NORTH CANAAN — Noting that Town Clerk Jean Jacquier has been absent for the last month, on March 3 the Board of Selectmen named Paul Mattingly — who serves as executive assistant to the selectmen — assistant town clerk until the next election.
Jacquier claims she is the target of antagonism and harassment at Town Hall, which is taking a toll on her health.
Controversy in the clerk’s office has been ongoing since last year when First Selectman Brian Ohler filed a complaint with the state Attorney General’s office accusing Jacquier of misconduct in carrying out the duties of the office.
Jacquier, who was elected in 2017, and served as assistant town clerk since 1993, denied most of the allegations and has filed suit against the Town of North Canaan to recoup $15,000 in legal fees she’s spent defending herself.
In October 2024, the Attorney General’s office ruled it had found three violations, strongly suggesting some changes be made to Jacquier’s existing practices but declined to take any further action.
Ohler accused her of, among other charges, not securing the vault in her office, improperly posting campaign material, untimely stamping and inappropriate shredding of documents.
Jacquier acknowledged she shouldn’t have put up a candidate’s solicitation in Town Hall.
Although the investigation found “improper security of the vault outside of the Town Clerk’s hours of operation,” Jacquier maintained she’s never left her office unattended, explaining the probate judge’s office also uses that vault and others had access to the office.
She also said Ohler signed off on her request to shred the papers. The Attorney General’s office responded that the shredding had destruction dates and it would take no stand on that issue.
Jeffrey Mirman, the lawyer representing Jacquier, said the response from the Attorney General’s office showed it found no sufficient evidence to hold a trial to see about removing her from office, nor was she asked to be disciplined in any way.
In November, the town filed a motion to strike Jacquier’s suit for legal fee reimbursement, claiming “the Defendant (North Canaan) owes no duty to indemnify and/or reimburse the Plaintiff (Jacquier) pursuant to 7 101a(b).”
On Jan. 28, Hon. Walter Menjivar at Torrington Superior Court granted the town’s motion to strike.
Ohler said after that ruling, Jacquier stopped coming to work. He said she continued to receive her salary, “over $6,000” in her absence.
Assistant Town Clerk Marilisa Camardi has been filling in two days a week — she is limited in the hours she can serve — but was away the past week.
“This proposes significant problems for continuity of services,” said Ohler.
Mattingly was sworn in and began fulfilling the responsibilities of the town clerk’s office on March 4. The appointment was made under Connecticut General Statute 7-20, which enables the Board of Selectmen to install an assistant town clerk. Mattingly and Camardi will work together to fulfill the assistant town clerk’s role, Ohler said.
This week Jacquier, who said she was an avid supporter of Ohler when he ran for office, disputed that she lost the case, saying the settlement request was entered too early. “It’s not like I lost in court. It can be refiled.” She said the judge urged the parties to come to an agreement. She also took exception to the figure Ohler put forth as the salary she received last month, saying it’s much lower.
In February, Jacquier filed a motion to extend her case for legal fee reimbursement. The filing states, “The Plaintiff requires additional time to amend the allegations of the complaint to conform with the Court’s Order.” On March 6, Judge Menjivar granted the extension.
Jacquier, shaken by the circumstances, explained the reason for her absence. She claims the atmosphere at Town Hall is toxic and that she has been unduly harassed by entrenched employees. She said she has been verbally abused for the past year. She added that it has been an honor to serve the people of North Canaan for the past 31 years.
In a letter dated March 3, Ohler wrote to Jacquier following up on an email he sent to her on Feb. 6 asking about her welfare. He said he hasn’t heard from her and asked she contact him. He wrote, “Unless there is a substantial and lawful justification for your ongoing absence and for your refusal and/or failure to perform your office’s statutory duties, please be advised that the town’s Board of Selectmen reserves the right to vote on a motion to suspend your salary until you return to work.”
An executive session of the Board of Selectmen was scheduled for March 11 to discuss Jacquier’s salary.
When the government lacks moral authority
James Speyer
A government that lacks moral authority breeds cynicism, disillusion and distrust. It ruptures the bonds that tie us together, and destroys any sense that government exists for the benefit of its citizens and can be counted on to act in good faith.
Donald Trump’s administration is devoid of moral authority. It engages in morally indefensible conduct on virtually a daily basis. This is not a liberal talking point; it is indisputable fact. Here are some illustrations, which barely scratch the surface of the vast trove of wretched behavior this administration has amassed since January 2025:
It is morally indefensible to pardon the January 6 insurrectionists who ransacked the Capitol and viciously beat Capitol police officers in an effort to stop the peaceful transfer of power.
It is morally indefensible to use taxpayer dollars to reward those treasonous criminals.
It is morally indefensible to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development and thereby consign hundreds of thousands of children around the world to their deaths (according to the respected medical journal The Lancet).
It is morally indefensible for the masked thugs of ICE to murder protesters in broad daylight and face zero accountability.
It is morally indefensible to seek to imprison an innocent man on fake charges of damaging the Reflecting Pool simply to spare Trump the embarrassment of admitting that his handpicked contractor’s incompetence caused the damage.
It is morally indefensible to kill scores of defenseless people on the high seas for alleged but unproven drug running without the slightest semblance of due process.
It is morally indefensible for Trump to flee Air Force One because the Secret Service determined that remaining on board constitutes an unacceptable risk and not inform those still on the plane of that risk.
It is morally indefensible to not only pardon convicted con men and fraudsters who have collectively fleeced the public out of billions of dollars, but allow them to keep the money they stole from their victims.
It is morally indefensible to convert the Justice Department into a tool for retribution against Trump’s enemies on the basis of bogus charges (such as the ridiculous prosecution of James Comey for posting a photo of seashells in an “8647” pattern).
It is morally indefensible to favor murderous dictators like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un over our freedom-loving allies Ukraine and South Korea.
Through this ceaseless barrage of vile acts, the Trump administration has not just squandered whatever moral authority it might have had, it appears to have gleefully abandoned any shred of that authority.
That abandonment has dire consequences for our society.
A government that consistently favors perpetrators over victims sends the message that might makes right and playing by the rules is for suckers.
A government that creates a two-tier system of justice (one for supporters of and financial contributors to Trump and another for everyone else) shatters the bedrock principle of equal justice for all and destabilizes our society.
Perhaps most tragically, a government that regularly engages in malicious, immoral conduct teaches our young people that it’s okay to behave that way.
The moral rot that lies at the heart of the Trump administration profoundly corrodes our democracy and the rule of law that sustains it. Recovering from it – if we do recover – will be a long and difficult project. That the party in power (and its tens of millions of supporters) is either fully on board with this volcanic flow of debased conduct, or cannot bring itself to muster any meaningful objection, will prove to be an indelible and monstrously shameful stain on our country.
James Speyer is a lawyer and a volunteer for Lawyers Defending American Democracy. He lives in Sharon.