A Mansfield Town Councilman has filed a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) against the Town of Mansfield, saying the town has not properly accommodated him for his hearing impairment, impeding his ability to participate in town council meetings.

It is not the only issue that Mansfield councilman Brian Q. Coleman — a colorful individual who dresses like a wizard and narrowly won his last reelection in 2023 by a 9-vote margin – is facing: Coleman has received anonymous emails threatening to expose him for various things, including an “elicit (sic) marijuana growing operation,” if he did not retract comments made on social media, a threat Coleman said amounted to “blackmail.”

Coleman believes town officials have intentionally failed to accommodate his disability as retaliation for “making waves,” namely, questioning whether the town directed Capital Non-Recurring funds toward a local nonprofit and pushback against a school project.

Coleman’s hearing issue and the town’s response have come up multiple times during council meetings, resulting in sometimes tense exchanges and emails and, at one point, Coleman walking out of the meeting – he disputes the characterization of him “storming out” as reported in The Chronicle. Coleman says has 50 percent hearing loss in both ears.

“I requested accommodation from the town management in May of 2022, didn’t receive much help there,” Coleman said in an interview, claiming that, at various points, council members have refused to use the microphone to prevent him from hearing, or shouted their roll call to embarrass him. “No improvements were ever made to accommodate my hearing in the council chambers or anywhere else in town.”

“I came out and I accused them of discriminating against me, obstruction and retaliation, which all three of those have occurred,” Coleman said. “I asked for some financial documentation where I thought some funds were being misused and they absolutely refused to give me that documentation.”

“I dig deep, and they don’t like people who peel back the layers, frankly,” Coleman said.

Town Manager for Mansfield Ryan Aylesworth, to whom Coleman has directed much of his frustration, says he is aware of the CHRO complaint but says the town has made efforts to accommodate Coleman’s hearing problems. He said he couldn’t get too detailed because the CHRO process has commenced.

“We’ve been responsive to Mr. Coleman’s expressed needs and concerns throughout the time he’s been raising them,” Ayelesworth said in an interview. “From the moment those needs, or concerns were expressed, we as an organization and, in particular our IT department, have worked very diligently to be responsive to, and try to craft a solution that meets his specific needs.”

“Certainly, as an organization we’ve always been and continue to be committed to promoting accessibility,” Aylesworth continued. “Anytime any local official or constituent has raised needs or concerns we very much, in keeping with our values, try to be responsive to that and help facilitate accessibility for anybody in any town function.”

In emails received by Inside Investigator, Coleman claims the town “came up with hearing assisted devices that I was told were laying around a closet for 20 years,” that failed during a couple meetings.

“The devices have been tested and retested many times, making sure they work, that the batteries are fully charged, and they’re checked before the meeting, after the meeting and, at no point was the technology he was provided fundamentally flawed,” Aylesworth said.

Aylesworth also denies that any issues with Coleman’s hearing accommodations are tied to his requests around town funds, saying Mansfield has traditionally supported the Mansfield Downtown Partnership out the town’s General Fund, but that CNR funds were not used to support the nonprofit.

“No action, no treatment of Mr. Coleman, no anything by myself or by any council members that I’m aware of is in anyway linked to concerns he’s raised about funding for the Mansfield Downtown Partnership,” Aylesworth said.

According to an email sent from Coleman to Aylesworth and Council members on January 8, 2024, “I asked the Finance Director if CNR funds were used to fund the town portion of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership,” Coleman wrote regarding a December 11, 2023, meeting “The finance director stated yes, in the past. This would indicate possible misappropriation of funds.”

Coleman claims his wave-making has earned him detractors and harassment both from council members and an anonymous party who sent an email signed by “Coleman’s Handler,” following a social media post Coleman made regarding the “installation of holiday lights in our town.”

“There are inaccuracies in your statement and as a well respected tax paying republican in Mansfield, I refuse to allow misinformation to be spread by our council members,” the December 13, 2023 email said. “I am demanding that you retract the statement containing the inaccuracies.”

The email goes on to state that if the emailer’s demands are not met, they would expose the “real reasoning” behind Coleman leaving employment at the University of Connecticut, his “marijuana growing operation,” and his “recent eviction.”

Coleman immediately alerted town officials who alerted the police. Coleman said it amounted to “blackmail,” but that he would not be intimidated by anybody.

Coleman worked as a Building and Grounds Patrol Officer at UConn and says he left with a settlement when he became a “whistleblower.” He also acknowledges that the police came to his house in 2022 before Connecticut’s legalization of cannabis took effect and confiscated some marijuana plants.

“I was growing some weed, and somebody must have found out, and they came to my house. Cops confiscated the weed, gave me a verbal warning and left,” Coleman said. “They didn’t make a big deal out it at all.” 

Coleman says the purported eviction was not for his residence, but rather from a storage basement used by his wife for her business. “It’s a bunch of rumors people have been spreading about me to undermine me here in town,” Coleman said. 

Coleman is serving his second term on the Council and says that the animus against him is related to his questioning of town projects and funding. “They don’t like me for that, and I think a lot of what they’re doing right now to me is based on my critique of them and their projects and everything else that they do,” Coleman said. “They’re trying to shut me down.”

Aylesworth says the town is cooperating with CHRO and believe there is no basis for the claim of discrimination.

“We haven’t really embarked on this [CHRO] process yet, but we’re very confident that, as this plays out, the final outcome of the matter, the investigation, will reflect that there’s no basis for Mr. Coleman’s allegations,” Aylesworth said.

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