Former Fremont City Manager Mark Danaj was arrested last month for domestic violence in San Francisco before abruptly resigning from his position, according to reporting by The Mercury News.
Although Danaj offered no public explanation for his resignation, he did reportedly call each member of the City Council and explain the incident to them before giving up his post, Danaj’s attorney, Alison Berry Wilkinson, told The Mercury News.
According to Wilkinson, her client "has some personal matters that he needs to take care of" but they are "completely unrelated to his work."
It’s possible that Danaj was forced to resign by the City Council and that he did not leave voluntarily, based on a "separation agreement" obtained by The Mercury News. The agreement shows that Danaj will be receiving nearly $300,000 in severance pay from the city, which he wouldn’t be eligible for if he left on his own accord.
On Sept. 15 at an apartment on the 300 block of Fremont Street, San Francisco police received a report of domestic violence around 9:20 p.m.
The incident “started off as a verbal altercation that turned physical,” said SFPD spokesman Officer Adam Lobsinger, to The Mercury News. Danaj was clearly the “primary aggressor,” towards the victim, a 25-year-old man.
But the case was dismissed the next day by the San Francisco County District Attorney’s Office for lack of evidence.
“The police report contained two inconsistent accounts of the incident. There were no physical injuries and no independent witnesses,” said District Attorney spokesperson Sara Yousuf over email to The Mercury News.
The following week on Sept. 21, a special closed session of the Fremont City Council was called to assess Danaj’s performance. A second meeting was also held on Sept. 28.
The next day, the city announced Danaj’s resignation, offering no reason for the departure. His last day was Sept. 30.
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