Barnstable’s Governance Crisis: Time to Rethink the Town Council

Barnstable’s Governance Crisis: Why It’s Time to Rethink the Town Council

The Town of Barnstable, Cape Cod’s vibrant heart, stands at a crossroads. Its 49,000 residents, spread across seven distinct villages, deserve a government that mirrors their dynamism—one that acts swiftly, listens deeply, and delivers results. Yet, the current Town Council-Town Manager structure, adopted in 1989, is failing this promise. Crippled by inefficiency and detachment, it stifles progress on urgent issues like housing affordability and erodes the community’s voice. The solution lies in a bold return to a Select Board-Town Administrator model, reimagined for today’s challenges. This is not nostalgia but a pragmatic, forward-thinking reform to restore accountability, streamline governance, and empower residents in a town yearning for change.

A Structure Out of Sync
Barnstable’s 13-member Town Council, with one representative per precinct, was designed to manage a growing town. Paired with a Town Manager wielding significant executive power, it promised professionalized governance for a population then approaching 30,000. Today, with nearly 50,000 residents and a $180 million budget, the system is buckling. Its inefficiencies are glaring: prolonged debates, redundant committees, and a labyrinthine approval process delay critical decisions. The council’s size—larger than many cities’—breeds fragmentation, with precinct rivalries often trumping collective action. A 2024 ordinance to adjust zoning for mixed-use development required three readings over two months, despite broad agreement, exemplifying a structure that prioritizes process over progress.

The council’s ineffectiveness is most evident in Barnstable’s housing crisis. Median home prices have soared to $730,000 (2023), demanding a $210,000 income—more than double the town’s $94,387 median household income. Only 8% of Barnstable’s housing stock is affordable, trailing the state’s 10% benchmark. The council’s response, such as draft plans for housing at the former Marstons Mills Elementary School (January 2025), remains mired in planning stages, stalled by resident pushback and committee reviews. This is not governance but paralysis, leaving young families, teachers, and workers priced out of the town they sustain.

Community engagement, the lifeblood of local democracy, fares no better. The 1989 charter eliminated Barnstable’s Open Town Meeting, silencing direct resident input. Public hearings, while open, draw sparse crowds, and decisions like the November 2024 New England Wind 1 agreement with Avangrid sparked outrage for their perceived opacity. A citizen petition for a revote was dismissed, with Councilor Paul Neary defending the process but failing to quell distrust. Residents feel like spectators in their own town, their voices reduced to occasional comments rather than votes that shape policy. This detachment undermines Barnstable’s identity as a community-driven place, where neighbors once gathered to debate and decide their future.

The Case for a Select Board
Reverting to a Select Board-Town Administratormodel offers a pragmatic path forward. A compact board of five elected members, overseeing a Town Administrator with defined authority, would restore agility and accountability. Coupled with a reintroduced Open Town Meeting, this structure would empower residents to directly shape budgets, bylaws, and major projects. Barnstable used this model pre-1989, managing a smaller but still complex town. Today, it can be modernized to suit a larger population while addressing the council’s failings.

First, a Select Board would streamline decision-making. Five members, elected at-large or by district, could act decisively, free from the council’s bloated debates. Falmouth’s five-member Select Board, managing 33,000 residents, swiftly advanced housing initiatives in 2025, bypassing the gridlock Barnstable endures. A leaner board would prioritize town-wide needs over parochial interests, accelerating solutions like zoning reforms to boost affordable housing. For instance, a Select Board could expedite the Marstons Mills project by consolidating approvals, cutting months from the timeline.

Second, an Open Town Meeting would revive Barnstable’s democratic spirit. Residents voting directly on budgets and bylaws would restore trust eroded by the council’s insularity. Critics may argue that Town Meetings risk low turnout or unwieldy debates, as seen in Falmouth’s 2023 meetings with under 300 voters. But Barnstable can innovate: hybrid virtual participation, precinct-based forums, and clear voter education could boost engagement. Dennis, with 14,000 residents, uses Town Meetings to debate zoning, ensuring policies reflect community will. In Barnstable, a Town Meeting could have forced transparency on the wind farm deal, aligning governance with resident priorities.

Third, a Town Administrator, reporting closely to the Select Board, would balance professional management with accountability. Unlike the current Town Manager’s broad autonomy, an administrator would execute board directives, ensuring responsiveness without sacrificing expertise. Barnstable’s AA+ bond rating and fiscal stability, maintained under the current system, would endure, as the administrator could oversee complex operations like the Barnstable Municipal Airport or Route 132 corridor planning. This structure preserves professionalism while centering elected officials accountable to voters, not appointed executives.

Skeptics may question the Select Board model’s scalability for Barnstable’s size and diversity. The 1989 charter shift was driven by Town Meeting inefficiencies, with low participation struggling to manage a growing budget. But Barnstable’s challenges today—housing, engagement, and delays—stem from the council’s overcomplexity, not resident input. A modernized Town Meeting, with digital tools and structured agendas, can handle 49,000 residents, as seen in larger towns like Plymouth (60,000), which blends representative and direct democracy effectively.

Others may worry about representation, as five selectmen might favor dominant villages like Hyannis over smaller ones like Cotuit. Yet, the council’s 13 precincts already breed inequity, with wealthier areas often dominating debates. A Select Board, elected at-large or with weighted representation, could prioritize town-wide equity, guided by Town Meeting votes that amplify all voices. A transition plan—phasing in the board while retaining advisory council roles—could ease concerns, ensuring no village is sidelined.

The feasibility of change is a valid hurdle. A charter amendment requires a voter-approved commission, town-wide vote, and state legislative consent—a multi-year process. But Barnstable’s history shows reform is possible: the 1989 charter was born from resident demand for better governance. Today, discontent with the council’s performance, from housing delays to transparency scandals, could fuel a similar movement. A grassroots campaign, leveraging social media and village associations, could galvanize support, framing the Select Board as a return to Barnstable’s community roots.

This reform is not about dismantling progress but reclaiming what makes Barnstable unique: its people. The Town Council-Town Manager structure, while stable, has drifted from the town’s ethos of neighborly collaboration. It delivers balanced budgets but fails to deliver homes, trust, or timely action. A Select Board-Town Administrator model, tailored for 2025, offers a pragmatic alternative—efficient, inclusive, and accountable. It respects Barnstable’s complexity while rejecting the bureaucratic inertia that holds it back.

To critics of change, consider the cost of inaction. Every delayed housing project pushes another family off-Cape. Every opaque decision erodes trust further. Barnstable cannot afford a government that moves slower than its challenges. To supporters of the status quo, a Select Board is not a step backward but a leap toward governance that listens, acts, and delivers.

Barnstable’s residents must demand a charter review now. Form a citizens’ committee to draft a modern Select Board model, incorporating digital Town Meetings and equitable representation. Engage every village, from Osterville to West Barnstable, in shaping this vision. Present it to voters by 2027, proving that Barnstable can govern itself with the same resilience it shows in facing economic and environmental storms. The Town Council has had 36 years to prove its worth. It’s time for a structure that puts Barnstable’s people first—because a town this extraordinary deserves nothing less.

RONALD BEATY