Council approved his resignation, along with an undisclosed settlement agreement, after a recent executive session.
Council did not offer 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 as clerk of council before transitioning to a full-time role as office administrator.
She is now the fifth person to be appointed village manager in the 18-month period since the unexpected firing of former manager Glena Madden in early 2024.
Former Fairborn city manager Rob Anderson was first hired to temporarily fill the role after Madden’s ouster.
Peter Sexton was set to take over the position in December, but he withdrew just days before his scheduled start date.
Anderson then resumed as manager on a month-to-month basis before resigning in February after Draugelis accepted an offer to permanently fill the role.
New Lebanon Fire Chief JC Keyser at that point stepped into the position for a few weeks until Draugelis’ March 10 start date.
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 worked in local government for 30 years prior to his stint in New Lebanon. He most recently served 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.
The village is embroiled in multiple legal proceedings filed by scorned employees in Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
Complaints have been submitted separately by Madden and former chiefs of police Curtis Hensley, who was fired alongside Madden, and Jim Chambers.
Chambers had been appointed to replace Hensley, before he was subsequently fired himself three months later.
Co-defendants on all three complaints 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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