PASCO — Victor Fuentes has been appointed as the permanent general manager of the Franklin County Public Utility District. Fuentes took over the job June 25. 

“I am truly honored and incredibly excited to step into the role of general manager/CEO at Franklin PUD,” Fuentes said in a press release announcing his appointment. “I look forward to building on the strong base we have and I’m confident Franklin PUD can achieve even greater successes.” 

Fuentes replaces Scott Rhees, who retired in January after working as general manager for six years. Fuentes worked as interim general manager beginning in February.  

Commission resident Roger Wright said commissioners were unanimous in their choice. 

“After a thorough and comprehensive search, Fuentes emerged as the clear choice. We’re confident that his proven leadership will not only uphold Franklin PUD’s positive direction but will continue to move us toward greater achievements and successes in the future,” Wright said. 

Fuentes has been working at Franklin PUD since 2021, first as engineering director, then as operations senior director. He started a student intern program at the PUD and headed the project to build a substation to provide power to the Reiman Industrial Park.  

He has more than a decade of experience in the industry, the press release said, having worked with engineering, metering, transformer, dispatch and IT departments. He has a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Washington State University.