Last month Randy Dean resigned from the Board of Selectmen, before the end of his term. He never returned our calls to tell us why he resigned, though other papers quoted him as expressing dissatisfaction with the town’s financial direction.

This week Bill Marinelli resigned from the Board of Selectmen before the end of his term, stating that, because of job pressures and family demands, he is no longer able to devote the time needed for board responsibilities.

Also this week, Cindy Russo resigned from the Finance Committee, saying that, after 12 years of public service, it was time for her to step down. She insisted, “There’s no big story here.”

But with three resignations from important positions following one another so closely, we are prompted to ask, as many others probably are, what is going on? Are we burning out our town volunteers? Are these jobs becoming more thankless than ever? And most important, are there enough people out there willing to step up to the plate and take a turn at bat?