Draugelis had more than three years left in his four-year, $105,000 contract, which was set to expire Feb. 20, 2029.
Council did not provide a reason for his exit, and a request for Draugelis’ resignation letter is still pending with the village.
Council appointed office administrator Shannon Bemis as interim village manager.
Bemis was hired by the village in 2024 on a part-time basis before transitioning to full-time as the office administrator.
She is the third person to serve as village manager for New Lebanon in the 18-month period since the unexpected firing of former manager Glena Madden in early 2024.
Bemis deferred all questions about Draugelis’ resignation and settlement details to law director Mike McNamee, who has not responded to multiple requests for information as of Monday afternoon.
Draugelis could not be reached for comment.
A resident of Washington Twp., Draugelis previously worked in local government for 30 years, most recently serving in the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program within the Montgomery County Juvenile Court until his New Lebanon appointment.
Draugelis said at the time of his hiring in February that he looked forward to serving the village, which had notably been in a state of turmoil over the previous year in the midst of significant administrative shake-up, accusations of mismanagement against former village leaders, and multiple investigations into the municipality’s past dealings, both internally and by the State Auditor’s Office of Ohio.
Draugelis had been hired to permanently replace Rob Anderson, who served as interim village manager since the March 2024 firing of Madden, along with Police Chief Curtis Hensley, Chief Financial Officer Phillip Hinson, Service Superintendent Scott Brock, and the village’s contracted law director Ron Keener.
Anderson is named as a co-defendant in multiple Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas complaints filed by three of the ousted employees.
The complaints were submitted separately by Madden, Hensley, and former Police Chief Jim Chambers, who was appointed to replace Hensley before he was subsequently fired himself in June 2024.
Anderson’s co-defendants include Mayor David Nickerson, Bemis, the municipality as a whole, McNamee, and council members Nicole Adkins, Timothy Back, and Melissa Sexton.
Chambers’ complaint also lists John Doe #1 and John Doe #2 as co-defendants.
These complaints include allegations of breach of contract, defamation, and more.
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