HARRISON — The biggest problem facing this town may be the biggest problem facing many other towns and cities, departing Town Manager Brad Plante said in an interview this week.

Plante announced his resignation about a month ago, saying, “I just need a break.” His last day is Friday.

Asked to describe the town’s most serious problem, he replied, “Lack of interest, lack of participation by the citizens.”

“I don’t know if it’s just in Harrison – it may be a problem everywhere,” he said.

In the last few weeks he and the five-member Board of Selectmen have been asking for volunteers to serve on two new committees. So far, no one has come forward, he said.

One is a committee that will follow up on a town meeting mandate to seek withdrawal from ecomaine, a regional waste disposal entity. The other is a Conservation Commission, which functioned at one time, but hasn’t in recent years.

Another sign he points to is the lack of candidates in elections. “Some people run unopposed because no one is interested. “

“When people call and complain. I urge them to go to a selectmen’s meeting and speak during the public comment session.” Very few do, he said, choosing “not to get involved.”

Other times he responds to complaints by asking them if they voted in the last election, or if they attend selectmen’s meetings or annual town meetings. More often than not, the answer is no.

Asked whether selectmen’s meetings carried by cable television have boosted interest in those meetings, Plante said he thinks it might have the opposite effect.

“Some people tell me they don’t attend because they can catch it later on TV,” he said.

Plante retired from the military after a 20-year career, then got into politics for another 20 years, first as a selectman in North Attleboro, Mass., then as town manager of Rockland, Mass. He has been in Harrison for two and a half years.

He’s now looking forward to a dramatic change in scenery and lifestyle, as he and his fiancé head to Arizona to help run the Tombstone Bordello Bed & Breakfast.

Asked what qualities selectmen should look for in a new town manager, Plante said the most important is finding someone who is ethical.

“Then, I guess, someone who is flexible. You have to be, if you’re working with the public.” Asked to give an example, he said he and the selectmen once gave a family permission to close a street for a wedding.

“We didn’t want to open up a Pandora’s Box, but this was a special case. The street was a very short one, which went down to the lake. The bride and groom were both active military, and they just wanted to close it for three hours.”

Another quality is patience, Plante said.

“Working in a political environment is very different from the private sector. If you’re a CEO, you can say ‘just do it.’ Sometimes we can’t get things done as quickly in the public sector.”

Nevertheless, Plante said he’s happy that he and the selectmen were able to get some positive changes made during his tenure. Significant improvements were made at the transfer station, and the “ambulance issue” was finally settled.

“That was a life or death situation,” he said, referring to the response time that was improved significantly by dividing the two into two sections and having two ambulance services available instead of one.

The town is currently seeking an interim town manager.

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