SAN CLEMENTE : Fire Chief Resigns After 5 Years in Job

Fire Chief Thomas F. Dailey announced his resignation Wednesday amid an ongoing investigation by the Orange County Grand Jury of an undisclosed problem in the department.

City Manager Michael W. Parness said Dailey’s resignation is “in no way” related to the investigation, which is being conducted under the auspices of the district attorney’s fraud division.

Parness said Dailey decided to step down following a study of ways to reorganize and improve the Fire Department, which Dailey headed for 5 1/2 years.

“Based on the kind of feedback he got, it made more sense for him to step aside and start fresh somewhere else,” Parness said. “He saw we were going to have to make significant changes and decided it was best to let someone new come in and handle them.”

In a resignation letter to Parness, Dailey wrote:

“It has been my intention for some time to transition to a larger organization once the personal goals I set when I was hired were accomplished. . . . I feel that I have taken the organization as far as I can, and now it is time for me to move on.”

Neither Dailey nor the district attorney’s investigator could be reached for comment Wednesday. Fire Department employees referred all comment to the city manager’s office.

Parness would not discuss details of the grand jury investigation and has said only that it involves an alleged conflict of interest in the department. He also has confirmed that the investigation is linked to sprinkler systems.

Dailey’s resignation, effective July 31, comes after 30 years of Fire Department work. He last worked as a Newport Beach fire marshal. Dailey is now president of the Orange County Fire Chiefs’ Assn.

During his tenure in San Clemente, the department built two new fire stations and has staffed one of them.

Parness said Dailey’s resignation from his $74,784-per-year job is not considered retirement. He also said the fire chief will work another 60 days for the city after his resignation, on a project unrelated to the Fire Department.