First Selectman Brian H. Sear

Current First Selectman, Brian Sear has led Canterbury in a positive direction --- restoring civility, professionalism and respect to the Town’s government since his 2007 election. “I am a level-headed consensus builder, an excellent listener and my communication skills have proved effective during the past four years in helping promote an atmosphere of cooperation throughout the Town. “I am especially proud that in Canterbury we have been able to maintain services and jobs without increasing the tax burden on our citizens during the recent economic crisis”, Sear said.

He firmly believes that a visible Town presence in Hartford is crucial to maintaining funding and realizing new opportunities from the State. He serves on the Board of Directors of COST (Council of Small Towns), served on the MORE (Municipal Opportunities Regional Efficiencies) Commission’s panel on Town services and is presently serving on the Secretary of State’s Election Performance Task Force. He has testified before the legislature in defense of Canterbury’s economic and infrastructure issues. He says that “during this economic period, when many Town functions are being re-evaluated by the State, it is important to let Hartford know how well our small town operates”.
Brian’s education and work experience have made him an effective communicator and problem solver. He worked as an Account Manager at public relations agencies in New York City and Hartford for five years, writing and producing promotional material, managing press conferences and researching technical case histories. He later managed construction of a 10,000 square foot production facility in Dayville, Conn. for Graphic Sales, Inc., a family based pre-press business. After construction he set up and managed the company’s billing and administrative departments, then served as Marketing Director and lead salesperson. Eight years later he moved his accounts to Elite Color Group in Providence, Rhode Island and served as salesperson/sales manager for nine years. Concurrently he taught Pre-Press Production and Digital Color Correction at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).  Brian then worked for nine years as a pre-press technician for a major printing company in Connecticut. He has designed and conducted numerous seminars and is an experienced presenter and meeting facilitator. He earned a B.A. in both English and Education from Syracuse University.

Brian has shared his professional skills with a number of organizations including the Samuel Huntington Trust, where serves on  the Board of Directors, producing promotional literature, managing events and helping the Trust’s purchase of the property from the Town of Scotland. He is a longtime member of the Canterbury Historical Society and served as its treasurer and president. He managed production of the book Canterbury: The First Three Hundred Years and served on the Green School House restoration committee. He has also been a news and feature reader for CRIS radio in Norwich, broadcasting to the sight-impaired. He was elected to the Board of Assessment Appeals in 2003 for a four year term, and served as its Chairman for two of those years.
He and his wife Connie have lived in Canterbury for 27 years and have raised their two daughters here in town. Alexandra is a graduate student at Boston University and Victoria is in her junior year at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. In his spare time he enjoys learning more about American history, and playing music.

Selectman Lee Wrigley

“I am proud of the way our town boards have been run in the past four years. My goal as Selectman was to restore trust in an open form of government, run orderly meetings and value public input. I consider myself to be a fair person who treats people respectfully”, says Lee Wrigley. 

Lee is currently employed by Canterbury Horticulture as its Head Grower.  He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Connecticut in Horticulture and worked at Verkades Nursery in Canterbury for several years after earning his degree. Lee then worked for Agway in their Plainfield location for 13 years, working his way up to Assistant Manager. His many years in business have given him skills he likes to bring to the Selectmen’s board. “I know how to build a budget and how to adhere to that budget”, he says.

Lee served on the Planning and Zoning Commission for fifteen years, several of which as board chairman. He has also served on several boards for his church. Along with his wife Missy, he has raised two children and countless plants during his 25 years in town. Their son Richard graduated from Woodstock Academy in 2000, enlisted in the Army, and has since served in Korea and two duty tours in Iraq. He returned to Connecticut in 2005, studied Foreign Relations at the University of Connecticut, and has rejoined the Army. Daughter Amanda, also a Woodstock Academy graduate, graduated with a B.S. in Horticulture. She’s following in her father’s footsteps and is working in the garden center industry. Lee lists gardening and traveling as his favorite pastimes.