WESTBROOK – Former City Finance Director Sue Rossignol said this week she was “stunned” that she had been banned from City Hall for a second time, but insists that she will abide by the no-trespass order she received from the city last week.

“I understand that it is what it is, and there’s not a darned thing I can do about it,” she said.

When asked why Rossignol, 61, was banned, City Administrator Jerre Bryant, said she was “disruptive” in a recent series of visits to the building.

On Tuesday, Rossignol denied that she was disrupting anyone, and insisted that she was only trying to conduct business at the clerk’s office.

“I’ve never been disruptive in City Hall,” she said. “I’ve never raised my voice.”

Rossignol served the city for 32 years as director of finance until Mayor Colleen Hilton announced during her inaugural address in January 2010 that she would not be reappointing Rossignol to her job. The mayor eliminated the position and created a new one, designated “chief financial officer,” overseeing municipal and school district finance management. That job is held by Dawn Ouellette.

In March 2010, two months after Rossignol’s dismissal, the mayor filed a complaint for protection from harassment against Rossignol, saying the former finance director approached her, “begging” for her job back. The mayor’s complaint said Rossignol made her feel “threatened and frightened.” At the same time, Westbrook police issued a criminal trespass order, effectively barring Rossignol from entering City Hall for one year.

Rossignol, speaking during the public comments portion of Monday night’s special City Council meeting, said she had been banned as a result of what she described as routine visits to City Hall to pay bills.

Rossignol said during one of these visits, she ran into Bryant, and talked with him about the removal of a Plexiglas barrier that used to separate city clerks from the public. She said she told him she didn’t think it should have been removed, and also asked him for information about the tax rate. She said she finished her business and left.

Two days later, after returning from a trip to New Hampshire, Rossignol said she discovered the police wanted to serve her a notice banning her from the building.

City councilors declined to comment on the order, with some councilors saying they knew nothing about it before Monday’s meeting.

On Tuesday, Rossignol showed the American Journal the order, a criminal trespass notice listing Bryant, on behalf of the city of Westbrook, as the complainant. The order indicates that Rossignol would be considered a trespasser if she visits City Hall. The order is effective for one year, beginning on May 7. A violation, according to the order, could be punishable by up to six months in jail.

Bryant declined comment on the matter Monday other than to confirm the banning, but on Tuesday, when asked for the reasons, he said Rossignol visited City Hall five times, and after some of the visits, some city employees complained to him that Rossignol was “making them feel very uncomfortable,” and he called Rossignol’s actions “disruptive.”

“We have a responsibility to maintaining an appropriate working environment, and that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Bryant declined to say exactly what about Rossignol’s actions was disruptive, but insisted the city is not trying to prevent Rossignol from conducting business with the city.

“We will accommodate any business she needs to conduct with the city,” he said.

Hilton said she had nothing personally against Rossignol, saying, “I do wish her well.” Hilton also declined to discuss specifics of complaints against Rossignol, but said she wanted city employees to feel safe.

“I take expressions of employees not feeling safe very seriously, and I’ll take appropriate action,” she said.

Rossignol said she did not believe her presence was disruptive or dangerous. She agreed she’d been to City Hall five times, but that she had legitimate business there each time. She said she had no indications during her visits that she had made any of the clerks or other employees uncomfortable.

“They were all nice,” she said. “They weren’t rude, and I certainly thought I’d been nice to them.”

Rossignol admitted to voicing her opinions about the Plexiglas, and has said in the past that she thought the implementation of a new computer system for finance management could have been done better, but she insisted Tuesday that she has always been civil when voicing her opinions, and never meant anyone any harm. She said she has never threatened anyone, including Hilton.

When asked why she would want to return to City Hall at all, she said, “I’m a taxpayer. I have a right to be in that building, and they don’t have a right to kick me out because they don’t want me around.”