City Moves Embattled Police Chief to New Job : Transfer: Officials say moving D. Clayton Mayes ends a department feud and fills a deputy city manager’s post.

City officials, who have been trying for years to resolve a bitter feud between Police Chief D. Clayton Mayes and rank-and-file police officers, have decided to move their embattled chief to another job.

Calling it a “win-win” situation, the Council voted 5 to 0 Tuesday to name Mayes deputy city manager/director of public safety. Mayes, who will continue to earn his current salary of $92,364, will be responsible for legislative lobbying and developing a disaster-preparedness program for the city. Officials said Mayes had suggested the change, which takes effect Aug. 1. Mayes became police chief in December, 1989.

“We wanted to be fair to all the parties involved,” Mayor Diane P. Boggs said. “The council felt there was nothing to warrant (Mayes’) discharge, but we still had this unharmonious situation.”

Councilman Robert S. Brazelton stressed that although police service was not affected by the labor-management conflict, the city was pressed to solve a festering morale problem in the force.

“All of us finally came to the conclusion that although (Mayes) has performed well, we realized there was this ongoing irritation,” he said. “So when the city manager came up with this proposal, we thought it was a win-win situation.”

City officials also said they would have faced a lawsuit had they had decided to fire the chief.

“You can’t fire somebody for compatibility problems,” Boggs said. “We would just get sued, and spend the money on lawyers.”

City Manager Gerald M. Caton said Mayes will be paid with funds from two vacant administrative positions. The city recently imposed a hiring freeze on 60 vacant positions to help save money.

Caton acknowledged that he would not have filled the positions had the Mayes move not occurred.

The city manager said Mayes is qualified for his new responsibilities. The chief has been a legislative liaison for the Los Angeles Police Department and has a master’s degree in public administration from Pepperdine University. Mayes was a 25-year veteran of the Los Angeles department before taking over as Downey’s police chief.

He has lived in Downey more than 20 years and was a member of Downey Unified School District’s Board of Education from 1974 to 1987.

The council also voted Tuesday to pay $17,000 to a search firm to recruit Mayes’ successor, who will take over in May. Mayes will take a three-month paid leave before assuming his new duties.

The Mayes proposal drew criticism from some Downey residents at the council meeting.

“Use that (salary) to hire two new police officers on the street,” said Toby Mileski, who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat earlier this year. “In the private sector, if you don’t perform, the problem is solved by termination, not promotion.”

Mayes, 50, has been embroiled in a bitter dispute with the 123-member Downey Police Officers Assn. since he took over in 1989. Union officials criticized him for promoting officers who were friends of a former councilman and for imposing tighter controls on narcotics and other evidence held by the department.