Middlebury First Selectwoman Supports Petition For Special Election

MIDDLEBURY, CT — Middlebury First Selectwoman Jennifer Mahr announced Wednesday her support for a special election petition to fill the third seat on the Board of Selectmen.

In a news release, Mahr cited “deficiencies in the official minutes of the Special Meeting of the Elective Town Officers on January 13, 2026, that prevent verification of how each official voted.”

“The integrity of our local democratic processes depends on clear, complete, and transparent records,” Mahr said in the news release. “Because the written ballots were not signed or labeled with each official’s name, the minutes did not identify how each official voted and therefore did not comply with Freedom of Information requirements under Section 1-225.”

Read more from the news release below:

Mahr said that after consultation with the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, the recommended remedy was to ask officials to disclose their votes after the meeting, outside the official record, and then to file amended minutes with the Town Clerk.

“Although amended minutes were filed, I believe that approach violated the spirit of the law,” Mahr said. “Elected officials are required to vote on the record in real time. Connecticut General Statutes § 9-222 does not specify how elective town officers must fill a selectman vacancy, and the decision to vote by secret ballot placed me, as First Selectwoman, in an untenable position: accept minutes that violate FOI requirements or attempt to cure the violation after the fact in a way that further undermines transparency.”

Mahr added that reconvening the group to vote again would not resolve the issue.

“There is no way to ensure that officials would vote the same way once they know their votes must be publicly attributed. That moment has passed and cannot be recreated.”

Mahr said she plans to raise these concerns with Middlebury’s state delegation.

“There are now three Connecticut towns dealing with selectman vacancies, and residents in all of them have been affected by how vague the statute is,” she said. “The General Assembly needs to establish a clear, uniform process for municipalities.

“Given the controversy Middlebury has experienced, and to avoid continued dispute, restore public confidence, and ensure that the outcome is beyond reproach, the most transparent course of action is to ask Middlebury voters to decide. A special election removes ambiguity and places the decision where it belongs — with the electorate.”

Under CGS § 9-222, a special election may be triggered by a verified petition signed by electors equal to five percent of the names on the last-completed registry list. In Middlebury, that requirement is 345 signatures.

Mahr emphasized that her support for a special election is rooted in good governance, not partisanship.

“Until recently, selectmen in Middlebury served two-year terms, so the remaining two years of this vacancy is a long time for residents to question the legitimacy of the process,” she said. “I have signed the petition calling for a special election and encourage others to do the same.”