Editorial | Franklin County government is broken — and only voters can fix it

Shocking new revelations have emerged about the dysfunctional and potentially illegal activities of some of Franklin County’s highest elected officials.

Criminal investigations might lead to prosecutions and eventually convictions, but that probably won’t be enough to fix the rot at the core of county government.

Genuine change will come only when voters demand better.

County Commission Chairman Rocky Mullen, Commissioner Clint Didier and Auditor Matt Beaton are the subjects of investigations into alleged misconduct.

It all started with a payment approved, then blocked, to the former managers of the HAPO Center. That maneuvering prompted county Administrator Mike Gonzalez to seek legal review.

Things soon spiraled out of control. Now there are allegations of a cover-up, lies and intimidation. There’s even a secret recording to spice things up and expose some of the lies. Mullen, Didier and Beaton come off looking at best like incompetents and at worst like conniving conspirators and bullies.

Unanswered questions remain, not least why paying the HAPO manager even became an issue. No doubt more details will emerge as the investigations continue.

No charges have been filed, but official misconduct, tampering with a witness, criminal conspiracy and making false statements to a public servant are possible. Sheriff’s investigators are doing the leg work under guidance from a Snohomish County special prosecutor.

For the full story, check out the comprehensive reporting by Tri-City Herald reporter Cory McCoy who has doggedly tracked the emerging scandal. He most recently used Washington’s Public Records Act to obtain investigative documents that shed light on things.

The next time lawmakers or others are skeptical about the value of government transparency, let this be one of the premier examples of why it’s needed. Without access to records, the public would still be in the dark about how bad things are in Franklin County.

A few years ago, Commissioners Mullen and Didier blamed previous county Administrator Keith Johnson and former Commissioner Brad Peck for dysfunction in county government. Now Johnson and Peck are both gone, and the mess is worse than ever. That should tell voters something.

Gonzalez was their hire, but as soon as he questions or balks at their requests – which a good county administrator will do from time to time – they turn on him. It’s as if all they want is a lackey who will keep his or her mouth shut and do what they say, not a leader, manager and policy adviser.

Johnson resigned in 2022 after Mullen and Didier made a surprise move to fire him at a public meeting the year before. They didn’t even have the courtesy to warn Johnson or the public about their plan. Commissioners tabled the motion over Didier’s objection, but the writing was on the wall for Johnson.

His departure was the culmination of an exodus of upper-level county staff. A public works director and an assessor had previously resigned. Two human resources directors also quit in less than a year. They cited a “toxic” environment created by “elected officials.”

They didn’t name names, but there are only so many elected county officials. It’s not hard to see that the unprofessional behavior continues.

When that much experience and leadership departs in a short time, it can’t help but affect other county employees. Co-workers aren’t oblivious to the shouting matches, untenable demands of elected officials, disrespectful behavior and general dysfunction. Morale and employee mental health suffer, and along with them public services.

If investigators file criminal charges, it could lead to change at the county, but that’s a big if. The real power for change rests with voters.

Franklin County deserves better, but to get it, voters must do better.

They must look at the disaster unfolding at the hands of the people they elected and commit to finding different leadership. They can start this fall. Mullen is up for re-election, giving voters a choice between a new direction and more of the same.