Kirsten Crow, and Matt Woolbright

Corpus Christi

The mayor many considered the alternative to City Hall establishment who promised to “fix” Corpus Christi gave up his post via Facebook, after only 37 days on the job.

Mayor Dan McQueen – who many residents had hoped would be the change agent they desired – abruptly submitted his resignation for one of the city’s highest-profile political seats Wednesday afternoon.

“Consider this my resignation. I resign immediately,” he wrote in the Facebook post. “The city can no longer deal with such differing views and divisiveness. I step down from my position as Mayor, in order to allow the council and city to regain focus on success.”

The resignation was later formally submitted to the city secretary.

The move came on the heels of questions about his stated educational background, his chief of staff hire and a series of Facebook posts that took aim at fellow council members, city staff and the local media.

His resignation may have been for the best, said City Councilwoman Carolyn Vaughn, who is currently mayor pro-tem.

“It’s for the better of the city that he did that,” she said. “I believe it’s the best for the city that we move on. You can’t come back from something like that when you criticize the staff, the media and the city.

“You can’t lead like that,” she added. “I know I wasn’t going to follow.”

In the aftermath of the resignation, council members called for unity and called for a refocus on city business.

McQueen was a relative unknown when he was one of three candidates who ran against Nelda Martinez in 2014. He picked up only 13.66 percent of votes.

His second run was dramatically different.

In November, McQueen – the lone opponent to Martinez – claimed overwhelming victory, sweeping 55 percent of the vote amid palpable anti-incumbency and anti-establishment sentiment.

Within 36 hours of taking office McQueen and a primarily freshman City Council faced a citywide water ban that earned national attention.

Former mayor Joe Adame on Wednesday praised McQueen for his handling of the days long water crisis.

“He seemed to be communicating with citizens what was going on,” Adame said.

Several weeks after McQueen was thrust into the national spotlight, questions about McQueen’s resume and his method of communicating with constituents started to emerge.

The questions reached a crescendo this week.

The saga leading up to Wednesday’s announcement began two days prior, with a cryptic Facebook post from McQueen where he bemoaned his first 35 days in office as being filled with attacks from council members, the public and the media.

Two sentences from the post related to the remainder of his two-year term.

“I just don’t see the VALUE in this fight for 600 more. I had such HOPE for our city,” McQueen wrote.

That night, he spoke at a Nueces County Republicans event and talked about his plans for the city in the coming months and years.

Still, his social media remarks were filled with blaming the media for the city’s woes and discounting the abilities of city staff and the police department. One post related to the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce prompted the organization to cancel its long planned State of the City event. McQueen, who initially said he wouldn't speak at the chamber event, later said he would work with the chamber.

He missed Tuesday’s council meeting, which featured at least one resident calling for him to resign. Late Tuesday night he posted again on Facebook, saying he was being attacked and that his chief of staff had been victimized by media reports.

His campaign platform had focused strongly on infrastructure fixes and fostering opportunities for technological employment and entrepreneurial opportunities – and he frequently mentioned his education and status as an aerospace engineer.

The Caller-Times has confirmed he earned a master’s degree in computer information systems at Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in professional aeronautics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. He also worked at Sikorsky Aircraft as a senior electrical engineer for nine years, according to a company spokeswoman.

On McQueen’s campaign website, he wrote that he also held a bachelor’s degree in engineering, but did not specify the institution where he earned the degree.

The page has been taken down, and McQueen has not responded to phone calls and texts from the Caller-Times. Before his resignation Wednesday he said in a pre-recorded interview with KIII-TV3 he didn't have an engineering degree.

Education again came front and center only hours before he announced his resignation.

In a Facebook post, McQueen described the City Council of being “comprised of only High School graduates!”

“But that is not the Story, you should ask WHY? I think the answer is MONEY! Attack the most educated and experience (sic) person on the council, FUNNY!”

The statement was inaccurate. Council members have a range of education, from high school diplomas to bachelor's and master's degrees.

After his resignation several of McQueen's recent Facebook posts were deleted and his account was later deactivated for the second time this week.

Because there is more than a year left in his term, there will be a special election to fill the position.

Former City Councilman Chad Magill is among those who have expressed interest in running for the seat.

“My wife and I had a heart-to-heart conversation, so we’re all in,” Magill said. “It’s unfortunate that our city is in a situation like this, but now is a time for good people who care about our city to step up and do what we can to help our city move forward.”

The status of McQueen's chief of staff is still unclear.

Shari Douglas – whom McQueen announced Monday was resigning – has withdrawn her intention to resign, city officials said.

Douglas, who served as McQueen's campaign treasurer, called the city’s human resources department sometime Wednesday to notify city officials of her intent to continue working in the mayoral chief of staff role, City Spokeswoman Kim Womack said.

It was not immediately known if that call occurred before or after McQueen’s resignation.

The chief of staff position pays about $60,000 annually, and is filled by appointment by the mayor. If a new mayor or interim mayor opts to appoint a different chief of staff, Douglas would then be offered the chance to apply for another position in the city, if qualified, Womack said.

Public records show Douglas and McQueen have shared the same home address. McQueen said in the TV interview they were longtime friends.

The relationship led to questions over her qualifications for the position, and if her hiring violated city ethics.

The position requires five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, and Douglas meets both standards.

Without knowing the extent of McQueen and Douglas’ personal relationship, it is impossible to determine if any city ethics rules were violated because merely sharing a living space does not qualify as a violation on its own, city officials confirmed.

The mayor's resignation has had an effect on the community because they "looked to the mayor as our leader," said City Councilman Ben Molina.

"I think that the city and the council, we need strong leadership," he said. "So that's what we were expecting. So

Reporter Krista Torralva contributed to this report.