BOISE, Idaho — Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan in longer employed by the city of Boise after he resigned before the city council could vote on firing him.
The Boise City Council met Friday afternoon in executive session to discuss Doan’s status with the city.
On Friday at noon, Doan sent an email to council members, saying "It appears that I will be unable to tell the Council my side of the story before you make your decision today. Out of the love I have for the City of Boise, its citizens, and the Boise Fire Department, please accept this email as my resignation, effective immediately."
Doan attended the special city council meeting on Friday.
"I wanted to be here to let the community, my firefighters, and my family know that I did nothing wrong other than support the right candidate for mayor, Dave Bieter," he said.
“I, of course, understand and expected many questions this week. However, all issues related to employment of City of Boise staff are, and should remain, as required by state law, confidential,” said Mayor Lauren McLean in a statement.
City Council's chambers were filled with Doan supporters. As soon as he walked in the doors he started giving out hugs and handshakes to friends and family.
"To see all my friends and family from retired firefighters, current firefighters, friends and family from church really made me feel good," he said. "This has been a bad week. To come in here and see all these people that love me really made me feel good."
The decision comes after the fire chief’s saga played out in the media over the past week.
Doan was put on paid administrative leave Monday. Mayor Lauren McLean declined to comment saying it was a “personnel matter.”
After City Council adjourned on Friday, council members told the media that it was still a personnel matter that they couldn't discuss.
On Wednesday, Doan held a press conference in front of Boise City Hall. He told the media his suspension was a surprise and he planned to retire at the end of May.
However, just a few hours later, Doan said he received a letter that the city had rejected his offer and would seek to fire him.
"I want to set the record straight that putting me on administrative leave was not because I did anything wrong," Doan said at Wednesday’s news conference. "I was never told I did anything wrong."
On Thursday, Doan sent KTVB a copy of an email he sent to members of the Boise City Council. He says McLean wants him out.
"I thought I would get a chance to announce my retirement in the near future and leave after 30 years with dignity," the letter reads. "The mayor did not give me that opportunity."
Doan says the city offered him an agreement to retire immediately and $50,000 in severance pay. But he said he can’t accept the offer because he needed more time to get his PERSI and health care in order. That’s why he wanted to stay on paid leave until the end of May.
"It takes 3 weeks to a month to get into PERSI, then you have to fill out the paperwork than I had to apply for healthcare so that would've at least taken one or two months,"
Doan told KTVB he would've retired sooner if the council had asked him, but he said he never heard back.
The former fire chief has been with the city for nearly 30 years, and former Mayor Dave Bieter made him fire chief in 2008.
"I am totally blessed, I have got to work in the best city in the nation and the best fire department," Doan said. "I have been so lucky to get to be the fire chief of this great fire department in this great city."
The future is still unclear for Doan, but he said he is now looking for a new job.
"I don't know what comes after this, we'll have to see."