Thurston County commissioners have appointed a new county manager who reportedly left his previous job amid controversy.
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 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 has been serving as interim county manager since Ramiro Chavez left the role in October 2023. Chavez accepted 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 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 $220,000 salary, a $20,000 hiring bonus and $5,000 moving stipend, the release says. He earned a base salary of $391,768 when he resigned from San Bernardino County, 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.
Why did Hernandez leave San Bernardino County?
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors appointed Hernandez CEO of San Bernadino County in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic after he had served as the county's chief operating officer and deputy executive officer, according to The Sun.
He resigned on Aug. 10, 2023, due to an "urgent family health issue," according to The Sun.
But he also left amid allegations of having an "inappropriate relationship," according to reporting by The Sun.
The Sun reported he negotiated a generous severance package with the county. He also reportedly agreed not to seek employment with the county again as well as to never disparage the county or reveal confidential communications.
Additionally, the agreement absolved the county of "any all claims of wrongdoing or liability" from Hernandez, according to The Sun.
Citing former employees who asked not to be identified, The Sun also reported Hernandez's management style prompted an "exodus of dozens of administrators and executive staff" over three years.
One former employee publicly spoke out. Mary Jane Olhasso, the county's former assistant executive officer, told The Sun she retired in 2019 because of the way Hernandez managed in his previous positions with the county.
"I would have stayed longer had it not been for the contention generated by this individual," she said.
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. She added the county's human resources department conducted employment, background and reference checks.
"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.
The county's process stands in stark contract to the way the Port of Olympia Commission has sought to fill its position of executive director. The Port 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 were to 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 information about the hiring process.
