With Exit of Riordan’s First Aide, List of Top Vacancies to Grow

Greg Dawley, whose decision to join the mayoral campaign of a political neophyte venture capitalist named Richard Riordan made Dawley the first paid aide of the future mayor, announced Thursday that he is leaving city government for the private sector.

Dawley’s decision adds to the stream of top aides departing the Riordan administration as the mayor embarks on his second and final term, and it deprives Riordan of an assistant who has shepherded hundreds of mayoral appointments, drafted policy papers, developed legislative strategies and served as the chief assistant to Robin Kramer, Riordan’s chief of staff.

Dawley, 28, had just graduated with a master’s degree from USC in 1992 when a mutual friend introduced him to Riordan, who was then weighing the idea of running for mayor. The soft-spoken Dawley, who had a background in business and government, agreed to do a three-month research project for Riordan.

In the early months, Dawley and Riordan traveled throughout the city, testing out speeches and ideas as Riordan debated whether to take on a large field of opponents vying to succeed retiring Mayor Tom Bradley.

“I was sort of a jack-of-all-trades,” Dawley recalled Thursday. “I wrote speeches, traveled with him, listened to how people reacted to ideas.”

Once Riordan declared his candidacy, Dawley’s duties expanded. He was made director of research, writing policy papers, speeches and debate preparation materials, as well as researching opponents and managing a staff. Dawley even found the space for Riordan’s first campaign office.

When Riordan was elected, Dawley moved first to the mayor-elect’s transition team and later to City Hall, where he was appointed assistant chief of staff. Dawley has held that post ever since, staying in place as chiefs of staff have come and gone. All told, Dawley has served under three chiefs of staff--William McCarley, William Ouchi and Kramer.

His departure, effective Sept. 26, makes him the latest in a flurry of top Riordan aides to leave in recent weeks.

Since taking the oath of office June 30, Riordan has accepted the resignations of two of his four deputy mayors, among others. Those departing aides include: Gary Mendoza, Riordan’s budget director; Steve Sugerman, Riordan’s deputy mayor for communications, and Jason Greenwald, a press deputy and speech writer.

Meanwhile, Riordan and his staff are juggling a long list of vacancies at the top ranks of city departments, where more than half a dozen general manager jobs are open.

Like many of the others who worked for Riordan and have left in recent months, Dawley is leaving government altogether, in his case to work for the commercial bank J.P. Morgan, where he will be an investment banker. Riordan, who often touts the value of varied experiences and of movement between the public and private sectors, nevertheless received word of Dawley’s decision with regret.

“It is with great sadness that I accepted Greg’s resignation,” Riordan said in a statement released by his office. “Greg was a keen advisor as I researched my run for mayor over five years ago. Since my victory in 1993, he has provided sound advice and helped shape my administration’s policies and priorities. I owe Greg a debt of gratitude.”