Mitchell Ruscitti has resigned after three years as Hopedale’s Town Administrator.

On June 5, Ruscitti posted on Facebook a message to “Hopedale friends and family” that he had “made the difficult but necessary decision to leave my position as Town Administrator and accept a leadership position in another community.”

Effective July 6, he will be the new Town Administrator in Swansea, according to a press release from the Swansea Select Board.

The Hopedale Select Board officially accepted Ruscitti’s resignation on June 10 at a meeting called specifically for that purpose. Select Board Chair Glenda Hazard said Ruscitti’s original end date was Aug. 3 though, with the use of vacation time, his last day in the office would be mid-June; however, she said at the 6 p.m. meeting, “Just before this meeting, I received notice that he has decided to [also] use his sick time and to leave effective immediately.”

Ruscitti attended the meeting via Zoom and spoke during public comment, noting he had alerted the Select Board two months prior that he was a finalist for a position in another town. “I had sent the board an email eight weeks ago about leaving and asking if they needed help with a transition plan, and I didn’t receive a response.”

Hazard said she did not receive that notification but, after further discussion, said, “Yes, we did receive an email that you were a finalist.”

Ruscitti said he had been notified that day [June 10] by Town Counsel that the Select Board was going to place him on leave that evening. Hazard said she had not planned to place him on leave, and the emails and conversations Ruscitti had with KP Law were not accurate.

At press time, the board was deciding whether to use a search firm or conduct interviews themselves for an interim and permanent Town Administrator. Select Board member Bernie Stock said he could conduct interviews (he previously served as Hopedale’s Town Administrator for many years), but board member Carole Mullen thought hiring a firm could be faster. She said, “We need help; we are desperately down people,” referring to several recent town employee departures.