Barrington League of Women Voters to disband

Citing difficulties in recruiting new, younger members, the League of Women Voters of the Barrington Area has decided to disband at the end of the year after 71 years of service.

Secretary Edith Auchter and Treasurer Lorraine Briggs said a League members traditionally joined when their children were young to give themselves a way to serve the community in a nonpartisan way.

But the circumstances of communities and women's lives have changed greatly in more recent years. Today, PTOs are more popular ways for women to contribute what free time they have, Auchter said.

"We have a very loyal membership, but as time goes on, we all age," she added.

The chapter now has 48 members, some of whom are men - the League being non-exclusionary despite its name.

But the majority are simply contributors, while only a core are very active. Remaining members being encouraged to join chapters from communities surrounding the Barrington area.

The Barrington Area League intends to treat its final year like any other, Auchter said. There will be a final candidates forum for contested elections in the fall, another legislative wine and cheese event and one more publication of the chapter's annual public officials directory.

Formed in 1939, one of the chapter's first missions was to bring pasteurization of milk to the community, according to a written history researched by Briggs.

The chapter's highest membership probably occurred during the '70s and '80s, Briggs said.

During that period, the League supported the development of the Barrington Area Council of Governments, and its study of juvenile vandalism led to the creation of the Home & School Committee at Barrington High School.

It was during this heyday that the chapter developed a Youth Network Council, as well as the Alliance of Barrington Communities for Drug Education (ABCDE), which provided support for those facing substance abuse issues.

Other accomplishments of the past 30 years include the establishment of the Kids Enrichment Experience Program (KEEP) for latchkey kids, a number of recommendations for the Barrington Area Library's operations and a study of development impact fees, which was used as a model throughout the region.

There will be no intensive last-ditch effort to recruit new members this year, Auchter said, adding that was tried before the decision to disband.