North Canaan welcomes new Board of Selectmen lineup

North Canaan welcomes new Board of Selectmen lineup
Newly elected First Selectman Brian Ohler, left, and Third Selectman Jesse Bunce, at right, joined Second Selectman Craig Whiting on the Board in North Canaan, Tuesday, Nov. 14. 
Photo by Riley Klein

NORTH CANAAN — The 2023 election ushered in a new administration in North Canaan.

Outgoing First Selectman Charles Perotti vacated his seat for newly elected First Selectman Brian Ohler on Tuesday, Nov. 14. During the same meeting, outgoing Third Selectman Christian Allyn was replaced by incoming Third Selectman Jesse Bunce.

Perotti and Allyn were both elected to the Board of Selectmen (BOS) in 2017 and served three terms. Attendees of the meeting shared tales of their tenure during public comment at the start of the Nov. 14 meeting.

Tom Zetterstrom praised Allyn for leading the charge against knotweed in North Canaan.

“While you can say Salisbury has a knotweed problem, you can’t say that about Canaan. Canaan solved its knotweed problem in large part to the administration’s support, the town crew, and Christian Allyn,” said Zetterstrom.

Ohler said to Allyn, “Your commitment to the town, your passion to nonprofits, to a number of things throughout the tri-state area, it’s clear that your name is associated with a lot of good deeds.”

Second Selectman Craig Whiting, who was reelected to a fourth term on Tuesday, Nov. 7, thanked Perotti for his guidance and leadership over the past six years. Whiting and Perotti were running mates when they joined the board in 2017 and had previously served together in the Canaan Fire Company for nearly two decades.

“Always supportive and I always knew that when I called you, you would first-off answer the phone and then be receptive,” Whiting said to Perotti. “With Brian as First Selectman now, this will be the first time not having you to call. You might get some calls anyway. But I appreciate everything.”

“It’s been a pleasure,” said Perotti.

The new administration then began the regularly scheduled BOS meeting agenda and approved a proposed project at North Canaan Elementary School to update the heating and air conditioning system using ductless mini-split units. 

“This is just simply a formality to put this project into motion,” said Ohler. “It’s in its infancy.”

Schematics for the HVAC project will be drafted for the new system and reviewed at a later BOS meeting.

North Canaan’s Parade of Lights will be held on Sunday, Nov. 26. Participants will gather behind Stop and Shop at 5:30 p.m., and the parade will march to Lawrence Field.

“At the end of the parade, everyone’s invited back to the pavilion, where Santa will be. Music will be provided by the Hot Cocoa Band,” said Ohler. 

At the end of the meeting, Ohler discussed how the new administration plans to improve public engagement with the BOS.

“Starting with the agenda next month…we start every meeting with a feel-good story,” Ohler said. “We want to hear the feel-good stories from the community, and that really sets the tone for a positive meeting. It encourages that engagement, that feedback.”

He said the new board will strive for transparency and thoroughly identify funding sources for town projects.

He added: “We have our own vision now and it’s going to take a little bit to implement that. But I’m confident, with Craig and Jesse, we can work together and we can be the team that North Canaan needs.”

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