‘Farewell Cypress’: Embattled city manager tenders resignation
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Cypress City Manager Peter Grant is stepping down after more than a decade of service. Grant made the announcement in a staff email sent Monday afternoon.
“It’s been an incredible honor to work with you,” he wrote to city staff. “I am immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished together over the past 11 years.”
The email, which the City Clerk’s office provided to TimesOC, comes on the heels of a contentious Cypress City Council special meeting on Aug. 11 where councilmembers discussed Grant’s performance as city manager in closed session.
A council majority voted to direct City Atty. Fred Galante to take action, but what that entailed is not clear. Mayor David Burke declined to comment, citing laws protecting closed session confidentiality.
Doug Dancs, a former Cypress public works director, called on Cypress City Manager Peter Grant to be fired during Monday’s City Council meeting where Grant was honored for his service.
The resignation also arrives in the wake of a serious allegation levied against Grant by former Public Works Director Doug Dancs, who urged council members to fire him with cause during an April 28 council meeting.
Dancs accused Grant, who was honored for his service earlier on in the meeting, of “unlawful acts of misconduct” in comments cut short after an exchange with Galante.
The accusation set off an effort to obtain records related to it — and what preceded Dancs’ $183,000 separation agreement.
A special meeting called by Burke on May 19 failed to gain enough support to direct Galante to provide the City Council with documents. Cypress also withheld public records in response to a TimesOC request, including invoices by a law firm retained by the city for workplace investigations.
Grant did not respond to a TimesOC request for comment on his resignation, but told the OC Register that Dancs’ complaint was settled last November during Burke’s time on the City Council. He claimed it was “the only one” during his tenure.
Councilmember Bonnie Peat, who exited the Aug. 11 special meeting early, did not comment on Grant’s resignation, but praised his tenure as city manager.
“Under his leadership, Cypress has low taxes, a healthy financial reserve [and] a plan to fund its pension liability by 2030,” she said. “The success of Grant’s leadership can be seen in the high level of satisfaction of residents in the 2025 community survey.”
Aside from Dancs’ allegation, Grant had other detractors.
Former Councilmember Frances Marquez named Grant alongside other city officials in a federal lawsuit over alleged retaliatory censures. She’s been an outspoken critic of Grant, especially in the months since Dancs’ allegation.
“In putting himself and special interests first, Grant hurt Cypress and our ability to deliver results for our residents,” Marquez said. “My hope is that Grant’s long overdue departure will enable our community to heal and move forward.”
The Cypress City Council is scheduled to meet on Monday and discuss an interim city manager during closed session.
