SWAMPSCOTT – Selectman Glenn Kessler came under fire Wednesday when Recreation Director Danielle Strauss accused him of making slanderous marks against her in a meeting on March 20.Strauss complained that Kessler “acted inappropriately with malice” and violated open meeting law when he mentioned in the last meeting during open session without an agenda item that a dozen residents had complained to him that the hiring process for summer recreation program workers was unfair if the candidates were not friendly with Strauss.?Kessler could have come to me and said ?I?d like to see the hiring policy,?” said Strauss. “It doesn?t need to be aired in public. It?s all rumor and slanderous.”Strauss insisted the hiring process was fair using a lottery system to help her choose 17 workers out of a pool of 60 candidates.Kessler?s attorney, Neil Rossman, who spoke on his behalf, referred to the transcript of the meeting when he argued Kessler had never mentioned Strauss? name, but had brought forward a concern about the transparency about the hiring process and asked if Town Administrator Thomas Younger was involved in the hiring process.Selectman Jill Sullivan said Kessler didn?t need to say a name. “To say the recreation director was not involved in the hiring process and then to say later that people don?t feel they get a fair shake, it?s impuning on an employee,” she said.Selectman Barry Greenfield said if Strauss wasn?t the wife of Matt Strauss, a candidate in the upcoming Board of Selectmen race, Kessler wouldn?t have a concern, which Kessler said was not true.Three out of four selectmen voted to issue Kessler a letter of censure for his actions, believing that Kessler overstepped his bounds by complaining about a department head in public rather than allowing Younger to take care of the issue. Selectman David Van Dam voted not to admonish Kessler any further because he believed Kessler was acting in the best interest of the town residents who had complained.Kessler refused an apology to Strauss at the advice of his attorney.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].