Franklin Alderman Mike Barber posted an e-mail this week requesting the common council’s ridiculous decision on Trick or Treat time be reconsidered.

Barber also issued a thoughtful e-mail from a resident on the matter that the e-mail writer gave permission to publish as long as we withheld personal information:

I am writing for you to reconsider the trick or treat date change for 2022 for multiple reasons:

1) Children (the ones trick or treat is intended for) are not even home from school at 4:00. This either has kids missing part of the time, parents pulling them from school early, and most nerve racking, has more traffic on the roads while parents parents rush to get home with their kids, while other kids are already starting to trick or treat. Kids are going to be coming off a long day of school hyped and are not going to be watching for cars, or maybe hopefully even a bus if the district can secure them. Someone is going to get hurt.


2) Some parents still work until 5:00 as 9-5 is a standard work day. Hence causing even more rushing and unsafe environments.


3) Many children have community/sport commitments on Monday evenings (sports, religious classes, scouts, etc.) Having kids choose between a classic part of childhood or their commitment doesn’t seem fair.



4) If kids are running home to trick or treat, and need to fit in dinner, when are they supposed to fit in homework? Thankfully, my kiddos are pretty bright but in 2nd grade already have 20 min of homework, if they can focus right away. What about the 4-5th graders who have much more?

5) The packer game on Sunday, if that’s really what we are concerned about, isn’t until after trick or treat anyways.

6) While yes, it’s on a school night either way, think about your teachers trying to keep kids attention all day prior to going, and then dealing with the sugar high, and exhaustion the next day as likely due to the timing alone are out later than normal.

7) Moving the times to later on Monday will only make things worse, as then we will be battling trying to get sugar high kids to bed while the doorbell is ringing.


I’m happy to discuss and brainstorm other options, as it is evident in this discussion many members of the council are far removed from having young children and could use some refreshing on how hectic after school hours already are.