PARIS — The chairman of the Board of Selectmen, who is subject to a recall election on Monday, said Friday that he was refused a public hearing to defend his time on the board.

David Ivey said he went to the town office Friday to ask for a public hearing the same day, but was denied. Town Manager Philip Tarr confirmed that Ivey requested a public hearing, and said that it would have been impossible to fulfill the request under the guidelines of the ordinance.

Ivey said he should have received a hearing under the ordinance, which states that a selectman subject to recall may request a public hearing "at any time between the time of ordering the recall election and the date of said election." The ordinance also says the Board of Selectmen would have to schedule a hearing to take place not fewer than seven days before the election with at least seven days of public notice before the hearing.

Ivey said he was not getting "due diligence" under the ordinance since he requested a hearing prior to the election. He also criticized the ordinance as "poorly crafted."

Tarr said the section of the ordinance could be "confusing," but that adequate scheduling and notice would have to be given before such a hearing. He said that it would also be impossible to call an emergency selectmen's meeting to address his request since Ivey would potentially have to recuse himself based on conflict of interest, Selectman Glen Young is on vacation, and Selectman Troy Ripley has resigned.

"If he wanted a hearing, it should have been brought in here or brought to the Board of Selectmen at least 15 days before the vote," Tarr said.

A petition calling for Ivey's recall was submitted in November, less than a week after the recall ordinance was passed at a referendum vote. It stated that signing residents had "lost confidence" in Ivey.

One of Ivey's more controversial actions was voting with the majority in a 3-2 decision in June to terminate former Town Manager Sharon Jackson's contract with the town. Several residents have regularly attended the selectmen's meetings since that decision and publicly criticized Ivey. In addition, Jackson has filed a lawsuit against the town appealing her termination and accusing Ivey, Young and Ripley of having clandestine meetings to decide to fire her.

Ivey denied that any such meetings took place, and said Jackson's contract allowed termination at any point with or without cause.

"I might have made some people angry, but I didn't do anything wrong," Ivey said. "I did everything right by the book. That's why I didn't resign."

mlangeveld@sunjournal.com