Thurston County commissioners have appointed a new county manager after a months-long search.
Leonard Hernandez, the former chief executive officer of San Bernardino County in California, will start his new role on April 1, according to a county news release.
In a statement, Commission Chair Tye Menser said the board was "very excited to welcome" Hernandez. His hiring comes after a lengthy hiring process that was not open to the public.
"He brings a wealth of experience and fresh ideas, which will be of great benefit to the county," Menser said. "We look forward to welcoming and introducing him to our community."
Robin Campbell became interim county manager when Ramiro Chavez left the role in October 2023. Chavez resigned in August 2023 after accepting an offer to serve as Public Works Director for the City of Tacoma. Campbell will return to her previous role as assistant county manager.
Hernandez resigned as CEO of San Bernardino County in August 2023, due to an urgent family health issue, The San Bernardino Sun reported. He had served in that role for nearly three years.
He has more than 10 years' experience working in city and county executive leadership, the release says. He also reportedly worked in the San Bernardino County Library system for an additional 10 years.
He will start with a $220,000 salary, a $20,000 hiring bonus and $5,000 moving stipend, the release says. He previously earned $589,028 in pay and benefits as CEO of San Bernardino County in 2022, The San Bernardino Sun reported.
Campbell informed the board of Hernandez's compensation package during a Monday meeting. She said the $20,000 bonus is conditional.
"We will pay it when he arrives as part of his first paycheck, but it is conditioned on his completing at least one year of employment," Campbell said. "If he does not, we will prorate it and he would need to return the money to the county."
She said the county can afford this compensation package using salary savings from the vacant county manager's position.
How did the board select Hernandez?
Multiple panels with internal and external stakeholders vetted candidates, Menser said in the news release.
Meghan Porter, spokesperson for the board, told The Olympian the commissioners reviewed applications they received by Dec. 15 and chose five candidates to interview.
The panels interviewed the candidates on Jan. 26 and the pool was narrowed to two applicants, Porter said. The board held multiple executive sessions to discuss and evaluate the top candidates.
"The interview panelists represented internal and external stakeholders and provided representative feedback on the candidates to the commissioners," Porter said.
Porter said the "internal panel" included all five county commissioners, Campbell and Thurston County Human Resources Director Maria Aponte.
The "external panel" reportedly included five people. Three of them work at Thurston County, including Public Works Director Jennifer Walker, Treasurer Jeff Gadman and Racial Equity Program Manager Devi Ogden.
Olympia City Manager Jay Burney and Thurston Economic Development Council Executive Director Michael Cade also sat on the panel, according to Porter.
Notably, the Port of Olympia Commission has conducted a more transparent hiring process for its executive position. The commission named four finalists for executive director at the end of January and held a public reception for candidates two weeks ago.
The Port Commissioners have narrowed the field to two candidates and will conduct second interviews at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Earlier this month, The Olympian asked Menser why the county did not follow a similar process as the Port. He said the county commission did not consider doing that.
"I never even thought about a process where we announced the finalists to the public like that," Menser said.
The Olympian has asked Menser for additional comment.
