Supporters of Dean Bennett, Gray’s recently terminated recreation director, were out in force Tuesday night protesting what they say was an unfair firing by Town Manager Deborah Cabana.

Despite temperatures in the 20s, supporters of Bennett held signs before and during a closed-door hearing on the firing held at Stimson Hall.

With the Gray Town Council acting as judge and jury, Cabana and the town attorney, Bill Dale, could be seen through a window sitting on one side of the dais with Bennett and his lawyer, John Gleason, seated on the other. The council listened as Dale presented Cabana’s reasons for firing Bennett from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. followed by Gleason presenting Bennett’s appeal starting at 9:30 p.m. The council decided to end Tuesday night’s session at 11 p.m. and was scheduled to reconvene Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

On Thursday, Gleason was expected to call several witnesses to speak on behalf of Bennett. One of those witnesses is Cheryl Welch, president of the Crystal Lake Association. In an interview Wednesday with the Lakes Region Weekly, Welch said she intended to discuss the “excellent working relationship” the association and Bennett have enjoyed since 2002, when an outbreak of E. coli bacteria first occurred at town-owned Wilkies Beach on Crystal Lake.

“That was the beginning of our relationship with Dean,” Welch said. “He was very helpful then and has been a great advocate for lake issues ever since. And we hope he can continue to be.”

Welch, who said she sat in the basement of Stimson Hall with about six other witnesses who were to testify on Bennett’s behalf, said the mood among supporters was tense Tuesday night.

“We sat, we paced, we gabbed, but mostly we were on edge waiting for our chance to speak,” Welch said.

Another witness scheduled to testify on behalf of Bennett, Gray resident Jackie Lindstedt, said she was looking forward to Thursday’s hearing.

“I spend $6,000 a year between the various rec programs my three children are involved in, and all I can say is if Dean is not part of it, we won’t be either,” Lindstedt said.

Lindstedt said she has put her full faith in Bennett to take care of her children, which is a trait hard to find in today’s world, she said.

“We know Dean, we trust him, and that’s why feel comfortable leaving our kids there,” she said.

Standing outside in the freezing weather holding signs showing support for Bennett, picketers solicited honks from passing cars and expressed outrage that the popular recreation director had been fired.

“Dean has represented the whole heart and soul of Gray Recreation,” said 20-year-old Allie McCleary, of Gray. “He knows everybody in the town and he has done a great job for 17 years. I just know he puts so much effort into his job.”

Deasy Edwards, also of Gray, whose “significant other” works with Bennett, said that while he doesn’t know the facts surrounding the firing, he was picketing because he believes proper procedure wasn’t followed in the firing.

“The reason people are out here is because they think this was a wrongdoing. It doesn’t seem they followed standard operating procedure,” Edwards said. “Some people just feel there’s something else going on.”

Seth Farrington, of Gray, who was one of many people who arrived to witness the proceedings but were turned back because of Bennett’s request to hold the meeting in private, said he supports Bennett, “like most people in Gray.”

“I’ve known Dean since 1995,” he said. “A lot of people think of Dean as a family member.”

Stationed in front of Stimson Hall in Gray, picketers hold signs Tuesday night showing their support for Dean Bennett, the recently fired Gray recreation director. Bennett has served the town for 17 years and was recently fired by Town Manager Deborah Cabana for undisclosed reasons. The Gray Town Council heard arguments Tuesday and Thursday night on the matter. (Staff photo by John Balentine)Dean Bennett, left, and his lawyer John Gleason confer prior to Tuesday night’s appeals hearing. (Staff photo by John Balentine)