Ex-Franklin Co. administrator lands on his feet. He’ll be staying close to Tri-Cities

Franklin County’s former administrator, who agreed last week to leave the county after just 16 months, has landed a new gig, and he isn’t going far.

On Tuesday night the Sunnyside City Council announced Mike Gonzalez will be its next city manager.

Sunnyside is a community of about 16,000 in Yakima County near the Benton County line, about 15 miles from Prosser.

“I’m thrilled to share that I’ve been selected as the new City Manager of Sunnyside, Washington!” Gonzalez wrote in a LinkedIn post.

“Grateful to the City Council for this incredible opportunity. Excited to collaborate with the Council and our amazing staff for the betterment of our city,” he said. “To the people of Sunnyside, I pledge to work diligently every day to enhance our community. Feeling blessed and appreciative of everyone’s support.”

Gonzalez left Franklin County after negotiating a severance package to leave on good terms. Commissioner Clint Didier attempted to fire him outright, but the motion failed and a week later, the agreement with the county was approved.

Gonzalez exited amid a criminal investigation into Didier, Commission Chairman Rocky Mullen and Auditor Matt Beaton. He was given whistleblower protection in January, but that didn’t stop him and other employees from getting caught up in the political infighting, and Beaton and Mullen allegedly asking him to lie to detectives to stop the investigation, according to court documents.

Office of Public Defense Coordinator Whitney Conner left just days later , citing the same issues. She is married to the lead investigator in that case, sheriff’s Commander Marcus Conner. Didier allegedly tried to pressure her boss and Gonzalez to fire Conner, according to an April cease-and-desist letter from her attorney.

Commissioner Stephen Bauman is not under investigation in that case, but recently was accused of changing locks in his office and refusing to provide the sheriff’s office with a key. It’s unclear if he’ll face any charges in that case.

Sunnyside city manager

Sunnyside leaders will now negotiate the actual contract with Gonzalez, according to a social media post from the city.

“It’s been a challenging year for me professionally with everything that has transpired at Franklin County. So it goes without saying how blessed I feel,” Gonzalez told the Herald. “I want the citizens of Franklin County to know that I always put them before politics.”

“Without my faith, my incredible wife’s support and the wonderful support staff members at Franklin County I wouldn’t be in this position, in particular I want to thank (administrative assistant) Jennifer Medelez who was my rock,” Gonzalez continued. “I am looking forward to this opportunity in Sunnyside. I love the energy of the city council. There is so much potential, enthusiasm and positive energy to move the city in a positive direction.”

A job listing for the position set the salary between $155,000 and $185,000 per year. The low end is roughly what Gonzalez was making with Franklin County once bonuses were factored in, though he declined his most recent bonus earlier this year.

Former Sunnyside City Manager Elizabeth Alba was terminated without cause by the city council in a 4-3 vote in February, with some members citing concerns over the city’s financial health.

She was named interim city manager in 2021 and moved full time into the role in December 2022, according to the Yakima Herald Republic.

Gonzalez also was a finalist for the city manager job in Yakima, but the city council announced Tuesday night that they chose Vicky Baker, deputy director of the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments, to fill the position.

In Franklin County, the commissioners decided this week to move the county administrator duties to the commission chairman, currently Rocky Mullen, and bring in former Washington State Association of Counties executive director Eric Johnson in to discuss serving as interim county administrator.

Last week, Didier suggested the county should not hire an administrator and permanently divide up the job duties.

About Gonzalez

Gonzalez was hired by Franklin County in March 2023. He is also a commissioner for Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs.

Before that he was the city of Pasco’s economic development manager and was the public relations director for Franklin PUD. Prior to moving into local government work, Gonzalez was a journalist and news anchor.

He was the news director for KAPP/KVEW ABC before leaving Tri-Cities and Yakima to take a job at a station in Phoenix, Ariz.