EPSOM – Gordon Ellis walked into the packed upper level of the Epsom Fire Station and was greeted by a standing ovation from more than 150 supporters.

“First time that’s ever happened,” Ellis leaned over and told his attorney, Lee Nyquist.

Ellis was entering his appeal hearing after being fired by selectmen from his position as full-time road agent in late October.

He requested the meeting be public, and his supporters were vigilant, jeering selectmen and cheering on Ellis, who’s won two road agent elections by a three-to-one ratio.

He and two witnesses were interviewed by attorneys in front of the board of selectmen, which Co-Chairman Mary Frambach described as a “factfinding” panel. Selectmen held off on any decision “until after some legal matters have been checked into,” Frambach said.

Selectmen have accused Ellis of willfully neglecting their orders, and of failing to respond to written warnings about his job performance.

Specific charges against Ellis include failure to obtain selectmen’s signatures for a work contract, failure to obtain permits for some bridge work, failure to provide selectmen with weekly work schedules and failure to submit a timely budget to the Road Advisory Committee.

Ellis was fired after an October hearing during which selectmen gave him an opportunity to respond to the four charges.

Selectmen Robert McKechnie and Don Weaver have been filling the road agent duties, without pay, since the firing. The position pays $43,500 annually. Nyquist referred to the charges lodged against Ellis as “contrived” and as a “smokescreen,” and said they are the result of “malicious intent” and “prejudice” on the board of selectmen.

Nyquist asked Ellis to respond to each of the charges, which Ellis said all stemmed from the town’s road advisory committee, known as the “RAC.”

Two of the five selectmen – Peter Bosiak and Weaver – are RAC committee members.

Another selectman Robert McKechnie, resigned from the RAC when Weaver became a selectman in October.

The board was created by selectmen in 2001 to assist the road agent with things like budgets and administrative duties, but has lacked steady membership since.

“The Road Advisory Committee, to the best of my knowledge, did not do anything to help the road agent,” said Ellis, who filed a petition in September to have the RAC dissolved. “I’d try to steer them on course to work on projects, but that’s been a futile attempt.”

Resident David Fiorentino, who was called by Nyquist to testify, suggested the RAC – and its current composition that includes multiple selectmen – creates a “circle of command” that goes from the selectmen to the RAC, and circumvents the road agent.

He said the current setup has selectmen both above and below the road agent in the chain of command, since selectmen also serve on the RAC.

“It’s like having your fatherin- law come over and help with an addition on your house,” said Fiorentino. “It’s not going to get done your way.”

Town Moderator Gary Matteson, who said he’s known Ellis personally and professionally for 25 years, testified to Ellis’ character.

“He’s a very forthright person,” said Matteson. “He’s intentionally honest, to a fault.”

Matteson and Fiorentino each said Ellis has been the town’s most productive, and most enduring, road agent in recent years.

“From a construction standpoint, it’s hard to remember what the eight of them did in three years,” Matteson said of the most recent rash of road agents.

Selectmen, who’ve cited confidentiality laws and been quiet about the specifics of the firing in recent weeks, didn’t testify or call witnesses.

“We’re a fact-finding panel,” said Frambach. “Therefore, we won’t be testifying on our own behalf.”

Catherine Costanzo, an attorney who regularly conferred with selectmen throughout the hearing, sparsely cross-examined the three witnesses, and stressed her duty was only to assist selectmen in finding facts. Nyquist drew 15 seconds of applause after urging the board to repeal its decision to fire Ellis.

“You can step up, look these people in the eye,” he said, “and you can tell them you made a mistake and you’re sorry.”

The hearing’s theatrically charged atmosphere reminded Matteson of annual Town Meetings of years past.

“This is what Town Meeting used to be like, except there would be questions and answers,” he said, referring to the lack of public input allowed.

For others, the meeting was a sad spectacle of small-town politics gone awry.

“I hate to see the town get to this,” said Kevin Reeves.

Reeves said he supported Ellis because of his honesty, and said selectmen have been doing too much micromanaging.

“It’s all personalities here, and it’s just not right,” he said. “I’m disappointed we had to have a meeting like this.”

Ellis said he was humbled by all the support. “I don’t think they’re here for me as a person,” he said. “They’re here for a road agent that’s doing a good job.”