Franklin Public Utility District General Manager and CEO Scott Rhees has retired after nearly six years with the PUD. 

Rhees joined the PUD as its general manager in April 2019 after years of work in Utah, including with Cyrq Energy.

“He was very much an outsider to the Northwest, but was just a blessing to us for sure,” said Rosario Viera, Franklin PUD’s public information officer.

During his tenure, Rhees brought the PUD through the Covid-19 pandemic and kept the doors open, Viera said, continuing to provide services to customers during that time. He also led the PUD in building a new substation and navigating inflation costs. 

Rhees gave notice of his retirement at the PUD’s November commission meeting and his last day was Jan. 31.

“I plan to spend more time loving, mentoring, and cheering on my grandchildren in whatever endeavors they choose,” Rhees said in a January LinkedIn post announcing his retirement.

Victor Fuentes, engineering and operations senior manager for Franklin PUD, became the interim general manager/CEO, effective Feb. 1.

He’s been with the PUD since 2021, Viera said, and has extensive background in the industry. 

Fuentes has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University and more than a decade of experience in the power industry. Since he joined Franklin PUD, he has worked to build out the Railroad Avenue substation which will serve the Reimann Industrial Park, launched an engineering student intern program and worked to maintain reliable service for PUD customers. 

“Victor (Fuentes) certainly has big shoes to fill but … he also in his own right will do a really good job,” Viera said. 

Fuentes was appointed to the interim position during the commission’s December meeting, though commissioners disagreed on whether to appoint him as general manager/CEO without the interim status or go through a formal hiring process. 

Commissioners Roger Wright and Bill Gordon were interested in seeking outside applicants, which also would help familiarize newly elected commissioner Pedro Torres with the PUD’s hiring process. Torres won the election over longtime Commissioner Stu Nelson. 

Outgoing commissioner Nelson said during that meeting “that going through the hiring process when there was a qualified candidate in house would be a waste of district time and resources,” according to the PUD’s meeting minutes. He opposed the motion to appoint Fuentes as interim general manager/CEO.

Viera said after the meeting that the commission will discuss filling that position more permanently, likely by soliciting outside applications.

A timeline for next steps has not yet been set.