Scranton Fire Chief Patrick DeSarno gave notice Monday he will resign from his position effective Jan. 3, Mayor Wayne Evans said.
DeSarno accepted a job offer in another field, the mayor said. The decision was not unexpected, Evans said.
“I appreciate his doing this and of course I wish him well in the future and thank him for his service,” the mayor said.
DeSarno, 59, who has been with the Fire Department for 30 years, was appointed as the city’s fire chief in 2014 by then-Mayor Bill Courtright.
“Since May 26,1989, it has been my honor and privilege to serve the citizens of the best city in the world as a member of the best fire department in the world,” DeSarno wrote in his resignation letter. “To have had the opportunity to be the leader of that department for the past six years has been an even greater blessing.”
Courtright resigned in July to plead guilty to federal corruption charges in a pay-to-play scheme.
Not long after, DeSarno came under public scrutiny for taking a city-owned vehicle on vacation to the New Jersey shore and for using his city-issued gas credit card to buy fuel on the trip.
The revelation led to new policies that govern how and when city vehicles and gas cards can be used.
In a statement in September to Evans, the fire chief said he had an inferred agreement with Courtright’s administration that he had freedom to use both the car and fuel card as he saw fit — “as my own, in essence.” He acknowledged that was a “wrong-headed assumption” made without “malice or deceit.”
Evans had DeSarno audit his gas card use to determine what he owes the city for personal travel over the last 5½ years. He determined he owes taxpayers $559.19 but has not paid yet because the amount needs to be confirmed first.
The city controller’s office verified that amount is correct, “as far as they are concerned,” Evans said. The information will go to Moretti CPA of Old Forge, which won the contract to audit the city’s larger gas card system.
However, the clock is running out on DeSarno’s employment and Evans said he is awaiting word from Moretti on their time frame for completing the audit. If it stretches beyond DeSarno’s final day, the city may just ask him to pay the amount he reported.
“I wish him the best of luck in the new position he’s taking,” council President Pat Rogan said. “Unfortunately, the gas card issue seems to be what everyone talks about. That aside, he did do a great job running the Fire Department.”
Attempts to reach DeSarno were unsuccessful. Scranton Mayor-elect Paige Cognetti had no comment late Monday.
“I think it was time to move in a different direction anyway. ... I wish him the best of luck,” said Councilman Bill Gaughan.
Councilwoman Mary Walsh Dempsey also wished him well. “It’s going to be a good fresh start for him and a great fresh start to the city,” she said.
Deputy Fire Chief Al Lucas will take over as acting fire chief beginning Jan. 3 until Cognetti appoints her own chief, Evans said.
“It’ll be in good hands with Al Lucas,” Evans said. “She’s aware of that. I told her that is our plan.”
When appointed chief, DeSarno had been a lieutenant for 17 years and a certified emergency medical technician for nearly 20 years. Courtright lauded him as the natural choice because of his experience and the respect he had in the department.
DeSarno’s compensation climbed from $69,366.09 in 2014 to $84,728 this year as fire chief/emergency management coordinator.
DeSarno’s relationship with the city’s firefighter union hit a rough patch recently.
In September, the union filed an unfair labor practice complaint alleging that DeSarno arbitrarily changed the uniform policy to forbid members from wearing comfortable golf shirts under their turnout gear while fighting fires during the hot weeks of the tail end of summer.
The union claimed it was done in retaliation for grievances they filed.
When firefighters asked if the change stemmed from people abusing the uniform code, DeSarno allegedly said there were “no individual screw-ups. I’m just tired of being screwed, it may be time for the ‘silent majority’ to pipe up and (reel) in the ‘vocal minority,’?” according to the complaint.
The resolution of that complaint is pending.
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