Mystic — The Stonington Zoning Board of Appeals has scheduled an Oct. 13 hearing on an appeal of a cease-and-desist order by the owners of the Lighthouse Bakery, who say town employees have discriminated against them because of their Iranian heritage.

ZBA Chairman Matt Berger said the board received the appeal of Mercedeh Pourmoghadam and Massoud Kalkhoran at its meeting Tuesday and set the hearing date.

The couple was not present at the meeting.

The couple is appealing a cease-and-desist order issued to them for having an illegal sandwich board sign in front of their 21 East Main St. business. The sign remained up on Tuesday.

They have alleged that Zoning Enforcement Officer Candace Palmer targets minority-owned businesses such as theirs, while not citing others for illegal signs.

In their appeal of the cease-and-desist order, the couple argue that not only is their sign legal under their reading of the regulations, but that the town has not taken action against others with similar signs.

They also allege that when Palmer visited the bakery to inspect it before issuing a certificate of occupancy in 2012, Palmer said she needed a witness when she signed it so she returned with a man she described as “the sheriff of the Town of Stonington.”

The couple wrote that when they went to Town Hall to inquire about the visit, they discovered the man was the town engineer and the town has no sheriff.

After consulting an attorney, they reported the incident to police because impersonating an officer is a felony.

They decided not to pursue the issue because they said they “hoped and still hope” to have an amicable relationship with the town.

They also have filed a complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, charging that police refused to arrest a tenant who had been threatening them, and allege police now follow them and park cruisers near their business as a form of intimidation.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas