DAVIE -- A Town Hall recovering from scandal has lost two top officials within a month -- first its town attorney, and now its finance director.

Bill Underwood, 56, resigned under pressure as finance director Friday, almost a month after the Town Council fired attorney Monroe Kiar.

Town Administrator Gary Shimun informed council members of Underwood's exit via e-mail Friday but did not mention a reason for his unexpected resignation. On Monday, Shimun declined to say whether he had asked Underwood to quit.

Underwood, whose official last day is Thursday, is using up vacation days and won't be returning to Town Hall, town spokesman Braulio Rosa said. Underwood did not submit a formal letter of resignation, Rosa said.

Some residents were dismayed by Underwood's departure. They credited him with being the first to expose possible wrongdoing by then-Town Administrator Chris Kovanes, who is awaiting trial on charges he embezzled money from the town. Suspicious of a $55,000 check the town paid in October 2005 to what turned out to be a shell company, Underwood investigated, linked the company to Kovanes and called Davie police, prosecutors said.

The council fired Kovanes in January 2006 amid allegations he used phony companies to collect $460,000 from taxpayers for mapping projects that were never done. He has been charged with grand theft, organized fraud and money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty, and a trial date has not been set. The timing of Underwood's departure had nothing to do with the town's upcoming elections or previous town administrator, Shimun said. "His leaving has nothing to do with Chris Kovanes," Shimun said.

On Monday, Councilwoman Susan Starkey said she called Shimun to ask what prompted Underwood's exit.

"[Shimun] asked him to leave," Starkey said, adding she was sorry to see Underwood go because of his role as a whistleblower in the scandal.

"I'm disappointed," Starkey said. Starkey said she asked Shimun why he asked for Underwood's resignation.

"He said he is the town administrator now and it's up to him to make those decisions," Starkey said.

Shimun is only three months into his job as town administrator. The council hired him in mid-October from Pembroke Pines, where he was assistant city manager.

During an interview in his Town Hall office Friday afternoon before his resignation was announced, Underwood said he was about to meet with Shimun and the town's human resources director to discuss staffing. He found it strange he would be called to such a meeting unless he was getting fired, he said with a laugh.

Later that day, Shimun e-mailed all five members of the Town Council informing them of Underwood's resignation.

Underwood, who was hired in March 2003 and earned a salary of $111,874, declined comment Monday, referring questions to Shimun, Assistant Town Administrator Ken Cohen and Human Resources Director Mark Allen.

"Bill Underwood is a hero," said longtime resident Scott Spages, a member of the town's budget advisory board. "Gary Shimun fired the wrong person. This is his first major move as town administrator and I'm sorry to say it was a bad move."

Councilman Michael Crowley attributed Underwood's exit to a house cleaning by Shimun that has only just begun.

"I'm sure he's not done yet reorganizing his staff," Crowley said. "I do see a need for replacing some of the positions." He declined to say which ones.

Before coming to Davie, Underwood served as director of administrative services in Stuart from 1993 to 2003, and as finance director in Belle Glade from 1979 to 1993.

He was suspended with pay in December 2005 in the wake of an early investigation into Kovanes, only to be reinstated two days later. At the time, town officials said they placed Underwood on leave so they could investigate a 20 percent raise Kovanes gave him earlier that year.

The Town Council did some house cleaning of its own on Jan. 3, saying they no longer had confidence in the legal advice of their longtime town attorney, firing Kiar in a 4-1 vote.

At that meeting, Crowley urged that certain employees be held accountable in the wake of the turmoil surrounding Kovanes. On Monday, Crowley declined to say to whom he was referring, but he did say it wasn't Underwood.