‘I have done nothing wrong.’ Sunnyside city manager pleads to return after 3 months leave
Sunnyside City Manager Mike Gonzalez pleaded to go back to work.
It’s been three months since a majority of the Sunnyside City Council voted to place the former Franklin County administrator on non-disciplinary, paid administrative leave.
His leave has now been extended until Sept. 9 or when an independent investigation is expected to be finished then.
“I have seen and read the news reports that say there isn’t anything in this investigation that warrants firing me, and I believe that is true,” he said at a news conference Tuesday. He was flanked by two current city council members who agreed he needed to be reinstated.
“I also stand here knowing that if I am fired, it’ll not be because of wrongdoing, but because of politics,” he maintained.
O’Sullivan Legal PLLC in Spokane is conducting the investigation at the rate of $325 per hour.
Gonzalez now is calling for a report from the investigation.
“I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said.
Reasons for the administrative leave have not been made public, and some council members objected to it.
Councilmembers Vicky Frausto and Julia Hart support Gonzalez.
“From the start, I’ve been against this whole process,” Hart said at the news conference. “I do not believe it is a legal process.”
“All of this is just based on personality. I don’t think it has anything to do with the way his job has been done,” she said.
Meanwhile, costs continue to soar. Hart is concerned how much the controversy is going to cost the city. Gonzalez continues to be paid while on leave, the city hired an interim city manager and is paying for the outside investigation.
“We have a weak budget. Where is this money coming from? We didn’t budget for an extra city manager,” Hart said.
Frausto said she was never in agreement with placing Gonzalez on leave or starting the investigation.
“I believe that this was an orchestration for preservation of power by a few on the council and it was done at the expense of the community,” Frausto said.
Frausto estimated the city has spent nearly $100,000 to pay Gonzalez’s salary while he is on leave and the interim city manager’s salary, combined with other expenses.
Last month, Gonzalez threatened to sue the city following a dispute with Councilwoman Theresa Hancock.
Gonzalez filed a tort claim against the city on Aug. 6, alleging harassment, retaliation and discrimination by some members of the council.
If Sunnyside officials do not respond to the claim within 60 days, Gonzalez can sue the city.
But Gonzalez said at the news conference that he does not want to sue the city and “doesn’t want money from this place.”
Gonzalez was the economic development manager in Pasco from June 2021 to March 2023 before leaving to become Franklin County administrator. He led the county for about a year before leaving during a criminal investigation of elected officials.
HR manager’s restraining order dropped
Separately, Sunnyside Human Resources manager Irving Brown filed a temporary protection order against Hancock on May 30, accusing her of harassment and racism.
Weeks earlier, 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.
Yakima County Superior Court Judge Kevin Naught ruled on Aug. 27 that the temporary protection order would not be made permanent and was no longer necessary.
Brown’s attorney Ben York told the Tri-City Herald that he and Brown, a former Pasco city councilman, are “very upset about the ruling.”
Ultimately, the judge ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence of direct harassment but put Hancock on notice.
It was revealed in court that Hancock hired a private investigator to follow, surveil and photograph Brown in order to gather evidence to have him fired while the temporary protection order was in effect.
York said that the revelation was “alarming.” He believes that Hancock violated the anti-stalking part of the temporary protection order by hiring an investigator.
He also described how Hancock made hundreds of public records requests, including some using fake names, asked friends to make discriminatory social media posts about Brown and created social media accounts under other names.
Brown and his attorney are now evaluating their legal options, including a possible appeal.
