Franklin GOP businessman faces off with Democrat community leader to lead county

Just 58 votes separated the top contenders for the open Franklin County commissioner seat when they first faced off in August.

And Tuesday, Rocky Mullen, a Republican, and Ana Ruiz Peralta, a Democrat, go head to head again.

This time they will try to earn the votes taken in the primary election by two other Republican challengers.

Mullen and Ruiz Peralta are looking to fill the seat being left by Bob Koch, who is retiring after 16 years on the board.

The District 2 seat includes much of east Pasco and eastern and northern Franklin County, including Connell and Mesa.

This is Mullen’s second shot at being commissioner after losing in 2016 by seven votes. He’s spent the past four years studying, attending meetings and preparing for this challenge.

“I know what it takes to get the job started, maintained and completed. I’ve attended commissioner meetings over the last four years on a regular basis, so I would know what lies ahead and the current situation,” he told the Herald editorial board.

Ruiz Peralta says she is a consensus builder who saw a city divided in 2016 and worked on finding ways to bring it together.

She pointed to her leadership of the Tri-Cities Community Health board, creation of the Pasco Taco Crawl and organizing partnerships between Pasco and the Mexican state of Colima.

“As a long-term resident of Franklin County, I have seen our county’s resilience here,” she said. “I have a proven track record of servant leadership for over 10 years. I am a bridge-builder, a problem-solver and a collaborator.”

Between them, they’ve spent $54,000 campaigning for the position, which has a $94,000 annual salary.

Ruiz Peralta has raised more than twice as much Mullen.

And she’s spent about $36,000 of the $40,000 raised, according to records she’s filed with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission.

Among her biggest financial backers are local labor unions including the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Plumbers and Steamfitters and Southeast Washington Labor Council. She also has received support from businesses such as Royal Roofing.

Mullen has spent nearly all of the $19,000 he has raised.

Among his top contributors are Franklin County Commissioner Clint Didier and Stephen Bauman, a write-in challenger in the other county commission race involving incumbent Brad Peck and Democrat challenger Kim Lehrman.

The Washington Association of Realtors also has contributed to Mullen, along with Coulee Flats Dairy and Flying W Farms.

COVID-19

In April, the current commissioners voted to allow Franklin County businesses to reopen despite Gov. Jay Inslee’s statewide stay-home order. They said they believed the governor’s authority to close the state had expired.

Commissioner Brad Peck said after learning that was wrong, he and Koch voted to rescind the resolution. Didier was opposed.

Mullen and Ruiz Peralta said the commission vote was hasty.

Mullen said he would have sought out legal and medical advice, including private physicians he knows, before moving forward with the resolution.

“I think we need to focus on how we can safely get the county back open again,” he said. “The closure of our county has really hurt our small businesses. It’s hurt the mental health of our children, and I think there should have been a stronger effort to see how we could legally, safely open the county back up.”

Ruiz Peralta believes the vote was reckless, and would not have brought the virus under control. The commissioners had access to professionals at the health district, who were offering advice about what to do, she said.

The county commissioners serve on the six-person Board of Health that oversees the Benton Franklin Health District.

“To open back up, just because you are talking to a few doctors that is not talking to the experts,” she said.

She said hastily reopening at that point would have created a greater threat to the essential workers who were already the most directly affected by the virus.

Cooperation

The candidates agree the county commission is plagued with in-fighting, and believe they can resolve that.

Ruiz Peralta has been involved in a host of community and state organizations, including the Downtown Pasco Development Authority, Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce board and the Washington State Commission on Hispanic Affairs. She is currently the head of Tri-Cities Community Health’s board.

“I believe our elected leaders should be servant leaders. They should work on behalf of the people they represent,” she said. “In all of these roles, I listened, learned from others, brought people together and provided collaborative leadership to achieve common goals for the good of our community.”

Mullen wants to bring his 35 years as a business leader to ease tensions in the county. Along with his wife, he runs Dove Financial Services, Sahara Pizza and a local cattle ranch.

“The business experience is necessary for the job that lies ahead,” he said. “We need people who are experienced in business, that know how to negotiate, how to work together and how to lead, and I believe I possess all of those qualities.”