NEWPORT – Milo Town Manager Jane Jones vigorously defended her reputation Tuesday during a press conference held at her attorney’s office in Newport.

Jones, who has been Milo’s town manager for 17 years, was placed last week on administrative leave with pay for up to 45 days to allow selectmen time to investigate charges of alleged financial misconduct.

Attorney Dale Thistle said Tuesday the Milo Board of Selectmen had violated state law and Jones’ civil rights. “We intend to defend ourselves; we intend to take every issue we can to public forum,” he said, indicating he would file a case in federal court against selectmen, the town, and specifically Selectman Tony Hamlin.

He said the “witch hunt” is a personality clash between Jones and Hamlin, “who thinks he runs the entire board.”

“I categorically deny one penny has been mishandled under my administration,” Jones said Tuesday. “I’m not rolling over, I’m not playing dead, and I’m not shutting up.”

Selectman Jerry Brown, acting town manager, offered no comment Tuesday in response to what Jones and Thistle said at the press conference. Contacted at the Milo town office, Brown said the town’s attorney had advised the board members to make no comment.

Thistle said there are several legal issues, including that selectmen violated Jones’ due process rights in her evaluation. Jones has a “property right” in that she was not terminated for good cause, he said. Thistle said he has requested copies of the written and recorded minutes of last week’s meeting when Jones was placed on leave. He was told there was a discrepancy between the tapes and the written minutes, and that the tape was sent out for transcription. Thistle said he would file a request for a copy of the minutes through the Freedom of Information Act.

Jones said selectmen told her in executive session she would be placed on leave for insubordination and that selectmen had the right to make a public statement about her leave. She said she asked how the public statement would be worded, but was ordered to leave the executive session.

As she waited in her office, Jones said Milo Police Chief Michael Poulin came in and advised her to collect her belongings, then ushered her out of the town hall. That order to Poulin was directed by selectmen after they returned to the public board meeting.

The town manager said she never would have left the building had she known beforehand what the selectmen intended to tell the public. She praised former Selectman Jerry Cole, who she said stood by his convictions and resigned rather than participate in a “witch hunt.”

Thistle said that Jones’ character and her position have been discussed in public session over the last year, so her right to confidentiality has been violated repeatedly. Until this year Jones, who serves under an all male Board of Selectmen, has had 17 year-to-year contracts with the town and has had stellar evaluations, he noted.

Jones suggested board members were fully aware of the deficiencies addressed in the town’s latest audit. In fact, she said, the board voted to delay identifying and recording the town’s infrastructure for the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, or GASB, because of time and resources.

As to other deficiencies, Jones said, “I’ve never claimed to be a perfect manager.”