A special city council meeting held Wednesday in the central Minnesota cabin-country town of Nisswa had one item on the agenda: discussing the conduct of Mayor Jennifer Carnahan.

Carnahan, the former chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota and widow to former U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, took office last year in the town of less than 2,000 residents, where she's owned a boutique for more than a decade.

The council took no action at Wednesday's meeting, which Carnahan didn't attend. Members, however, pledged to review the city's code of conduct before discussing Carnahan again in the next regularly scheduled council meeting.

Council member Jesse Zahn spoke at length about his concerns with Carnahan and explicitly called for her resignation. While he didn't get into specifics, Zahn did accuse Carnahan of "blatant and proven public slandering and defamation of character of other elected officials."

"City projects and initiatives have fallen to the wayside as this council has routinely been left dealing with the aftermath of our mayor's conduct, whether it be online or on the street," Zahn said. "This council and this city have been severely hampered by the politicking when it should be focusing efforts on providing its residents the best services at our disposal."

Zahn also hinted at the baggage Carnahan brought to elected office. Her four-year tenure as head of the state GOP Party was historic; Carnahan was the first woman, and first woman of color, to lead the party.

But she resigned in disgrace in 2021 amid a myriad of scandals, including allegations of creating a toxic work environment, ignoring sexual harassment complaints and her ties to convicted sex trafficker Anton Lazzaro, a former GOP donor with whom she hosted a short-lived podcast.

A joint statement from several former party leaders released that year branded Carnahan "morally bankrupt," and motivated by "grudges, retaliation and intimidation."

Carnahan has steadfastly denied all accusations. She went on to sue the party in 2022, alleging leaders broke a stipulation in their severance agreement by making disparaging remarks about her, causing her to lose work opportunities.

"The shackles of the past still seem to be lingering, and now have bogged this council down into a stalemate and a city into divide via misinformation and lies," Zahn said on Wednesday. "The smearing and negative rhetoric is not constructive and I ask that it again stop."

WCCO has reached out to Carnahan's office for comment.

NOTE: The original airdate of the video attached to this article is Dec. 2, 2022.