It doesn’t matter what you look like… you can do it.”

Braxton Medlin

Outgoing Barrington Town Council President Michael Carroll believes history might have been made in Barrington on Tuesday night, Nov. 8. 

Carroll, who has served the town for more than a decade, said Braxton Howard Medlin is likely the first Black person to be voted onto the Barrington Town Council. 

Medlin, a Democrat, received the second-most votes in the race for two council seats. Fellow Democrat Kate Berard received 4,791 votes (33.3 percent), while Medlin received 3,748 votes (26.1 percent). Republican candidates Ray Clark and Jarrod Ryan finished third and fourth, respectively. Clark received 3,097 votes (21.6 percent) and Ryan received 2,703 votes (18.8 percent).

Medlin said representation on the town council was one of the issues he ran on. During a candidates forum in late October, Medlin said “You can’t be it, if you don’t see it.” Medlin said he wants others to know that they too can win elected seats in Barrington. 

“You can get involved in your community. You don’t have to have some ridiculous pedigree,” Medlin said. “It doesn’t matter what you look like… you can do it.”

Medlin, who is chairman of the town’s DEI Committee, said he has always wanted to serve the public. He said his parents prioritized community service and he too has wanted to have an impact in the community where he lives. 

“I want us to pull together and figure out how we can move Barrington forward,” Medlin said. 

When asked what work he plans to prioritize as a council member, Medlin said the Complete Streets program and transparency. Complete Streets includes a plan for changes to the town’s roads and pathways. 

In regards to transparency, Medlin said he would love to get to work on providing a notification or newsletter so that people in town have a way to stay informed… “so people know what’s going on. So they know they can have a part in it.”

Medlin said he knocked on about 500 doors during his campaign, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet people across Barrington. He said residents spoke about their concerns with the school department, taxes, the cost of living in Barrington and some other issues.