Editorial: Silencing the public

Posted 1/23/25

Bids to hire consultants? No comments.

Ordinance introductions? No comments.

Watson Avenue development purchase and sale agreement? No comments.

For multiple items on the recent …

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Editorial: Silencing the public

Posted

Bids to hire consultants? No comments.

Ordinance introductions? No comments.

Watson Avenue development purchase and sale agreement? No comments.

For multiple items on the recent Barrington Town Council meeting agenda, comments from the public were not allowed. The decision to eliminate the public’s voice on those issues resonated with a few people who attended the meeting, but it should raise concerns from all of us. 

We counted around a half-dozen items on the agenda that included this message: (No Public Comment). An additional item — the purchase and sale agreement for the Watson Avenue property — did not include the (No Public Comment) on the agenda, but that was the message shared by the council president once officials reached that point in the meeting. 

That is a lot of (No Public Comment).

We understand that running an efficient meeting is important, but not at the cost of blocking out the public’s voice. In addition, the timing of the “General Public Comment” portion of the meeting is hardly convenient for the public — it is listed near the very end of the agenda. Anyone who had stopped by the meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, with a comment or question for the council that was not included on the handful of items that did allow for public discussion, would have had to wait more than three hours to say anything. 

There must be a better way to conduct a public comment period. (For the record, the Barrington School Committee lists two public comment periods — one at the start of the meeting, and another at the end.)

In neighboring communities, public bodies conduct their meetings with less rigid formats. The public is permitted to speak throughout those meetings, with an open mic awaiting their input on topics throughout the evening.

In contrast, at Barrington’s most recent meeting, the town manager implemented a loud, abrasive countdown, warning speakers every few seconds as they were approaching the end of their allotted three minutes of time. It created a very unfriendly and unwelcoming environment, as if the public were a nuisance requiring strict regulation.

This all feels like a turn in the wrong direction, toward a lesser form of government.

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MIKE REGO

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.