A look at town government in the NW Corner

Northwest Corner towns are officiated and represented by a varied group of commission members, staff and elected officials, positions that run the gamut from salaried to volunteer, appointed to elected, and with a range of term lengths.

This system of governance dates back to before the founding of the United States of America, and while the structure remains intact, certain components have changed over time and continue to change to this day. Some towns have shifted from electing Town Hall staff such as town clerk, tax collector and treasurer to appointing employees in these positions. Salisbury has an appointed town clerk. Cornwall will appoint a tax collector this November for the first time. North Canaan and Sharon still elect such officials, but have held public hearings earlier this year on the potential shift to appointments.

Understanding these positions can be a complex task, which is why a Lakeville Journal reporter relied on the help of town officials and municipal documents to compile a who’s who and what’s what of our towns’ governments. Find below a primer for the complicated world of Northwest Corner administration and authority, but bear in mind this list is not comprehensive, and many more vital roles keep things running at town hall and beyond.

Board of Selectmen

At the heart of Connecticut’s municipal governance schema is the quintessentially New England selectboard, composed of the first selectman who administers day-to-day governance in town, and is assisted by two other selectmen. The Board of Selectmen is responsible for appointing various positions and roles in town commissions and for hiring and firing staff, as well as initiating and instituting town ordinances via Connecticut’s municipal democratic format, the Town Meeting. All selectmen in the Northwest Corner are allocated salaries from the town budget.

In other parts of Connecticut, some towns have begun the shift to a more modern leadership system. Winchester, for example, has adopted a “Council-Manager” form of governance. In this system, a non-partisan town manager was appointed to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the town, supervising department heads and town staff, and the Board of Selectmen acts as the legislative body.

Planning and Zoning and the Board of Finance

Beyond the selectmen, who are elected to two-year terms, the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Finance chairs play major roles in towns’ development. Both positions, which are volunteer, are appointed by a vote within the board or commission, whose members are elected by residents. The officer’s terms are limited by their total term time on the commission, which is either four or six years depending on the town.

The P&Z chair helms the commission that reviews projects that relate to the town’s zoning regulations and directs development to align with the town’s state-mandated Plan of Conservation and Development.

The BOF chair heads the commission that reviews and approves the annual municipal and education spending plans and sets the annual mill rate.

Town Clerk

The town clerk, which is appointed or elected depending on the town, is a crucial, paid staff position responsible for maintaining the public record as well as keeping important statistics and managing licensing.

Finance Director

The treasurer, or finance director, oversees town accounts, and is responsible for receiving, investing and maintaining records of municipal funds. The treasurer is a paid staff position that is appointed or elected in different towns.

Tax Assessor and Collector

The municipal government is exclusively responsible for the assessment of property taxes, and the tax assessor is the agent who ensures assessments are made properly, and that the grand list remains accurate. The tax collector’s duty is to oversee the proper collection of those taxes. These paid positions are variously elected and appointed and may be part-time or full-time. Several of our towns employ the same assessor or collector.

Zoning Enforcement Officer and Land Use Administrator

The zoning enforcement officer is the municipal staff point person for all land use commissions, such as P&Z, Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, and in some cases a historic district or preservation commission. Also known in many towns as the Land Use Administrator, this paid position receives all applications and inquiries relating to land use, issues permits for to those applications, and investigates violations of zoning and IWWC regulations.

Salisbury

Salisbury’s first selectman is Curtis Rand, who is currently serving his tenth term in the role. The salary for the position is budgeted at $101, 835 for fiscal year ’26. The second and third selectmen, whose salaries are budgeted at $11,540, are Christian Williams and Katherine Kiefer. All selectmen’s terms expire with the municipal elections this fall, but they may run for re-election.

P&Z commissioners serve four-year terms, with current chair Michael Klemens’ term ending in 2027. The BOF chair, Pari Forood, holds a six-year term, set to expire in 2029.

The town clerk is a BOS-appointed, four-year term position in Salisbury, currently held by Kristine Simmons. The clerk’s salary is budgeted at $69,696.

Salisbury refers to its chief financial officer as its comptroller, a role responsible for all operations of the town’s finance department. The appointed position is budgeted at $99,650, and is held by Joseph Cleaveland as a four-year term.

The tax assessor position, held by Kayla Johnson who performs the role for many towns in the area, is appointed and budgeted for a $75,000 salary.

The tax collector is a four-year appointed position, held by Jean Bell. The position’s salary is budgeted at $62,550.

Abby Conroy is the town Director of Land Use, a hired staff position. The role has a budgeted salary of $99,685 for FY’26.

Sharon

Sharon’s first selectman is Casey Flanagan, currently serving his first term which is set to expire this year like all selectmen across our towns. The first selectman’s salary is budgeted at $84,821 for FY’26. The rest of the board is filled by Lynn Kearcher and John Brett. Kearcher was paid $6,221 for the role during the last financial year, while Brett declined payment.

P&Z’s chair is Laurance Rand III, serving a four-year term set to expire in 2029. The BOF is headed by Thomas Bartram, also serving a four-year term that ends in 2029.

Sharon’s town clerk is Linda Amerighi, who has served over 30 years in the role. Its salary is budgeted at $63,803 for FY’26, and runs four-year terms. The BOS is currently reviewing a draft ordinance that would transition the role from being publicly elected to BOS-appointed.

Tina Pitcher is the town treasurer, an elected position with a two-year term length. The treasurer’s salary is budgeted at $22,825.

The tax assessor is an appointed part-time role with no defined term length, held by Jennifer Dubray who works in several towns in the region. The town has budgeted $53,799 for its salary.

The tax collector, an elected role serving two-year terms, is Donna Christensen. The position is budgeted for a $41,179 salary.

Sharon’s Land Use Administrator is a BOS-appointed role, served by Jamie Casey. The position’s payment is divided between its various commission affiliations: $44,640 for P&Z and $8,599 for the IWWC.

Kent

Marty Lindenmayer is currently serving his first term as Kent’s first selectman. The position is budgeted for a $83,647 salary, while the second and third selectmen are set to be paid $6,051 each. Lynn Mellis Worthington and Glenn Sanchez are currently sitting on the board, which is set to move around with Lindenmayer’s departure in November.

P&Z is led by Wes Wyrick, whose six-year term on the commission expires this year.

The BOF is currently led by Nancy O’Dea Wyrick, whose six-year term also ends this year.

Kent’s clerk is Darlene Brady, who is serving a four-year term in the elected role. The position’s salary is budgeted at $66,723.

The town treasurer is Barbara Herbst, who works for both Kent and Cornwall. The position is held in four-year terms, and is appointed by the first selectman. Its salary is budgeted at $52,569.

The tax assessor, currently Jennifer Dubray, is appointed by the BOS and has no stated term limit (TK confirm). The town has budgeted $51,069 for the position.

The tax collector is an elected role of two-year terms, currently held by Deborah Devaux. The position is budgeted $47,744.

Kent divides the salary of its Land Use Administrator, currently Tai Kern, between P&Z ($59,115) and the IWWC ($31,830). This is an appointed employee position.

Cornwall

Gordon Ridgway has been Cornwall’s first selectman since 1991, and is currently serving his 18th term. Rocco Botto and Jen Hulburt Markow fill the other two board positions. The first selectman’s salary is budgeted for $68,217 while the second and third selectmen are paid $4,961 each.

The P&Z chair in Cornwall is Anna Timell, who will serve until her term ends in 2029.

Joseph Pryor is the BOF chair, and his term will also run out in 2029.

The town clerk is Vera Dineen, who serves an elected two-year elected position, set to expire in 2026. The clerk’s salary is allocated $53,378 on the FY’26 budget.

The town’s finances are handled by both a chief finance officer, Barbara Herbst, who was appointed to her position and is budgeted for a $47,371 salary.

The tax assessor’s salary is $25,046, and is an appointed position with no term limit currently held by Kayla Johnson.

The tax collector position was recently changed from an elected role to an appointed one, and is held by Jean Bouteiller, whose term ends this year. The budgeted salary for the collector is $30,935.

The town’s zoning enforcement is handled by Land Use Administrator Spencer Musselman, who is paid hourly at a rate of $37.90. The town has budgeted approximately $28,500 in total land use wages for the fiscal year.

Falls Village

Dave Barger is currently serving his first term as Falls Village’s first selectman. The position has a budgeted salary of $40,540, while the other two selectmen are paid $5,335. Those roles are held by Chris Kinsella and Judy Jacobs.

P&Z is chaired by Greg Marlowe, who just began a new term this summer. His five year term expires in May 2030.

Ginger Betti is serving as the finance chair, with her six-year term on the commission set to end this fall.

The town clerk is an elected position with a four-year term, currently occupied by Johanna Mann. The role is budgeted a salary of $36,613.

Michelle Lynn Hansen is treasurer/bookkeeper, paid two separate salaries for each role for a budgeted total of $39,703. The position is appointed by the BOS and served in four-year terms.

Kayla Johnson is the town’s chief tax assessor, an appointed position, and is budgeted a salary of $25,403. The town also hires an assistant assessor, currently Theresa Graney, whose salary is marked at $13,484. Both positions are appointed with no term limit.

Collecting duties are handled by Rebecca Juchert-Derungs, whose salary is set at $22,374. The position is appointed and serves a four year term.

Falls Village is developing a new position in the ’26 fiscal year for a joint planning consultant and ZEO role, currently held by Janell Mullen and budgeted for a salary of $26,160. The role is appointed, with no term limit.

North Canaan

Brian Ohler is serving his first term as first selectman, joined by Craig Whiting and Jesse Bunce on the board. The first selectman’s salary is budgeted at $24,000, while the second and third selectmen are paid $6,500 each.

P&Z is led by chair Mike O’Connor, whose four-year term ends in 2027..

Doug Humes is chair of the BOF, and his term will conclude in 2029 after a six-year term.

The clerk’s office is currently unoccupied since the ongoing absence of Jean Jacquier beginning in February of this year. The position was allocated a salary of $38,000 for the fiscal year.

Emily Minacci is the town’s treasurer with a budgeted salary of $27,000.

The tax collector’s office was also also vacated earlier this year when Jennifer Jacquier left resigned. It has since been filled by Launa Goslee as a contractor until the November election. The position is budgeted a salary of $23,000.

The clerk, treasurer and tax collector are currently elected positions, though a vote to install ordinances that would switch each to an appointed office with a four-year term length will be on the November municipal election ballot. If voted through, any switch of a position to be appointed will only happen after this election cycle is completed.

Jennifer Dubray handles the tax assessor duties in town, which are budgeted $39,175 in compensation. It is an appointed position with no term length.

The town also appoints a ZEO, George Martin, with a salary of $15,100 laid out on the budget.