10/01/2025
On Monday, September 29th, First Selectman Brian Ohler had Jean Jacquier, the duly elected Town Clerk of North Canaan, forcibly removed from her office. Ms. Jacquier was told by the First Selectman that she would be charged with trespassing if she returned. The First Selectman also claimed that he had a court order barring Ms. Jacquier from the Town Clerk’s office, but he was unable to produce this order. To date, no court order has been provided to Ms. Jacquier, the Democratic Town Committee, or filed with the Town Clerk’s office, despite request for documentation.
The First Selectman has no jurisdiction over the office of the Town Clerk, which is an independent elected office. When the First Selectman ordered the locks on the Town Clerk’s office changed, he grossly overstepped his authority. Ms. Jacquier is still the Town Clerk until her term is up for reelection this November. She has not resigned or been provided with any legal justification for her removal.
Additionally, statements regarding this matter were posted on a Facebook account purporting to be an official Town of North Canaan government account. We believe this account is actually a private account controlled by Brian Ohler and that these posts misrepresent private opinions as official town positions, potentially misleading residents about official government actions and positions.
The Democratic Town Committee strongly condemns this action by the First Selectman, for which no legal authority has been provided. We demand the First Selectman respect the independence of the town’s other elected offices and issue a public correction regarding any misrepresentations made on social media
The Democratic Town Committee and Ms. Jacquier reserve all legal rights and remedies available under Connecticut law, including but not limited to claims under Connecticut General Statutes.
