Instead of being fired, Del Rey Oaks city manager resigns.

In a stunning development in Del Rey Oaks, City Council held a special meeting Jan. 3 to consider firing City Manager Daniel Dawson, who served in the position since August of 2009.

After about 20 minutes of public comment—all of which was in support of Dawson—the council convened for closed session.

About an hour-and-a-half later, City Attorney Christina Trujillo announced the council had accepted Dawson’s resignation—which he had offered the night before, after learning he might be fired—but not the six-month transition terms he proposed.

A few minutes later, the council voted 4-1, with councilmember Dennis Allion dissenting, to appoint Deputy City Clerk Kim Carvalho to be interim city manager.

The council also voted unanimously to hire an investigator to look into recent hostile workplace allegations Dawson made against three councilmembers, and to retain Pacific Grove law firm DeLay and Laredo to work through recent employment issues.  

Prior to the meeting, Dawson stood outside his office and expressed bafflement as to why he might be fired, and says his understanding is that nobody had made any negative claims about his performance.

“Members of my staff are pretty upset,” he says. “I’m overwhelmed by the level of support here.”

Dawson says he learned about the meeting, and the council’s intention to terminate him, on Jan. 2. He sent a letter to City Council that night in which he offered to resign in six months, and included a leadership transition plan that would give him a 25-percent salary increase until his proposed July 20 resignation.

He alluded to the letter and plan during the public comment period, where he was first to speak before the council convened for closed session.

“City managers fall from grace very rapidly, that’s why we all have contracts,” he said. “I really have no idea what this is even about.

“I have worked very hard to make the reputation of Del Rey Oaks a positive one. I have worked hard to develop relationships with people in business and communities and other organizations,” he said.

Dawson urged the council to accept his resignation, and the terms of his proposed six-month transition.

“I’m not willing to throw all that away over some kind of personal dispute. It’s not worth it to me personally, professionally, it’s not worth it to you, you all deserve better,” he said. “I really encourage the council to take a look at the proposal, which gives six months to clean up some loose ends, and I ride off into the sunset in July.”

About a dozen speakers followed Dawson, all of whom spoke favorably of him.

Karen Minami, a deputy city clerk that has worked for the city more than a dozen years, was among them.

“Give him the opportunity to leave with the dignity he deserves,” she said. “We have a group of folks who care for each other, and that’s hard on all of us.”

Police Chief Ron Langford spoke passionately in Dawson’s defense, and at times choked up.

“I just don’t understand it, and I’ve been through this drill folks, I’ve been through it,” he said. “And in this particular case, it’s not right.”

When the meeting was finally adjourned at about 6pm, Carvalho, who had been taking notes of the meeting, appeared stunned by the turn of events.

As she closed her laptop by the council dais, her eyes started welling up.

On the phone after the meeting, Mayor Jerry Edelen said Carvalho turned down the position, but would continue handling the city manager’s administrative duties without the interim city manager title.

Edelen said he is now looking for someone to fill the interim city manager position.