VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - City Manager Dave Hansen submitted his resignation on Wednesday morning, according to an email he sent to city employees.
Dave Hansen
An email went out to all city employees explaining his reasons under the subject "Thank you and best wishes."
"Today, we find ourselves in difficult times. It is during these times that we must rally in support of each other so as to overcome the hardships we face. Our most recent tragedy will take all our energy, strength and patience so we can walk the long path of recovery ahead. You define your destiny. You determine your work environment. You are accountable for your own actions. I don’t believe in pointing fingers, I believe in rolling up our sleeves and figuring out how to solve our challenges. I encourage you to do the same," he wrote in the letter.
Hansen says he will be resigning and submitting for retirement. Hansen served as city manager since January 2016.
Hansen has faced calls for him to step down, including from at least two city council members. Last week, the Virginia Beach Interdenominational Ministers Conference cited his behavior and past comments as reasons for him to step down.
Hansen met with city council members behind closed doors on Tuesday to discuss his job performance. City Councilman Guy Tower tells News 3 a majority of council called on Hansen to resign, but he wouldn't say specifically how many.
"If you work with Dave for a while, you can tell his style, his high energy and somewhat stressful perhaps on other people and may not have been sustainable for more than the period of time he's been here," Tower said.
Others though say they're sorry to see him go. "I wish he hadn't done it," Vice Mayor Jim Wood said. "I think Dave has done a really good job of managing this city, and he's gotten us through a lot of difficult times."
"Dave deserves tremendous credit for all he has accomplished during his tenure with the city,” Mayor Robert "Bobby" Dyer said. “His focus on building our solid infrastructure to rallying the city to support the incredibly successful Something in the Water, Dave has achieved more in the last three and a half years than many managers accomplish in their entire careers. I want to personally thank him for his service and dedication and wish him a well-earned retirement.”
Hansen has named Deputy City Manager Tom Leahy as acting manager pending the council’s decision on naming an interim Sept. 3.
