Sunnyside city manager threatens to sue city, claiming councilwoman targeted him
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez filed a lawsuit alleging harassment and bias, pointed at Councilwoman Theresa Hancock.
- Gonzalez seeks general damages in an amount to be negotiated.
- City council placed Gonzalez on leave weeks after HR complaint. He remains on leave until at least Aug. 31.
Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez has filed a tort claim against the city he works for, alleging harassment, retaliation and discrimination by some members of the city council.
Gonzalez, Franklin County’s former county administrator, has been on administrative leave since June 2 following a dispute with Councilwoman Theresa Hancock. He was hired as city manager in July 2024.
His leave has been extended twice pending the outcome of an ongoing internal investigation. Reasons for the non-disciplinary, paid administrative leave have not been made public, and some council members objected to it.
Gonzalez’s leave is now extended until Aug. 31.
If Sunnyside officials do not respond to the claim within 60 days, Gonzalez can sue the city.
Claims against councilwoman
Gonzalez contends that Hancock has been trying to replace him ever since she was appointed to the council in March 2025. She’d served on the council previously.
Gonzalez, who also was Pasco’s former economic development manager, claims in the document filed Aug. 6, that as soon as she was appointed she was trying to find anything incriminating against him.
At the time, Hancock said he brushed off her concerns about alleged threats made against her by Human Resources Director Irving Brown Sr., who was hired by Gonzalez. Brown is a former Pasco City Council member.
The claim states that before the Sunnyside council discussed Gonzalez’s leave, Mayor Dean Broersma already had contacted a firm to find Gonzalez’s replacement. The claim says that raises “concerns about pretext and procedural irregularity.”
Gonzalez also accuses Hancock of scouring his expense reports and monitoring use of his city vehicle. In one case, he was falsely accused of using a city credit card inappropriately and damaging a hotel towel during an official trip, when it turned out it was another council member who was at fault, said the claim.
Gonzalez also claims Hancock photographed his city vehicle in the city hall parking lot, allegedly attempting to prove he was misusing city property.
Hancock filed so many requests for public documents aimed at Gonzalez – over 60 between April and May – that city hall had to close for a day on May 16 so that staff could process them under Washington state law.
Alleged harassment, defamation
The tort claim cites incidents of alleged harassment, unauthorized surveillance, undermining administrative procedures, hostility during meetings, disruption of city operations and defamation.
It accuses Hancock of trying to set up a series of meetings with people Gonzalez previously worked with, allegedly to find information to use against him.
One person she contacted was Pasco City Councilman Leo Perales, said the claim.
“Correspondence also shows that Councilmember Hancock contacted Pasco City Councilman Leo Perales in an apparent effort to solicit any potential negative information about Mr. Gonzalez’s prior employment with the City of Pasco, further suggesting a coordinated attempt to discredit Mr. Gonzalez and undermine his professional reputation,” said the claim.
However, Perales didn’t join the Pasco City Council until Gonzalez already had left working for the city.
Gonzalez also accuses Hancock of repeatedly referring to him by his maternal last name, Cronemeyer.
The claim says he has consistently used Mike Gonzalez throughout his professional career.
The claim alleges it’s just another attempt to discredit him by “dissociating him from his Hispanic heritage so as to undermine his credibility as a Latino public official.”
The claim does not request a specific damage amount.
Gonzalez on leave
Gonzalez filed a human resources complaint against Hancock on May 11, accusing her of harassment and creating a hostile work environment, according to a story by the Sunnyside Sun.
The complaint came a few weeks before Brown filed for a protection order against Hancock, accusing her of harassment and racism.
Brown previously told the Tri-City Herald that Hancock had been targeting him and Gonzalez and wanted them both fired. He reports that there is video footage of Hancock outside Sunnyside City Hall behaving in a threatening manner.
Three weeks after Gonzalez filed his own complaint, a divided city council placed him on non-disciplinary, paid administrative leave.
“Mr. Gonzalez believes that the actions taken by Councilmember Hancock and other individuals under color of official authority were retaliatory and initiated in response of his protected activity, including the filing of his workplace complaint and his advocacy regarding personnel and transparency issues,” the claim says.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
