Selectman Kevin DiMarzio has resigned, deepening a period of upheaval in Abington’s town government.
DiMarzio cited “personal circumstances” in his resignation letter, which was submitted Monday morning.
“[It’s] with a heavy heart that I must acknowledge my inability to continue devoting the necessary time and attention to my duties,” the letter states. “While I have always strived to uphold the highest standards of service to this community, personal circumstances now require that I step down from my position.”
DiMarzio did not elaborate on what those personal circumstances are. He’s attended the majority of Select Board meetings this year via Zoom. Board Chairman Kevin Donovan said during a meeting in February that DiMarzio was suffering from a back issue and would be attending meetings remotely for the forseeable future.
DiMarzio, who had nearly a year left on his second term on the board, dated his resignation letter May 3, which was last Friday. It was also the day when the Select Board reached a mutual agreement to part ways with Police Chief David Del Papa and bring back former chief David Majenski on an interim basis.
DiMarzio, who was first elected in 2019 and again in 2022, didn’t mention last week’s votes in his resignation letter. But he did bring up former Abington Police Sgt. Alex Kokoros, who took his own life in 2018, saying his friend inspired him to run for the Select Board to “address the issues facing our community.”
DiMarzio calls out improvements made over the past five years to the town’s open space and recreational facilities, the launch of an improved website and town-wide notification system, and investments in the town’s infrastructure.
The Abington Select Board had been operating short handed since January when then-Chairman Alex Hagerty resigned two weeks after verbally attacking a former Select Board member. The Board’s April 29 meeting, which took place two days after the Annual Town Elections, was its first with a full board since Hagerty’s resignation.
Abington’s Town Charter says vacancies on the Select Board shall be filled via a special election, unless the vacancy occurs in the three months prior to a scheduled Annual Town Election.
Hagerty’s resignation occurred more than three months before the Annual Town Election. However, town lawyers determined that shall doesn’t always mean shall, and in that specific situation where the vacancy happened so close to the cutoff date, that the Select Board had the option to fill the seat at the Annual Town Election instead of calling a special election.