AUGUSTA, Maine — The head of Maine's Democratic Party has announced his resignation, just days after the party's executive committee took action to prevent any repeat of the party's contribution to a Rhode Island primary campaign, a party official said yesterday.

The move by Patrick Colwell comes in an election year amid questions about $25,000 in contributions by state Democratic parties in Maine, Hawai'i and Massachusetts to Rhode Island Secretary of State Matt Brown's campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Colwell, who has held the Maine post for just over a year, said he will serve until mid-April when his successor is expected to be elected. He did not mention the Brown donation in announcing his resignation at a Democratic State Committee meeting Sunday.

The Maine party's ruling committee, after discussing the contributions, put forward rules to prevent similar out-of-state contributions in the future, but it did not take direct action to remove Colwell, said Stanley Gerzofsky, a party executive committee member and state representative.

Asked if the contributions led to Colwell's planned departure, Gerzofsky said, "This might have helped things along."

Party spokesman Arden Manning, however, drew no connection between Colwell's resignation, which was announced at a state committee meeting Sunday, and the contribution to Brown's campaign.

"He had and still has unanimous support among the Democratic State Committee," said Manning, noting that the contributions were not mentioned in the resignation. "I think the bigger picture here is that his decision is the right decision for him personally and the right decision for the Maine Democratic Party."

Colwell's cell phone number was not in service yesterday, but he said through a party press release that he wanted to "pursue other opportunities in the private sector" and wanted to spend more time at home.

"This is the best decision for me personally, the best decision for the party and the best decision for the issues that are important to Maine Democrats," said Colwell, a former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives who was elected party chairman in January 2005.

Questions have been raised in four states about $25,000 donated to Brown's Senate campaign — $10,000 each from the Massachusetts and Maine parties and $5,000 from the Hawai'i Democratic Party. The parties sent the money after they were contacted in December by Brown's field director, Rich Pelletier, a former executive director of the Maine Democratic Party.

Days after the parties sent money to Brown, a member of Brown's campaign committee in Rhode Island, Richard Bready, gave $5,000 to the Massachusetts party and $6,000 each to the Hawai'i and Maine parties. Bready had reached his legal limit for contributions to Brown's campaign.

Brown's campaign has said the funding scheme was not a way to circumvent campaign finance laws.

Hawai'i Democratic Party treasurer Jane Sugimura initially said the field director of Brown's campaign told her Hawai'i's branch of the party would receive a donation after she sent Brown a contribution. Sugimura later denied there was a deal to trade the money.

The party has said it planned to give back the $6,000 donation made by a Brown supporter.