Ms Lawson announced on May 17 she had advised the council she would not seek reappointment for a second term in the top job after two and a-half years.
The term seemed brief to many residents in the district when compared with the 12-year stint of her high-profile predecessor Duncan Field, who at the time was disappointed his reapplication was not successful in late 2009.
Whereas Mr Field and previous Queenstown Lakes mayor Clive Geddes appeared to work in tandem on the same wavelength, Ms Lawson deferred in public and in chambers to incumbent Mayor Vanessa van Uden.
Her first major issue was the controversial aftermath of the almost quarter-share sale of the council-owned Queenstown Airport to Auckland International Airport behind closed doors, in July 2010, about four months after she joined the council.
Ms Lawson said on May 17 the move not to seek reappointment was her own decision.
She wanted to pursue a career more aligned with her previous experience in the UK, particularly around private-public partnership.
She had no immediate plans other than to enjoy the winter season in Queenstown.
Council deputy chief executive Stewart Burn assumed the role of acting chief executive yesterday until a full-time replacement was recruited.
Ms Lawson, an Englishwoman who came to the Queenstown Lakes district from Kapiti, said she started work in the $250,000-a-year position with a clear objective to deliver greater accountability, transparency and value for money.
Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Ann Lockhart participated in a number of working groups with Ms Lawson and said yesterday she was easy to work with and very professional.
Destination Queenstown chief executive Graham Budd previously worked with Ms Lawson as part of the Rugby World Cup co-ordinating group for more than a year before the 2011 tournament.
"In that context and also in general, I found Debra very approachable, prepared to listen to points of view and easy to work with," Mr Budd said yesterday.
"I think she was always pretty transparent with her views on things so you knew where you stood and what her perspective was."
Mr Budd said Ms Lawson would be recognised as a key part of the community forums Shaping our Future, which remained a live process.
Senior Queenstown businessman Alastair Porter said both Ms Lawson and Ms van Uden had worked to make the council more transparent to the community.
Mr Porter said he enjoyed working with Ms Lawson, particularly on the steering committee of Shaping our Future.
"She's been a strong supporter of that visionary concept," he said.
"Every CEO brings their own strengths to their job and I would say one of Debra's strengths has been that she's made a big effort to reach out to get public views.
"In my experience she's probably second only to the mayor as being as strong attender of public events and she's attended most chamber events.
"She has made an effort to get out there and hear the public's views."
