Ed Teixeira, who served as state Civil Defense Division vice director for 12 years through seven federally declared major disasters and under three governors, said a proposed organizational change and complaints about his management style are the basis for his sudden resignation Tuesday.

Teixeira said he objected to a proposal to take the office that underwrites Federal Emergency Management Agency grants out of state Civil Defense and place it under the office of the adjutant general because the status quo worked.

He said he also learned that the governor had received letters of complaint about his management style, acknowledging he could be somewhat gruff at times but not a "short-fuse kind of guy."

"Gen. (Darryll) Wong brought it to my attention but couldn’t provide any specifics," said Teixeira, who has been with the Civil Defense since 1996, when he began as a disaster assistance planner.

"I got to get tough sometimes," said Teixeira, a former Army colonel who speaks in an authoritative and confident baritone that has become the voice of state Civil Defense during times of disaster.

He believes the complaints stemmed from a decision he made earlier this year to terminate an employee who was a good worker, but Teixeira would not explain why.

Teixeira said, "Sometime or later, you got to walk from a job," but "leaving it in the best possible shape."

He said neither Wong nor the governor had pressured him to leave, and that it was his decision alone.

"If people in authoritative position disapprove, you do that hard salute and move on … rather than be an impediment," he said.

Maj. Gen. Darryll Wong, state adjutant general who heads the agency, would not discuss any personnel matters, a spokesman said.

Wong, in a written statement, said, "Ed Teixeira has been a dedicated, hardworking vice director and the state of Hawaii is far better prepared to meet the challenges of any natural disaster thanks to his efforts. We wish him well as he begins a new chapter of his life."

Teixeira said it was with a heavy heart that he left Tuesday the office at the Birkhimer Emergency Operating Center inside Diamond Head Crater, which he oversaw. His job was to coordinate day-to-day state emergency management and homeland security activities.

He said during a news conference Monday at Diamond Head that the most rewarding experience in his 12 years was helping the many people he had met throughout the islands who have been hit by disaster. "I’m talking about you," he said, speaking to the TV audience.

He served as interim vice director beginning Oct. 1, 1999, through the Y2K rollover conversion. Gov. Ben Cayetano appointed him to the vice directot position Jan. 10, 2000. He coordinated efforts during the 2006 earthquake and flooding and the recent March tsunami.

Teixeira said he is proud of being part of the team that put together the Hurricane Catastrophic Plan.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie said in a written statement, "It takes a team to handle the pressures of a natural disaster and Ed Teixeira did a great job in keeping us all informed with every detail and possible outcome available. I am grateful for his service to the state of Hawaii and wish him the best."

Former state senator and Hawaii County Mayor Lorraine Inouye said she believes it was a political decision by the administration and the adjutant general to force him out.

"Ed Teixeira would not have abandoned his office and his staff without a transition," she said. "There’s more to it than what is being said."

"He’s going to be really missed," she said. "The staff just worked well with him. He had shown great leadership, and he had a good management style, worked well with everyone in the office. The cooperation under his leadership was unquestionable."

Civil Defense Plans and Operations Branch Chief Victor Gustafson will serve as interim vice director while the state Department of Defense searches for a replacement.

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CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said Gov. Linda Lingle appointed Teixeira to the position of vice director.