Did Sunnyside offer ex-city manager his job back? What we know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Council says no official decision made on permanent city manager appointment yet.
- City attorney was authorized to contact Pat Haley; Haley accepted interim role.
- Gonzalez confirmed he was offered the job; his attorney is reviewing it.
Mike Gonzalez may have received an offer to return to his former job as Sunnyside city manager recently, but the city council is saying they haven’t made an official decision on any candidate yet.
There was not a public vote deciding on whether to offer Gonzalez the city manager position.
La Voz Hispanic Newspaper reported on March 7 that City Attorney Julie Norton sent an email with the job offer to Gonzalez’s attorney Zach Hummer.
Gonzalez confirmed to the Herald, and in a social media post, that he was made an offer.
Reports of the offer brought up concerns about the city’s transparency and whether the council followed the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.
The city released a statement before its Monday night city council meeting addressing those concerns, but did not specify whether council had authorized the city’s attorney to contact Gonzalez about the possibility of returning.
“To date, the only official action taken by the council with respect to the city manager position has been the appointment of an interim city manager. This appointment was made through a properly noticed and conducted open public meeting, as required by law,” city officials wrote in the statement.
The statement also said they had not made a decision yet on a permanent city manager.
“The council has not taken any action regarding the appointment of a permanent city manager. Any representations, discussions, or communications to the contrary do not reflect any official decision or commitment of the City of Sunnyside.”
The Sunnyside Sun reported on March 10 that the council appointed Pat Haley as interim city manager on Monday after the city’s initial candidate Rosylen Oglesby, declined the position.
City Attorney Julie Norton said the council authorized her to contact a second candidate, Haley.
Haley accepted the position.
Most recently, Haley served as city administrator for the Quincy, Wash., a position he held for more than seven years. He also spent a decade as executive director of the Port of Douglas County in East Wenatchee.
Gonzalez, Haley and Sunnyside Mayor Vicky Frausto could not be reached on Wednesday.
Gonzalez announces offer
Gonzalez announced Monday on LinkedIn that he was offered back his job at the city.
It’s unclear whether he’ll accept the position. He told the Tri-City Herald that his attorney is reviewing the offer.
The news came six months after the Sunnyside City Council voted in a split decision to fire him.
The council placed Gonzalez on paid leave last June and then voted three months later to terminate his contract without cause.
“I’m flattered to get the offer,” Gonzalez wrote in a statement to the Herald.
“My work has always spoken for itself — more than $5 million in grants in one year for infrastructure. I am also extremely proud of my community outreach. I worked closely with businesses, in particular in the Latino community,” he said.
“I am extremely happy and at peace in my current professional life, and just extremely thankful to God I’ve been vindicated as a professional.”
