AUGUSTA – The former manager of independent David Flanagan’s gubernatorial campaign said he will not publicly discuss the reason for his resignation.

But in a letter, John O’Dea and four other campaign staffers who resigned recommended that Flanagan drop out of the race.

O’Dea and former communications director Brian Carter complained that Flanagan was not fully committed to the race and that he did not treat his staff respectfully. They concluded that neither his style nor his message could win him the election.

Flanagan, a lifelong Democrat running for governor as an independent, dismissed the complaints and said he had no plans to end his first run for public office. He said that while all of the former staff members signed the letter, he thinks it was mostly O’Dea and Carter who made the recommendation that he quit “for their own motives,” which he would not discuss.

Flanagan said he had little faith in the advice of his former political advisers, although just a week ago they were running his campaign.

“I don’t hold in very high regard the quality of their advice on that,” Flanagan said between campaign stops in southern Maine. “Let me put it this way: They were the top paid people, but my campaign committee and my finance committee did not subscribe or agree with that point of view.”

The others who resigned were Flanagan’s scheduler, operations manager and driver.

O’Dea would not give details about the problems in the campaign. “It would be unprofessional and unseemly to discuss this matter in the newspaper or any other public forum,” he said. “I refuse to do so.”

Flanagan said Tuesday a decision to shake up his organization produced a chain reaction in which some staff members, including O’Dea, quit.

“I know I’m a demanding person. I do have high expectations of people and I guess I don’t apologize for that,” said Flanagan, who formerly headed Central Maine Power Co.

“We’ve already picked up the slack,” Flanagan said.

Following the short-lived gubernatorial campaign of former supreme court Chief Justice Daniel Wathen, disarray in Flanagan’s organization may cause some observers to wonder if this is “a symptom of another nonpolitician candidate who isn’t used to how you do things in politics,” said Douglas Hodgkin, a political scientist at Bates College.

Wathen dropped out of the Republican primary contest only a few weeks after stepping down from the court to enter the race.

Others suggested that early campaign troubles could be overcome.

“I don’t think it is too late to make that kind of adjustment,” said L. Sandy Maisel, a political scientist at Colby College.

O’Dea shrugged off talk about the matter.

“I like David. I’ve known him for a long time, and I’ve learned a lot from him. My preference is simply not to play this out in the press,” he said.

On the Democratic side, 2nd Congressional District Rep. John Baldacci currently is unopposed. The Republican candidates are former legislators Peter Cianchette and Jim Libby.

John Jenkins, a former Lewiston mayor and one-term state senator, has discussed an independent candidacy. Also eyeing the race as Green party candidates are Jonathan Carter and Steven Farsaci.