Sunnyside Council ratifies 30-day administrative leave for city manager, hires outside investigator; interim manager decision moved to Monday

The Sunnyside City Council on Wednesday ratified a resolution placing the city manager on nondisciplinary administrative leave for 30 days and approved hiring O'Sullivan Legal PLLC to conduct an investigation, while postponing a separate decision on a proposed 30‑day interim city manager contract until the council's regular meeting Monday.

The action followed a brief executive session held under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to consult with legal counsel; the council said no action was taken during that closed session. Councilors voted 5 to 2 to ratify the leave and 5 to 2 to authorize the investigator contract. The council separately voted unanimously to move consideration of an interim manager agreement to Monday's meeting so members could review résumés and related material.

Mayor (unnamed), opening the special meeting, apologized for the appearance that the interim appointment had been handled unilaterally, saying, "This is not a decision that I get to make all by myself." He said the discussion that evening would be limited to the possibility of a 30-day interim contract while the current city manager is on paid administrative leave.

Blaine Obern, a candidate identified by the mayor and a recruiting firm, introduced himself and described more than 20 years in city management across multiple states, including work on tax-increment financing and referendums. "If appointed, I will lead with unity, collaboration, kindness, and accountability," Obern said in a prepared statement, and added that references and former colleagues had defended his conduct in previous positions.

Several councilors said they were uncomfortable moving forward without time to review Obern's résumé and the proposed contract. "I can't do this tonight. I need to see résumés," Councilor Hancock said. Other council members said some had seen Obern's résumé during the prior year's recruitment but that not all members had been provided the material for this special meeting. The deputy mayor said she had observed "red flags" relating to treatment of female employees and asked that those concerns be addressed as part of vetting.

Councilor Hart moved — and Councilor Ripley seconded — to move the interim city manager agreement to Monday's regular meeting; the motion passed in a roll call the council recorded as unanimous for the motion to table.

After the executive session, the council voted to ratify the council's June 2 action placing the city manager on nondisciplinary administrative leave for 30 days. A motion to approve that ratification was moved and seconded; the council recorded the final tally as 5 yes, 2 no. The council then authorized the city to enter into an engagement agreement with O'Sullivan Legal PLLC to conduct investigation services related to the matter; that vote also passed 5 to 2.

City Attorney Quinn and council leadership said the engagement with O'Sullivan will allow the investigator to determine scope and identify which council members and staff should be interviewed; Quinn said the council did not need to decide the investigator's scope at the special meeting. The mayor said the investigator would be contacted after the contract is executed.

Fire Chief Holbrook agreed to provide temporary coverage in the city manager role for a short period if needed but said he would prefer not to assume the duties and has concerns about the added workload. The council said, for governance reasons, it preferred to have an interim manager in place rather than depend on an extended assignment of another department head.

The council gave staff direction to circulate Obern's résumé and other candidate materials to all council members and to include the interim manager agreement on Monday's agenda along with any additional résumés the mayor said he would distribute. The council also said further discussion of candidates would occur in executive session while any final decision must be made in an open, public meeting.

No timetable for completion of the O'Sullivan investigation was announced at the meeting. The council adjourned the special meeting at 6:51 p.m.