To the editor:

Last night the town council voted to remove the honor of running the annual Memorial Day Parade from the Barrington United Veterans Council (BUVC). No explanation was given.

In case you needed reminding, the Town Council wants you to know that the town has changed. You are welcome to change with it, but the old ways of doing things are gone or will soon be gone. The people who hang on to the past and ‘old’ ways of thinking are not welcome.

Memorial Day is a holiday that honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. In Barrington, for many, many years, this day has been marked by a ceremony at the high school where the names of Barrington’s fallen in all wars since the Revolution are solemnly read in front of Victory Gate. This is followed by a parade through town that ends at Town Hall. It instills civic pride and connects everyone to each other and to the past.

Memorial Day is unofficially the start of the summer season. But, the meaning of the day must not be lost. The somber remembrance of the sacrifices made by others in order that we can live in peace and prosperity is worth preserving. This move by the Town Council feels like yet another effort to erase tradition and replace it with a non-descript ‘celebration of summer.’

What did the BUVC do to earn this rebuke? Although no reason was given for this change, it seems obvious that their objection to political flags flying over their memorial at Town Hall is at the root. The message is clear: transgression from the dominant opinion will not be tolerated, and it will be punished.

You can accept the new regime and help to dissolve the civic ties that bind our once happy community. Or you can use the election system to vote into office people who will make decisions that strengthen our common bond and celebrate our shared heritage. The current Town Council has opted to drive deeper the wedge fracturing our town. This isn’t going to stop until you make it stop. Vote for change.

Geoff Grove

Barrington