Members of the Barrington Town Council are expected to discuss the town’s Memorial Day parade at the Feb. 6 meeting.

The discussion will likely focus on whether to continue with a town-run parade, or return the organizational duties of the Memorial Day parade to the Barrington United Veterans Council.

For decades, the Barrington UVC spearheaded the planning and execution of the annual Barrington Memorial Day Parade and Exercises. Officials with the Barrington UVC lined up the bands, the civic organizations, town officials and others to march in the annual event. 

In March 2022, the town council removed the Barrington UVC from its role as parade organizer. The task was left to the town manager and an appointed committee. The council also assigned master of ceremonies duties to Scott Douglas, a Barrington resident and veteran.

Paul Dulchinos, the president of the Barrington UVC, said the group had been running the town’s Memorial Day parade since 1954. He wrote in a letter to Barrington UVC members that the move by the council appeared to be retribution for the UVC’s stance against the town flying the Black Lives Matter flag on the pole above the veterans memorial outside Barrington Town Hall. 

Town officials said they had invited the Barrington UVC to be part of the parade committee, but the veterans group chose not to do that. 

In a recent memo from Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey to members of the town council, Hervey wrote that last year’s town-run parade was “a big success, but it did require a lot of staff and volunteer time…” Barrington also spent $4,500 to run the parade, which is reportedly $3,000 more than had been spent in prior years. 

“A question for the council for 2023 is whether to continue with a town-run parade with an administration-appointed committee, or return the Memorial Day Parade and ceremonies back to the UVC as the lead,” Hervey wrote. 

The issue had been included on the January council agenda, but was postponed until February because certain people were unable to attend the Jan. 9 meeting.