Montville -- The Town Council held an executive session during Monday night's regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the performance of Mayor Ron McDaniel.

McDaniel, a Democrat serving his third term as mayor, said earlier Monday that he was unsure of the reasoning behind the executive session.

Thomas McNally, the Republican chairman of the council, said Monday afternoon he added the closed door session to the meeting agenda at the request of Democrats to discuss "recent hirings" made by McDaniel.

The agenda items stated the executive session was being held to discuss the mayor's performance with members of the council and McDaniel.

After the council and McDaniel emerged from the 16-minute session, they said no vote was taken and proceeded with the rest of the meeting. Under state law, no votes can be taken in executive session but have to occur in public.     

Council members and McDaniel declined to comment about the session after the meeting ended.   

McDaniel and McNally have a well-documented history. The two squared off in each of the last two mayoral races, with McDaniel winning both the 2015 and 2019 elections. Prior to battling over ballots, McNally sued McDaniel -- and the town -- over his dismissal from the Water Pollution Control Authority. McNally claimed his firing was politically charged before the two parties settled in court.

McDaniel has been heavily involved in town politics durind his 22 years as a resident, according to his biography on the town's website. He was previously a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals for three years, a member of Town Council for three years before he most recently held the position of probate judge from 2002-2011. He has also been heavily involved in youth sports, specifically, youth soccer, Little League baseball and Babe Ruth baseball.

Professionally, McDaniel spent two years as a legislative budget analyst for the Office of Fiscal Analysis in Hartford before becoming the owner of a condominium management firm.

McNally is a life-long resident of Montville and has been on the Town Council for two separate terms. He's spent the last four years as chairman. Previously, McNally served on the Board of Education for eight years, the Public Safety Commission for 12 years and sat on a handful of other committees. He owns and operates a landscaping and property management business and has also volunteered as a firefighter.