Nisswa Council censures Mayor Carnahan, strips committee assignments

NISSWA — The Nisswa City Council censured its mayor and stripped her of committee assignments at its meeting Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Mayor Jennifer Carnahan made the motion to adopt it what she called a “hollow resolution.”

"Using public funds and resources to formalize personal dissatisfaction without substance or authority serves no legitimate purpose for the city,” she said. “All this document does is basically say, ‘We don't like Jennifer and we don't want her to play in our sandbox anymore.’”

Carnahan declined to resign during a crowded December meeting, reiterating at the regular meeting Tuesday that she was duly elected to her position.

Council members have openly questioned her conduct in handling an interaction with a member of the public. Carnahan reportedly sought assault charges twice on the woman after an interaction during the city’s holiday lighting event in November. Both times, prosecutors declined to go forward with the case.

Carnahan is no stranger to controversy. She was ousted as chair of the Minnesota Republican Party in 2021 over allegations of creating a toxic workplace, as well as her connections to convicted sex trafficker Anton Lazzaro.

She moved to Nisswa, where she also owns a boutique, following the death of her husband U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn in 2022. She was elected Nisswa’s mayor in 2024.

Months into her stint as mayor, she also ran for the open seat in the Minnesota Senate created by Justin Eichorn’s resignation.

Carnahan said she would continue to attend as many committee meetings as possible, prompting discussion of the state’s open meeting law.

“Choosing to remove a council member as a liaison or choosing not to appoint an elected member as a liaison does not actually prevent participation, nor does it change any elected official's authority or responsibility in governance, nor does it override our statutory authority to attend and participate,” Carnahan said.

“I will be attending all of these meetings as my schedule allows moving forward — public works, planning and zoning, parks, liquor, personnel, labor negotiations, and all other strategic meetings that any other elected official is invited to attend.”

Nisswa City Attorney Tom Pearson advised that labor negotiations are closed and not noticed to the public.

“I just want to make sure everybody understands, the idea of just popping into committee meetings, popping into other meetings where there'll be other Council members present, doesn't allow the appropriate notice process to take place,” he said.

“So there's got to be some understanding about advance notice of appearing at these things if there's going to be more than two Council members there.”

The law states any time more than two elected officials from the same governing body are present at an event or meeting, the public must be notified in a timely manner with an idea of what will be discussed.