Four former Hooksett town employees who plan to appeal their recent firings were axed for discussing a rumor and using an inappropriate word inside and outside the office, an attorney representing them said.

Councilors, meanwhile, still can’t discuss any circumstances surrounding the firings, said Hooksett Town Council Chairman George Longfellow.

“We’re still under the ‘no comment’ rule, and I’m not sure how far that goes,” Longfellow said. “There’s really nothing I can talk about.”

Code enforcement officer Michelle Bonsteel, building department assistant Jessica Skorupski and 27-year town employee Sandy Piper, who headed the assessing department, were all fired on Thursday, April 12. Piper’s assistant, Joanne Drewniak, was fired the following day, when she returned to work after caring for her ailing father.

The four women plan to appeal the firings, said B.J. Branch, a lawyer representing each of them.

Details of the appeal process have yet to be worked out, said people on both sides of the controversy, though Branch said he hopes the appeals will be made in public.

“This is standard procedure,” said Longfellow. “Anyone who’s fired from the town has the option to appeal.”

Branch said not all four women are accused of exactly the same thing, but said each of them were fired for “a poor choice of language, and a poor choice of topic” related to a rumor around Town Hall.

“There was no evil or bad intent involved,” said Branch.

“There was no attempt to disrupt or undermine the town.”

The firings came after an attorney from Upton & Hatfield, a firm that’s regularly represented the Town Council, interviewed employees at Town Hall. Upton & Hatfield’s Bart Mayer, who was with the council during a nonpublic meeting on the night before the firings, has declined to discuss the dismissals.

Branch said the “fact-finding” attorney that questioned Town Hall employees then presented a report to the council. That report, he said, recommended “some sort of discipline,” for some employees, but didn’t suggest firings.

“There was just an oblique comment that some disciplining was warranted,” he said.

Branch described this is an unusual personnel case since he said the normal chain of command wasn’t followed. The fired employees weren’t addressed by Town Administrator David Jodoin before their alleged insubordination was reported to the council by a third-party “factfinder.”

Jodoin also declined to discuss the details surrounding the dismissals, but said he did remove himself from the inquiries.

“It was the best thing to do to remain neutral,” he said.

Branch suggested Jodoin’s recusal from the inquiry left the council with an “unclear set of rules,” by which to pursue the personnel matter.

Branch and Piper have said the council never gave the four women the chance to respond to the fact-finders report before they were fired. Branch also said the women will certainly sue the town if they’re not given their jobs back.

“I don’t think (the firings) represent the consciousness of the community of Hooksett,” said Branch, who was previously a Hooksett Town Councilor and the Town Moderator. “This is not how Hooksett used to handle things like this.”