COVID-19 is shaping Franklin County’s open commissioner race. Meet the 4 candidates

The effects of the coronavirus are coloring the race for the open seat for Franklin County commissioner.

Farmer Terry Cissne, farm manager Cliff MacHugh, business owner Rocky Mullen and community leader Ana Ruiz Peralta are campaigning to replace Commissioner Bob Koch, who is retiring after four terms.

Cissne, MacHugh and Mullen all are Republicans, and Ruiz Peralta is a Democrat.

The top two vote getters in the Aug. 4 primary election, regardless of their party, will advance to the November election.

The race is one of two that potentially could shift the balance on the three-person commission. The only person not up for election on the board is Clint Didier.

Mullen and Ruiz Peralta are the only candidates who have raised money, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.

Most of Mullen’s $10,000 has come from his own pocket, and Ruiz Peralta has brought in $22,000 with the largest donations coming from Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 598, IBEW Local 112, as well as a board member of a Leavenworth learning facility.

The commissioner’s job pays $94,000 annually.

Coronavirus, and the county’s reaction to it, was one of the leading issues for the three candidates who responded to questions from the Tri-City Herald — MacHugh, Mullen and Ruiz Peralta.

All of them believed that the disease poses a threat to a portion of the population and should be treated seriously, though they disagree on whether it is being handled the right way.

Rocky Mullen

Mullen, a lifelong Franklin County resident, ran against Koch in the last election, and lost by seven votes.

He’s spent the past four years attending commission meetings and learning more about the job, he said. Along with his 35 years of business management experience, he said he is aware of the issues facing Franklin County.

“I believe this will be one of the most important elections of our lifetime,” he said. “I would like to be a voice for the people of Franklin County. If they’re having issues, the county should be there to work with the people, not put undue process and regulation on them.”

Mullen is owner of Dove Financial Services, Sahara Pizza, Big Western Entertainment and Mullen Cattle Co. and said he understands the strain of the COVID-19 shutdown on small businesses.

If big box stores can operate responsibly, he believes the small businesses can also follow the same safety regulations.

“It’s concerning how much of our economy has been destroyed by a virus,” he said. “We still need to use common sense and use precautions and follow the advice of your own doctor. Your own doctor is going to know what is best for you and your situation.”

Beyond COVID-19, Mullen wants the county to find a way to help people that need mental health treatment. He wants to work with other counties to investigate options, including working with Benton County on a solution. He pointed to Bexar County, Texas, where they have a county Department of Mental Health.

Mullen has collected a bevy of endorsements, including ones from Koch and from Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond.

Ana Ruiz Peralta

Ruiz Peralta has worked on the Tri-City Community Health board, helped organize the Pasco’s Sister City agreement with the Mexican state of Colima and the Pasco Taco Crawl. She describes herself as a fiscal conservative who found a seat with the Democratic Party that wasn’t available with Republicans.

“I believe it’s the moment to have leaders that lead by example and are following the law,” Ruiz Peralta said. “I have a history of being a bridge builder of bringing communities together.”

The county’s mixed reaction to COVID-19 is one of the biggest issues facing the area. She called the criticism of Inslee’s stay-at-home and safe start plans as politically motivated. The battle is only making the conditions worse, which is affecting agricultural workers and others who have to work during the shutdown, she said.

“We practice for emergencies like fires and floods … but we have not thought about what we are going to do when a pandemic hits,” Ruiz Peralta said. “What is leading the county is a personality, when it should be goals.”

She criticized the county’s delays in dispersing the CARES Act funding.

She is also looking for the county to start planning for future growth and find ways to promote better internet infrastructure.

Ruiz Peralta is endorsed by former Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins, current Mayor Saul Martinez and Port of Pasco Commissioner Jean Ryckman.

Cliff MacHugh

MacHugh is a manager on his family’s farm and orchard, a volunteer EMT, Franklin County Farm Bureau board member and former member of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Foundation.

“Volunteering as an EMT, I’ve seen people at their worst and I’ve seen people at their best,” he said. “I believe my experience in farm management and medical experience will lend itself well to being part of a team.”

MacHugh said he is looking for a way to protect the people at risk for COVID-19, as well as getting businesses reopened. He saw a lot of people leaving the area to go shopping since stores in Franklin County were closed.

The mishmash of regulations from a state level don’t make sense, he said. In a video for Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. He pointed to the governor’s initial ban on fishing as a restriction that didn’t make sense.

“It’s kind of a waiting game. Either we’re going to get a vaccine or everyone will get it,” he said. “Our solution is coming whether we want it or not.”

He also wants to see the county departments work better with the public.

Terry Cissne

Cissne, owner of Ridgeview Farms, said in his voter’s information that he would be a “voice for “smart growth and lower taxes.”

“I am committed to Franklin County, and have a fundamentally sound agricultural background, and feel that I share similar aspirations with the people who reside in our district,” he said in his voter’s pamphlet video.

He is a father of five and has volunteered as a youth sports coach.

Cissne did not reply to questions from either the Herald or the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce. According to social media posts, he was one of several candidates that showed up at the Basin City rodeo on the Fourth of July against state coronavirus rules about gatherings.

▪ Voters have until 8 p.m. on Aug. 4 to turn in their ballots either by mail or at one of five drop boxes in the county. As of Friday morning, the Franklin County Auditor’s Office reported only 9 percent of ballots had been returned.

This story was originally published July 28, 2020 at 3:51 AM with the headline "COVID-19 is shaping Franklin County’s open commissioner race. Meet the 4 candidates."