Arthur C. Barnard

Arthur Carlos Barnard (died 1971) served on the Board of Selectmen from 1940 to 1954, with a short break in 1952, and was its chairman in 1950 and 1951. After a few years out of office he returned as an assessor from 1959 to 1970. His wife, Gladys C. Barnard, was a town meeting member from 1956 to 1971 and died on June 4, 1982, aged 85.

His first town post was on the Finance Committee, appointed by the moderator; in 1936 he was its chairman. In 1940 he was elected a selectman with 1,189 votes, ahead of Ernest T. Vocell and former selectman Joseph P. Meaney. For most of the 1940s he and Arthur R. Hallenborg made up the board's water committee, and he became vice-chairman in 1946. In 1950 the board made him chairman and gave him the police department and the town halls as well.

His term ran out in March 1952, but when Chairman John B. Keaney resigned that year to take a government appointment, Barnard "was reelected to the Board as a result of a special election petitioned by a proper number of residents," and he took his seat again on August 5, 1952. In 1953 he was vice-chairman under Frederic H. Brown, in charge of halls, water and police. At the end of that year his colleagues thanked him for "his many years of faithful service," since he had "announced his retirement due to ill health." In 1954 and 1955 he chaired the committee that planned the town's Tercentenary, and he also sat on the Memorial Field Commission.

In 1959 he ran for an unexpired term as assessor and won it by 1,526 votes to 1,487 over Frederick J. Dutile. He was then re-elected and served as associate assessor until he resigned, "for reasons of health," effective September 1, 1970, after eleven years. He died on May 8, 1971, aged 79, and the 1971 town report printed an In Memoriam notice listing his years as selectman and assessor.

References

1. Town officers, 1936: Finance Committee, Arthur C. Barnard, Chairman
2. Annual election, 1940: Arthur C. Barnard elected Selectman with 1,189 votes over Joseph P. Meaney and Ernest T. Vocell
3. Report of the Board of Selectmen, 1950: Chairman Arthur C. Barnard; police and halls committee
4. Report of the Board of Selectmen, 1952: Barnard reelected at a special election after John B. Keaney resigned
5. Report of the Board of Selectmen, 1953: Barnard vice-chairman; his retirement due to ill health
6. Town committees, 1954: Tercentenary Committee, Arthur C. Barnard, Chairman
7. Annual election, March 1959: Assessor (unexpired term), Arthur C. Barnard 1,526, Frederick J. Dutile 1,487
8. Report of the Board of Assessors, 1970: Arthur Barnard resigned for reasons of health, effective September 1, 1970, after 11 years
9. In Memoriam, Arthur Carlos Barnard (1971 town report): died May 8, 1971, age 79; Selectman 1940 to 1954; Associate Assessor 1960 to 1970
10. Memoriams, 1982: Gladys C. Barnard, died June 4, 1982, age 85, Town Meeting Member 1956 to 1971