Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick J. Fraser Jr., will resign in January, as soon Mayor-elect Marty Walsh takes office.

According to the Boston Globe, the 49-year-old Fraser has given Mayor Tom Menino his walking papers, telling him that January 6, will be his last day as commissioner.

Menino will turn his mayoral duties over to Walsh on the same day.

Fraser told the Globe that he feels like he is leaving his office in better shape than when he he started, adding that it was simply time to “move on and do something different.”

The Globe reports Fraser insisted that he was not forced from his position, and will be looking for jobs in the “private sector.”

Fraser was hired by Menino in 2006 as the 37th fire commissioner.

The Fire Department has not had a permanent chief since June, according to the Globe. Deputy Fire Chief John Hasson assumed interim duties after Steve Abraira resigned last June, just two years into the job, following disputes with his command staff, which was opposed to his leadership style.

Despite thoughts of reforming the department, the Globe reports that Fraser was met with fierce union resistance, resulting in a tense relationship between the parties for the duration of his term as commissioner.

Boston Firefighters Local 718 President Richard F. Paris told the Globe that he wishes Fraser well, and that disagreements between the commissioner and union president is “always business.”

Paris’s union is currently in contract talks with the City. In 2011, the firefighters contract expired.

Despite his union background, Mayor-elect Walsh continues to remind the public and business leaders that he is not working on behalf of the unions, but in the best interest of the City. When asked by the Boston Herald if he felt obligated to give the firefighters the same 25 percent raise police patrolmen recently received, he said “Absolutely not.”

In regards to Fraser’s resignation, Walsh said “His leadership has been a solid foundation of the Boston Fire Department, particularly during times of crisis like last year’s Marathon bombing,” in a statement.

Walsh went on to thank Fraser for his service, calling him a “vocal advocate” for the support of the department’s infrastructure.