Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty's ascension to the Portland City Council puts her in charge of Portland Fire and Rescue, along with three other emergency-related bureaus. After being sworn in at Portland City Hall Wednesday morning, Hardesty pointedly addressed how excited she is to work with Portland Fire Chief Mike Myers.

"Where's my fire chief?" asked Hardesty, scanning the packed city council chambers. After finding Myers standing in the back corner, she clasped her hands together and said, "Thank you so much for being here. I look forward to what we're going to be able to do together."

Less than 24 hours later, Myers resigned.

According to Hardesty's Chief of Staff Karly Edwards, Myers submitted his resignation this morning. He plans on moving to Gearhart, a small town on the Oregon coast. Myers has served as the fire chief since 2016.

"I am personally so sad to lose [Myers'] leadership and friendship," Hardesty said in a statement emailed to the Mercury. "His vision for a vibrant city was exactly what we need and I am disappointed to not work on his plan together. I look forward to working with my colleagues to recruit and retain leaders moving forward and make the City of Portland an employer of choice.”

It's unclear if this decision was cemented before Hardesty's swearing-in, or if any other commissioners were aware of it. It's also not clear if Myers' resignation is at all related to Hardesty taking the reins. Portland Fire and Rescue has not yet responded to the Mercury's request for comment.