Hawley resigns; goes for non-public job
Board shocked, upset over Naples TM resignation
“I can say without reservations, John [Hawley] is one of, if not, the best town managers in Maine. He plays no politics, remains neutral, and is as fair as the day is long. Whether he agrees or not, he will give everyone all the information needed and requested.” — Naples Chairman Jim Grattelo, responding to John Hawley resignation.
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — In front of the public and the cable TV cameras, the Naples Select Board refused to make a motion to accept the town manager’s resignation. That was Monday, and only a weekend had passed since selectmen learned that Naples Town Manager John Hawley intended to make a career change.
“We wanted to make a statement. We want to make a unified statement as the Naples Select Board that we are deeply upset and saddened and did not want to accept his resignation,” according to Chairman Jim Grattelo. “We know that his contract says he can exit on a 60-day notice.”
The chairman had already penned a response to the resignation letter he received from Hawley last Friday. In the letter, Grattelo talked about the process of hiring Hawley and praised the qualities that made him an excellent town manager.
“I had the pleasure of being part of the committee [that] hired John. We posted the job twice in order to find the right person,” Grattelo said. “I can say without reservations, John is one of, if not, the best town managers in Maine. He plays no politics, remains neutral, and is as fair as the day is long. Whether he agrees or not, he will give everyone all the information needed and requested.”
Grattelo, too, addressed the social media criticism that Hawley mentioned in his resignation letter as being something that factored into his decision to leave.
“The small-town politics, especially the backdoor politics, has ramped up in Naples over the past two years. Micro-managing of day-to-day operations has increased, and the staff is frustrated! The Town of Naples is struggling, and the rhetoric has to stop! To any of you, who has played a part in this, you should be ashamed: Running this town from behind the scenes or on Facebook just cost you a talented town manager,” he wrote. “I was told recently by an elected official, that it’s too late for Naples. That ship has already sailed. Apparently, I am one of the few who thinks otherwise. Naples is worth saving and preserving. With the current trend, this unique Town of Naples will continue to go backwards and become another commercial town like Windham and OOB. Unfortunately, that’s what some of you want. Naples just took a huge step backwards, of which it may never recover from. Naples needs a neutral town manager that will look out for everyone and not just the vocal minority,” he wrote. “It’s time everybody thinks long and hard about what role each of you play on Facebook. The potential destructive nature of Facebook can ruin a small town like Naples,” Grattelo wrote.
Then, he talked about how the citizens acted about town services or lack thereof.
“The citizens vote down a Public Works Department, but bitch every day about trash and the road conditions! The citizens want minimal to no tax increases, but complain when lack of staff does not return a call within a half hour! The citizens come into town hall and yell at the clerks because they don’t have the right paperwork to register a car,” he wrote.
Grattelo said this anger (both in-person and on social media) has increased since COVID and so often town employees get the brunt of it.
“I thought his resignation letter was well thought-out. He worked very hard at the verbiage he chose. He made a point to point out the struggles that Naples has, and that it’s had a toll on the staff,” Grattelo observed.
Going forward, the selectmen are very aware that the candidate pool is small for town managers; and therefore, the town may not find a suitable candidate prior to Hawley’s departure.
“At our next meeting [March 27] we will be going into executive session to discuss the process to appoint an interim town manager, and to begin the process of formulating a hiring committee,” he said. “Maine Municipal Association (MMA) has nine qualified names on website that perform those duties of an interim town manager. There are former town managers that offer services.”
Still, Grattelo believes the best candidate is the person who has the job now.
By Dawn De Busk
Staff Writer
NAPLES — In a move that shocked many, Naples Town Manager John Hawley announced his resignation and his plans to take another job — although he had not been actively job hunting.
In a very honest and somewhat lengthy resignation letter, Hawley explained why he accepted a job offer from the school district where he had previously worked, and why he had been dissatisfied with his position as town manager.
“Naples’ politically challenged environment has made it difficult for me to realize visions, priorities, and goals for an improved community. I understand government is slow, but Naples is slower and will need an administrator who is not easily dispirited by the pace,” Hawley wrote.
“I feel very accomplished in most of the things I have done in the past five years, and we have made some good strides. However, I have become exhausted by the constant demands for more from the municipality without the proper resources. The criticisms from those vocal in public or hidden behind social media keyboards [who] don’t take the time to attend public meetings to understand what local government is doing are very destructive to this community. Perceptions without facts are dividing Naples. You are not always going to see perfection, but you are going to see the best efforts utilizing the finances and tools that are made available,” he said.
“Every person working for this community gives their best effort. Monday morning quarterbacking and attempts at micro-management will hinder anyone in this position, no matter how strong an administrator is. More faith must be put in that person to do the job they are hired to do. All these nuances have taken a negative toll on me health-wise, and therefore when the opportunity presented itself, I knew it was a sign to make a change.”
This letter was addressed to Chairman Jim Grattelo and the Naples Board of Selectmen. It was dated March 10. Copies of the letter were posted on the community Facebook over the weekend.
Hawley’s last day with the Town of Naples will be May 12. That is after annual town meeting in late April. That end date is in accordance with the 60-day notice required in his job contract.
In the letter, Hawley said he felt it was important for everyone to know that he was not job searching. He had been approached, and decided to accept an offer to return as the operations director for the Regional School Unit 16.
“I do want it known that I was not actively seeking other employment, although I have questioned my effectiveness in Naples for the last couple of years and debated whether it was time to move on. I only slightly considered changing [jobs] when I was indirectly approached last fall and then formally contacted in January,” Hawley wrote.
“After many sleepless nights and consultations with my wife, I determined it would be best to make this shift back to a less public-facing position. This decision did not come lightly as I have enjoyed working in Naples with an incredible staff whom I will miss dearly and elected officials and committee members who have mostly been helpful and supportive.”
He praised the town employees again, later in the letter.
“I feel I am leaving on a high note, but I attribute most of the success to the fact that my team has made us successful. I may have been their leader, but they are the real foundation of this organization, and I could have never done it without the expertise that each of them brought to work every day,” he said. “They are underrated and overworked, and yet still give their best efforts daily despite any public criticisms. I will miss working with them and thank them from the bottom of my heart for their support, respect, cooperation, and friendships.”
The letter also addressed the selectmen, who in essence has been his bosses, which is the case in a selectman-town manager form of government.
“I genuinely appreciate the select board members, both previous and existing, for putting their faith in me and allowing me to serve Naples. I truly feel that I have been treated fairly over the years and compensated accordingly, which in no way has impacted my decision to move on,” he said. “In fact, I will be taking a significant pay reduction in my new position. The relationship has been professional, respectful and challenging, but by no means dull and uneventful.”
