Purcellville Public Works Director resigns amid internal department dynamics

By Valerie Cury

In the first week of December, the Town of Purcellville’s Public Works Director, Jason Didawick, abruptly resigned. Didawick had served the town for 15 years and was widely regarded as a model employee. In 2024, he was named Employee of the Year by Town Manager Kwasi Fraser.

During his tenure with the Town of Purcellville, Didawick worked closely with the town manager and staff to prioritize critical Capital Improvement Projects while guiding the water and wastewater departments through an evolving regulatory and technological landscape. His leadership emphasized long-term planning, investment in modern systems, and the adoption of up-to-date technologies to ensure reliable service. Throughout his service, maintaining the town’s drinking water at the highest standards remained a central focus, with Purcellville consistently recognized for the quality and safety of its water supply.

Two months ago, when the town experienced a water main break that led to a three-day boil water notice, Didawick and his team worked around the clock to repair the break overnight. They coordinated closely with multiple agencies to ensure thorough testing, allowing the boil water notice to be lifted quickly and safely for residents.

As reported in Loudoun Now, Didawick was called into a meeting with Assistant Town Manager Diana Hays and Human Resources Director LaDonna Snellbaker to discuss restructuring within the Public Works Department. During the meeting, he was told there were perceived shortfalls on certain projects and areas where he could have demonstrated more accountability, particularly regarding workload distribution with the engineering team.

As reported by Loudoun Now, Didawick was informed by Hays and Snellbaker that the town wanted to go in a different direction. But according to town sources, this “impromptu personnel evaluation” occurred without the knowledge of the Interim Town Manager or the Mayor. Didawick’s performance was always exemplary, and town officials were reportedly very satisfied with his work.

The discussions coincided with the town’s review of the October water line break, which prompted consideration of a senior director position to oversee water, wastewater, facilities, and engineering. The proposed restructure was designed to improve communication with the public while allowing department heads to focus on their operational responsibilities, rather than reflecting any concern about Didawick’s performance.

Interim Town Manager Tony Sabio told the Blue Ridge Leader, “During our after-action review of the October water line break, we identified opportunities to improve the flow of communication. As a result, I proposed bringing our water, wastewater, maintenance and facilities, and engineering functions under a single Public Works umbrella led by a senior director to strengthen coordination and collaboration. 

“This approach was not about eliminating departments or department heads, but about improving communication while allowing existing leaders the freedom to focus on what they do best without unnecessary bureaucracy.” 

Sabio concluded, “The meeting with Jason Didawick was intended to inform him of the organizational structure we were planning to move toward and to discuss how that framework would support improved communication and coordination across Public Works.”

Mayor Chris Bertaut told the Blue Ridge Leader, “Jason Didawick provided outstanding service to the town and his decision to resign was prompted by unauthorized and unsubstantiated statements made to him by members of staff. Neither the Town Manager, nor I had any desire to see him leave. I am hopeful that Jason will come back to finish several projects that he wanted to see to fruition.”