Boise council to hold special meeting days after Doan says mayor is moving to fire him
Update March 5, 2020: The Boise City Council is having a special meeting at 12:30 on Friday to hold a vote on a personnel matter.
The public agenda does not mention Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan by name, referring to what the council will discuss as a “personnel matter.” The discussion of the matter is scheduled to be in an executive session, which would then be followed by a public vote.
When a Statesman reporter called Doan for comment, a cell phone number that was previously his played an automated message saying the phone number had been changed.
The meeting will be at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
This story originally ran on March 4 under the headline “Boise’s former mayor gave the fire chief a raise. The new mayor is moving to fire him.”
Last year, Mayor David Bieter gave Boise Fire Chief Dennis Doan a raise to keep him. Now Bieter’s successor is moving to fire him.
Two days after Mayor Lauren McLean put Doan on paid administrative leave, McLean will ask the Boise City Council to dismiss him, Doan said Wednesday.
No one is saying why. McLean has said only that Doan’s leave is a “personnel matter.” Doan insists that he is not being disciplined.
Doan, 51, held a 10:30 a.m. news conference in front of City Hall to announce his retirement when his leave ends at the end of May. Less than 90 minutes later, Doan tweeted a copy of a letter he had just received from Kelcey Stewart, the city’s human resources director.
“Putting me on administrative leave was not because I did anything wrong,” Doan said at the news conference. “It was not that I did anything wrong. ... It was not discipline, and I did not do anything and was not accused of doing anything wrong.”
Stewart’s letter said McLean had offered Doan a settlement on Monday to leave his job with a lump sum of money and contributions to a health reimbursement account. The letter said Doan rejected the offer, but soon thereafter asked for time to reconsider. He was given 21 days.
At 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Stewart wrote, Doan met with McLean to consider Doan’s request to stay on administrative leave until May 29 and retire without a separation agreement. McLean replied that she needed time to consider her options and would reply soon.
Stewart said the city was rejecting Doan’s proposal and rescinding its settlement offer.
“As the mayor indicated to you, the city wished to honor your contributions over the last 30 years and support you(r) retirement with dignity,” Stewart wrote in the letter Doan said he received via text message. “Unfortunately, the city feels that resolving your personnel matter in a way that honors your service and that goal is not a viable option.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what “that goal” is.
Stewart said the city had no other choice but to “pursue a public vote” by the City Council to dismiss him under a section of City Code that says Boise’s fire chief is appointed by the mayor with the council’s consent.
Doan said at the news conference that his Wednesday morning meeting with McLean was “a very nice meeting.” He said he wanted to stay in Boise but might continue to work as a firefighter elsewhere if he could no longer be chief here.
In July, Doan was offered a job as fire chief in Bend, Oregon. He turned it down, telling the Statesman at the time that he loved Boise, its people and its mayor. Bieter boosted his pay to $165,006, making Doan the city’s second-highest-paid employee behind Airport Director Rebecca Hupp.
At the news conference, Doan thanked Bieter for his support through the years. Bieter appointed Doan chief in 2008, and Doan endorsed and supported Bieter’s unsuccessful re-election campaign last year.
Doan started his career with the Boise Fire Department in 1991 and was an original member of the Hazardous Materials Team, according to his bio on the department’s website. He became a captain in 2002 and has received several commendations, including as Boise City Firefighter of the Year in 2003.
He was president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Idaho from 1999 to 2004, and Doan founded the Idaho Fallen Firefighters Foundation and was instrumental in establishing the Idaho Fallen Firefighters Memorial.
McLean announced Tuesday that Deputy Chief Romeo Gervais would be acting chief while Doan is on leave.
City spokeswoman Lana Graybeal confirmed Doan is still on leave Wednesday afternoon, although it is not clear whether Doan’s leave is still paid.
It is also not clear when the City Council will vote. Councilwoman Holli Woodings said in a text message that she could not comment on the matter because it is a personnel matter. Council President Elaine Clegg did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
State Sen. Maryanne Jordan, who was on the City Council before becoming a state senator and who voted to approve Doan as chief, tweeted Wednesday afternoon that “while a new administration has the right to choose new leadership, it’s also important to acknowledge 29 years of committed service to the city.”
“Separation agreements typically include nondisclosures, and Dennis Doan deserves the right to clear his name,” she wrote.
“Thank you, chief.”
This story was originally published March 4, 2020 at 11:33 AM.
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