July 9, 2024 7:03 PM

07/09/2024 - City Manager Finalists

CITY OF SUNNYSIDE PRESS RELEASE

Date: July 9, 2024
News Item: Sunnyside City Council Evaluates City Manager Candidates and Announces Finalists
Contact: Mayor Dean Broersma (509) 952-4456

The City Council convened in an executive session on July 9, 2024 to evaluate the qualifications of the candidates for the position of City Manager. Following a thorough review, the Council has decided to suspend any further preliminary City Manager candidate interview sessions and has moved forward with two finalists. The two finalists, in alphabetical order, include Aaron Palmquist and Mike Gonzalez.

Aaron Palmquist has been the City Manager for the City of Irrigon, Oregon since June 2013. He served as Operations and Quality Manager for COHB in Princeville, Oregon and also has previous experience in the US Army.

Mike Gonzalez was appointed Franklin County Administrator in March 2023 and served as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Pasco and as public relations/government affairs director for Franklin PUD and has experience as a reporter and anchor for several TV stations.

To ensure transparency and community involvement, the City Council will be inviting the finalists back to Sunnyside and hosting two Meet-and-Greet sessions. One session will be dedicated to City staff, and the other will be open to the community. The dates for these events will be announced soon.

We encourage all community members to participate and engage in this important process. Stay tuned for further updates.