentioned their work with affordable housing and taxation. Rep. Speakman said she and Ms. Weymouth had to fight off many attacks that were racist in nature.

She said she hopes people can work together instead of fighting against each other.

Ms. Silva-Buck spoke again, stating that people were trying to discredit what she said. She added that she had still not received an apology and wanted to hear from people if they thought she did not need an apology.

Susan Holmes said she agreed with what Ms. Silva-Buck was saying and felt that she was being attacked by the old establishment of Barrington.

Mary Jane Begin said she was impressed with the dialogue the town's residents were sharing on the issue and felt that was indicative of the fact this this town cares.

After the public comments ended, council member Steve Boyajian called for a break, and without a quorum of council members, no action was taken on the issue.

The next council is expected to discuss the topic again in January.

Brier recusal

One reason the council did not have a quorum on the complaint issue was that council member Jacob Brier chose to recuse himself from the discussion.

Mr. Brier said the council president wrote to him prior to Monday's meeting and stated "it would be a violation of the Ethics Code if I remained involved because two of the people who signed the discrimination/harassment report against VP Weymouth and Pres Carroll, in support of the victims, are directors of a non-profit for which I'm the third director."

Mr. Brier said he chose to honor Mr. Carroll's request.

"There is no conflict, but I chose to recuse rather than risk the creation of another distraction from the work I'm pursuing on behalf of the town," Mr. Brier said.

Mr. Brier said he has requested a hearing with the RI Ethics Commission "to ensure I'm not putting anybody else or the work of the non-profit at risk by discussing the issue." He said he was hoping that the hearing would be held on Nov. 17, which is when the commission meets next.