SKOWHEGAN — Town Manager Dawn DiBlasi is resigning after one year in the job, citing a lack of support from the town.

Dawn DiBlasi, hired in April 2024, is leaving the job after one year. Her last day is May 9 and she plans to return to reopen her law practice. Jake Freudberg/Morning Sentinel file

Skowhegan select board Chair Paul York announced DiBlasi’s resignation at the end of a three-and-half hour select board meeting Tuesday.

“She is getting done,” York said. “She doesn’t feel that she has had the town’s support. And she’s worked diligently to try to get us out of the hole that we were in. She’s done that. She doesn’t feel like she can do anything more. So, she gave her resignation.”

DiBlasi’s last day with the town is May 9, York said.

DiBlasi’s resignation letter was brief. In it, she said it was a difficult decision and her “true calling” is practicing law.

The letter is dated April 1, according to a copy obtained from the town office, although it is unclear when exactly DiBlasi submitted it to York.

The board took no formal vote Tuesday to accept DiBlasi’s resignation, which it has done with previous resignations. York said Wednesday he did not think that technicality is necessary.

The select board plans to schedule a closed-door meeting in coming weeks to discuss how to move forward, including the possibility of hiring an interim, York said.

DiBlasi said Wednesday the town has already engaged the Maine Municipal Association, which could help identify an interim town manager and assist in the search process for a new one.

DiBlasi, 63, of Fairfield, was hired as Skowhegan’s town manager after the position sat vacant for six months.

Former Town Manager Christine Almand had resigned after nearly a decade in the role in late 2023, following several months on leave. Police Chief David Bucknam served as interim town manager until the select board hired DiBlasi.

DiBlasi, who became a lawyer at 42, had worked as Somerset County’s administrator from 2013 to 2023.

In an interview at her office Wednesday, DiBlasi said she learned a lot in the Skowhegan job, met great people and kept her office door open.

“When I got here, as you know, there was a lot to do,” she said. “There was a lot to clean up and there was a lot to get headed in the right direction. And I feel that I did that. One of the accomplishments, I feel, here has been filling the empty positions. And getting IT set up to be done right and to keep our citizens’ information secure.”

But DiBlasi said changes to the composition of the select board, responsible for hiring and overseeing the town manager, was the biggest challenge she faced.

Only two of the five board members who were on the board when she was hired remain on the board: York and Steven Govoni.

Then-Chair Todd Smith did not run for reelection in June 2024; Harold Bigelow lost a bid for reelection in June 2024; and Charles Robbins resigned in September 2024.

Elijah Soll and Amber Lambke were elected in June 2024. Whitney Cunliffe was elected in a special election in February.

“We’ve had three new members come on in this one year since I’ve been here,” DiBlasi said. “As you know, that’s a process because I believe that the town manager should have an intimate relationship with each board member in order to work with them like a well-oiled machine. And if you don’t have that, you’re not going anywhere.”

The other major challenge, DiBlasi said, was what she sees as general misinformation around town “causing needless chaos.” A large part of that misinformation relates to the ongoing community center athletic complex construction project, DiBlasi said.

The project, which includes a baseball field to replace the Memorial Field complex that was sold to Maine School Administrative District 54 for its new elementary school, has dragged on for years and has led to several tense exchanges among officials and residents at public meetings.

DiBlasi said she focused on other aspects of the town manager job at first but recently became more involved in the project discussions.

“Once I got caught up, I kind of dove into the baseball stuff and said, ‘OK, what’s going on,’” DiBlasi said. “It seems to me that the unrest in this town over the baseball field has been the driving force behind people being angry. And that’s really too bad because there’s way more going on here in the town of Skowhegan than just the baseball field. Is it important? Yes, it is. But are there other things that are equally important? Yes, there are.”

York said he believes the town is divided and is not sure about the direction it’s heading.

“She doesn’t have the support, and for her own health wise, she felt she had to get done,” York said in a phone call Wednesday. “So that’s what she did. Not a good move for the town, but she has to do what she’s got to do.”

Govoni said he was surprised by the news being delivered at the end of the meeting, rather than during the town manager’s report at the beginning.

DiBlasi likely struggled with the public criticism that came with the municipal job, as her former position as county administrator was less public-facing, Govoni said. She walked into a “disaster” when she was hired, after months of the town manager position being vacant, and the town is now in better shape, he said.

“I hope we do an exit interview,” Govoni said Wednesday.

Soll said he liked DiBlasi’s blue-collar, hard-working background. DiBlasi started working in high school at McDonald’s to support her sick father and disabled mother.

“I’m sad to see her leave,” Soll said in a phone call Wednesday. “I thought she demonstrated some nice leadership skills and did the best she could in a difficult environment. Full stop.”

Lambke said she was thankful DiBlasi took on an “extremely difficult job” as town manager.

“I don’t fault anyone for making choices that they feel are right for them,” Lambke said in a phone call Wednesday. “It presents a new task and a challenge for us as a select board to invite people in and look for a new leader. That’s not uncommon in any business or any situation.”

Cunliffe, who has been a vocal critic of the town’s handling of the athletic complex project since voters elected him in February, declined an interview Wednesday.

He said in a text message: “I appreciate the service of our Town Manager and wish her well in her future endeavors. Leadership transitions are a natural part of municipal life and offer a moment to reassess our direction. I’m committed to ensuring that Skowhegan’s next steps reflect the priorities of our residents and strengthen the foundation for our town’s future.”

DiBlasi said she plans to return to her legal career, with a focus on probate, estate planning and potentially juvenile criminal defense. She plans to reopen her own practice, with an office on Common Street in Waterville and another location to be determined.

Per the terms of the three-year contract she signed last year, DiBlasi was to be paid $95,000 in her first year, with a 3.5% increase in pay in each of the remaining two. The contract, which included benefits, allowed for renewal at the end of the three-year period.

The contract states that DiBlasi must give 30 days’ notice of a voluntary resignation. If she does not give the full 30 days’ notice, she forfeits one day of vacation pay due to her for each day less than the 30 days’ notice.

Through her last day, DiBlasi said she plans to keep the town running.

“I am leaving everything all caught up,” she said. “The next person who walks in is going to have things in order.”