Nisswa Mayor Jennifer Carnahan to face vote of no confidence in January
Nisswa mayor faces vote of no confidence
Nisswa Mayor Jennifer Carnahan is set to face a vote of no confidence and censure in January after a Nisswa City Council vote on Tuesday.
NISSWA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Nisswa Mayor Jennifer Carnahan is set to face a vote of no confidence and possible censure in January after a Nisswa City Council vote on Tuesday.
Nisswa vote of no confidence
What we know:
At Tuesday night's council meeting, the Nisswa City Council approved motions directing the city attorney to prepare resolutions to allow for a vote of no confidence in Mayor Carnahan, censuring the mayor, and removing Carnahan from committee assignments.
The vote resolutions are slated to be considered by the council in January.
What they're saying:
During Tuesday's meeting, Mayor Carnahan accused the council of engaging in "performative" politics and infringing on her First Amendment rights.
"In preparation for tonight, I did reach out to my attorneys and my legal counsel to have them review the City Council Code of Conduct," said Carnahan during Tuesday's meeting. "Based on that review, they concluded there have been no violations of any mandatory provision of the code. Any attempt to assign so-called named wrongdoing is unsupported and appears designed for optics rather than substance."
Carnahan called the actions by the council a waste of taxpayer money and vowed to remain mayor.
"These actions are not ordinances nor are they laws," added Carnahan. "They are non-binding resolutions. Attempts to regulate the speech of an elected official conflicts with our First Amendment, which protects speech on matters of public concern. That protection includes the ability to speak about public policy, government actions, other public officials, including through public statements, social media, and interactions with members of the public. When a resolution conflicts with the Constitution, the Constitution always prevails. And last time I checked, we were living in America, not Communist China."
The other side:
At the same time, Carnahan refused to respond to questions raised by council members during Tuesday's meeting about her conduct surrounding a November incident at a restaurant that spawned the controversy.
"I was just wondering why you didn't reach out to the young lady when she sent the email to you and have a discussion with her and possibly Council Member Zahn who, according to this young lady, the conversation was on how to humiliate him and have him resign from office. Why didn't you reach out to her and sit down and talk?" asked Council Member Mark Froehle.
"I'm not going to get into a tit-for-tat or a ‘he-said or she-said," said Carnahan. "I was just wondering why you didn't reach out to the young lady when she sent the email to you and have a discussion with her and possibly Council Member Zahn who, according to this young lady, the conversation was on how to humiliate him and have him resign from office. Why didn't you reach out to her and sit down and talk?"
Nisswa mayor controversy
The backstory:
The controversy stems from an email from a Nisswa woman claiming she had overheard Carnahan discussing strategies to oust Council Member Jesse Zahn from his seat. After the email, the mayor reportedly saw the woman in town and confronted her. After the altercation, Carnahan accused the woman of assaulting her, leading to an investigation by the Nisswa Police Department.
The reported assault was investigated and handed over to the county attorney, who ultimately determined no crime was committed.
Last week, the council held a special meeting – which Carnahan opted not to attend – during which Council Member Zahn called for Carnahan to resign.
Big picture view:
Carnahan was once the chair of the Minnesota Republican Party but was forced to resign in 2021 in the wake of the arrest of GOP donor Anton Lazzaro, who was later convicted on charges of sex trafficking minors.
While there was no evidence Carnahan ever had knowledge of the criminal accusations against Lazzaro, Carnahan was friends with the GOP donor and even hosted a podcast with Lazzaro.
Along with pressure from the Lazzaro arrest, Carnahan was accused of creating a hostile work environment and the party launched an investigation into how she managed party finances.
After resigning as chair, Carnahan attempted a run for Congress to fill the seat left vacant by her late husband Jim Hagedorn in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. In 2024, she ran and was elected Nisswa mayor.
What they're saying:
In a statement to FOX 9 on Tuesday, Mayor Carnahan responded to Tuesday night's vote.
The statement reads:
"Last night, under the pretext of an unanswered email and my report of being physically pushed to law enforcement, the council took the unprecedented step of initiating the removal of my committee assignments. This action reflects an effort to silence a duly elected mayor and disregard the will of the voters. Rather than suppressing my voice, it underscores why independent leadership matters. Despite these political distractions, the results speak for themselves. For the first time in many years, residents’ advocacy for lower taxes prevailed, and the city delivered a negative tax levy for 2026. In addition, three council members reversed their prior vote advancing a local option sales tax. I have consistently opposed unnecessary tax increases and insider-driven priorities, and these outcomes reflect that commitment. Instead of engaging with the many residents who spoke in support of my leadership, the council chose political retaliation, intimidation, and censorship. Those tactics did not succeed, as last night’s public comments made clear that residents see through performative politics.
"As I stated at the meeting, I will not resign. Calls for my resignation only confirm that I am doing the job the voters elected me to do. I will continue moving our city forward into 2026 focused on responsible governance, fiscal discipline, and the issues that truly matter to our community—not performative politics or personal attacks.
"It is important to understand what a censure or vote of no confidence is—and is not. These actions are nonbinding resolutions, not laws or ordinances. Attempts to regulate or punish the speech of an elected official raise serious First Amendment concerns. The Constitution protects speech on matters of public concern, including public policy, government actions, and the conduct of public officials. In our system of government, constitutional protections and democratic principles prevail."