A few days after the town manager raised the Black Lives Matter flag on the town hall flag pole, a longtime Barrington resident requested the town also fly the "Back the Blue" flag.

Tom Rimoshytus emailed Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha on Wednesday night, Sept. 2, and made the request. He wrote that there was a group of people who wanted the town to fly the "Back the Blue" flag.

"Please let me know when this can happen," he wrote.

Mr. Cunha replied quickly to the request.

"If I can get a written request for Town Council review, I will include it in the agenda for their next meeting," Mr. Cunha wrote.

The council's next meeting is Monday, Sept. 14.

The Black Lives Matter flag has been flying on the town hall flag pole since late August. Mr. Cunha raised that flag in anticipation of a protest planned for outside the town hall that was later rescheduled. Mr. Cunha raised that flag without a request from the public and without town council approval.

Mr. Rimoshytus said he planned to submit a letter requesting the "Back the Blue" flag to the town manager by Friday.

"I didn't know we needed council approval," Mr. Rimoshytus said during an interview on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Mr. Rimoshytus, a veteran firefighter, said he does not have a problem with the town flying the Black Lives Matter flag or any other flag, for that matter. However, he believes the American flag should fly alone on that flag pole; he said two other flag poles should be installed, one on either side of the current flag pole. One of the new poles could fly the state flag, while the other can fly flags requested by the public.

"If they want to be non-prejudice and everyone support one another, then they shouldn't have a problem," Mr. Rimoshytus said.

The longtime Barrington resident said he plans to share his recommendation for additional flag poles at the town hall during the upcoming council meeting.