Winslow Town Manager Steve Soucy attempted to resign late last month for “personal reasons” just over three months into his three-year contract.

But Town Council Chairperson Frances Hudson said Friday that town leaders have not accepted his resignation. Hudson said Soucy is still Winslow’s town manager and that he is working under a modified work schedule, but she did not specify which days or hours Soucy is working under the schedule.

Soucy’s resignation letter, sent to town leaders July 29, said he was “writing to formally resign” as town manager. His letter did not appear to give extended notice before his resignation was effective.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Soucy wrote. “I truly value the opportunities I have had working with you and the entire Winslow team. I am very grateful for the support, experience, and growth I have gained during my time here. I have learned so much about our town, the people, and the team that makes it all work.”

Soucy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Town Council held a special executive session meeting Monday, six days after Soucy’s resignation, to discuss a personnel matter. No public votes were recorded after the executive session ended.

Hudson declined to comment on the executive session, citing advice from an attorney.

Soucy has been Winslow’s town manager only since April 14, following a contentious hiring process. Councilors spent $6,600 on a town manager search through the Maine Municipal Association, resulting in 24 candidates that some councilors were not satisfied with. That led the MMA to bring forward three late applicants, including Soucy, whose contract was negotiated in a public meeting.

Soucy was hired on a three-year contract, with a starting salary of $95,000.

Before joining Winslow’s staff, Soucy had no municipal experience — a particular sticking point for many residents who opposed his appointment. Soucy had lost a Town Council election just months earlier to incumbent Dale Macklin, who walked out of a Town Council meeting and resigned earlier this year, citing the “behavior of certain councilors.”

Macklin’s resignation closely followed that of Jeff West, who also resigned “solely based on actions and inactions of certain councilors, including the town chairperson.”

Soucy is the second permanent town manager in Winslow to resign in the past year, and his resignation comes at a particularly tumultuous point in Winslow’s local government.

Soucy’s predecessor, Ella Bowman, resigned suddenly in November 2024, citing hateful comments from councilors. Bowman, who at the time was one of the only openly transgender town managers in the country, had been hired a year earlier after about 10 years as Oakland’s town manager. Bowman had also been the subject of a protection order request by Councilor Mike Joseph, who alleged Bowman threatened him after a council meeting. A judge denied that protection order request last August.

Bowman’s contract contained a requirement that she give a 90-day notice before her resignation would be effective, unless the council requested her to leave sooner.

Soucy’s contract contains a similar provision, but it was not clear Friday if his resignation letter, which did not include an effective date, triggered the 90-day notice.