MACHIAS – Town Manager Christina Therrien has told selectmen she will leave her job in April.

Therrien first alerted selectmen to her plans during budget discussions this spring. Although there has been talk of her staying on part-time, no decisions have been made.

“I came here to try it and see how it went,” she said in an interview Tuesday. “I don’t want people to think that there’s issues as to why I’m leaving.”

Therrien, who is a veteran of municipal government jobs, took the Machias job almost two years ago. Before that, she was the Clinton town manager for three years.

Therrien said she plans to return to central Maine where her family is, but she wants to assist the new Machias town manager and the board with the transition.

She is unsure if she will pursue another town manager position or try something in the private sector.

Therrien has been commuting to central Maine at least two weekends a month, and sometimes four, since she has been in Machias.

“I don’t plan on going anywhere, but if somebody was to offer me one of those deals you just can’t turn down, it would be a tough decision,” she said. “Right now, I plan to stay until April.”

A lot of the bigger projects Machias entertained when Therrien came on board almost two years ago have been addressed, she said.

But she knows there’s still a lot more to be done. “She has worked hard for the town of Machias despite her roots being further south,” said Sandra Altmannsberger, who chairs the Machias Board of Selectmen.

The board doesn’t plan to begin looking for a new town manager until late winter or early spring, Altmannsberger said Tuesday.

“We’re hoping she’ll change her mind, actually, but we know that’s not too likely,” she said. “Her shoes are going to be tough to fill, but we certainly have benefited by her knowledge and her experience.”

Therrien has been involved in the area Chamber of Commerce, Rotary activities and Civil Air Patrol, and is on the Cutler Development Board.

With meetings sometimes every night of the week, she said, it’s a big time commitment.

“I love doing it, but I’d like to be closer to home,” she said. “If I could hook onto Machias and drag it about 130 miles in that direction …,” she added, gesturing toward the west.