John DaRos Resigns Council Seat

By Adam Swift

Precinct 6 Town Councilor John DaRos announced his resignation from the council at the end of last week’s meeting.

DaRos said that because of positive professional obligation, he was resigning from his seat, effective at the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

“It’s been a true honor and a pleasure these last two years to represent my precinct six constituents and to serve all the residents of the beautiful town of Winthrop,” said DaRos. “I wish nothing but the best for the town as it moves forward into hopefully a prosperous future.”

DaRos expressed his thanks for the support he has received from all the members of the town council.

“I’ve truly enjoyed serving with each of you; I’ve learned a lot from each of you as we’ve tackled the challenges that our community faces,” said DaRos. “Whether we disagreed or agreed on a particular issue, the way you and I each communicated with each and treated each other was always with respect and dignity and a curiosity to learn more about the thinking and rationale of one another’s positions on an issue than a commitment to disagreement.”

DaRos thanked his fellow members on the finance subcommittee, which he chaired, as well as the members of citizens’ advisory commission on climate, which he helped get off the ground.

“As most of you know, I ran for town council largely due to my passion and deep concern about the impact of climate change on compact coastal communities like Winthrop,” he said. “As sea and harbor levels continue to rise, while the frequency and severity of storms increase and we watch many of our neighbors suffer from flooded homes, property damage, and increased financial and emotional stress, I knew it was important that I propose the creation of the climate commission. I appreciate the council’s unanimous support in doing so, so that for the first time, the citizens of Winthrop would have an official ongoing forum to express their experiences, their frustrations, and ideas for solutions; and that the council and the town manager would have an advisory board that could research solutions and make recommendations for actions that the town could both here within Winthrop and regionally with our neighboring towns future-proof Winthrop from the challenges of climate change for a town 90 percent surrounded by water.”

Town Council President Jim Letterie said that in his two years on the council, DaRos made a lasting impact and thanked him for his service to the town.

“We sat next to each other and agreed on so many things and disagreed on so many things, and never have I ever felt that you ever said anything in a way that was not valuable, not truthful to yourself, and I really appreciate the differences that we shared,” said Precinct 4 Councilor Suzanne Swope.