Meet and Greets Scheduled

Location:

THE LOST BARN VENUE
70712 N.46TH AVE.
WEST RICHLAND, WA @ 6:30pm

Go down the dirt road and around the corner

• Tuesday, NOVEMBER 4TH Election Celebration and Appreciation! Starts at 6pm! 

Events will be updated monthly. If you have any questions, fill out the contact form on the Get Involved page of this website, and we will reply.

Update as of Monday, November 3rd, 2025

The holidays are an exciting time, and a time of giving. In order to support the community, I founded Operation We Care, which distributes food, clothing, and gifts to families in need each year. Donations for Operation We Care come from many wonderful people in our community. I am excited to announce that I have been working with the Fire Chief of District 4 to talk about Operation Candy Cane which supports Operation We Care.
This year, Operation Candy Cane will be held on December 6th from 5-8:00pm at Flat Top Park. Fire fighters will decorate their trucks and will be collecting donations and handing out candy canes. All they are asking for is a donation of at least one item of non-perishable food that will be used to feed a family in our community. If you are not able to make it to the park, Fire District 4 will be accepting donations from Dec 1-15th at their station on Bombing Range Rd.

Sincerely, 

May Hays 

May Hays 4 Mayor

Update as of October 23rd, 2025

See below the set of questions from the Tri-City Herald. 

 1. What is your stance on local firework ordinances? 

Fireworks have long been a tradition in West Richland that people come from all over to see.  However, I do recognize that it does come with its downsides. As mayor, my approach would be to reach out residents to seek their input and then work closely with City Council to develop solutions that allow us to best serve our community’s needs. Through collaboration, we can uphold safety for residents while still supporting the tradition of fireworks celebrations.

2. Lewis and Clark Ranch will double the size of the city over the next century. As a member of the council, what are your priorities for this massive development?

The Lewis and Clark Ranch is currently designed to be a community within our community.  I personally feel that such a plan alienates this community  from the rest of West Richland, effectively making them their own city with their own unique problems.  I also have concerns that this project has not been widely discussed with residents and City Council, resulting in a lack of clear vision for the project.  My priority would be to take a step back and reevaluate this project.  I think that there are a lot of wonderful growth opportunities with this project, and I want to make sure that we do what is best for the entire community.

3. What approaches would you favor to grow the city's revenue to keep up with the fast-growing population?

This is a critical issue for the future of West Richland.  Currently our city is facing financial crisis, and our citizens are struggling under the burden of high property taxes.  Our current financial revenue model of relying on property taxes and building fees is not sustainable.    We need more businesses to provide sales tax revenue, which would relieve some of the financial burden off the residents.  During my time with the Chamber of Commerce I have made connections with business leaders in the area and will use those resources to form a plan for commercial growth.

4. West Richland has seen some turmoil in its police department; how would you approach rebuilding trust with officers and the public?

The change must start within the department.  We need to ensure that trust and support exist between officers and command staff so that our officers feel safe and supported in their work.  We can then work on establishing community policing programs that will allow our officers to interact with individuals and businesses in the community.  Through all this we need total transparency from top down.

5. City councils are non-partisan, but we often see endorsements. Would you accept an endorsement from a political party? Why or why not?

Endorsements should be coming from the citizens.  How do endorsements from big names or organizations help our community?  An Endorsement from citizen means more to me than anything else, those are the people I serve, not the big names.

6. West Richland has a very active animal control officer, but as the city grows, so too will the stray population. How would you approach this need?

West Richland has always had a history of care and concern related to animals.  If the city grows wisely, we will be able to develop a budget to provide an additional animal control officer and even facilities to house any animals that are collected.

7. Both candidates in this race are currently on the city council. Why should West Richland residents choose you for Mayor?

During my tenure on city council, I have worked to change the status quo.  City council has been left in the dark on issues, like our lawsuits. I have been working to have more transparency in our city by asking questions and seeking more information. I will be managing the city with integrity, honesty, and transparency and relying on the members of city council whom you have elected.   I want to keep the public engaged in our city and if elected I will encourage residents to come and talk with me about their concerns. 

VANDALISM IS UNACCEPTABLE:

Update as of October 2nd, 2025

The last couple of mornings I have found that my political signs are being stolen. Last night, one of my signs was removed, and Fred Brink’s sign was put in its place.  I am not blaming Fred for this, but I find it shocking that my signs are being replaced by his on private property. Private property that specifically gave me permission to place my signs. In case those who are taking the signs are unaware, in the state of Washington it is ILLEGAL to tamper with political signs. 

RCW 29A.84.040

Political advertising, removing or defacing.

A person who removes or defaces lawfully placed political advertising including yard signs or billboards without authorization is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable to the same extent as a misdemeanor that is punishable under RCW 9A.20.021. The defacement or removal of each item constitutes a separate violation.

I have contacted the police and made a police report.  Please do not remove, replace or reposition any political signs in our community.  Let’s finish out this election honor.  

Thank you! 

Update as of September 18th, 2025

Let’s get behind our Police Officers

We have a new chief in the Police department but need to ask our city government for the truth about what our police officers have been going through with their commanders and past chief over the last three years.  Our officers face enough challenges already, they should not have to fear their own department leadership.  We need to make sure that we have a command staff that leads with integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability for all our officers. 

Issues within the department stem from situations involving the past police chief.  Things got bad enough that the mayor investigated the department and found that, while the chief had not committed any crimes, the department had room for improvement [the validity of this survey is a whole separate issue].  After the survey was released, our mayor made a press release (attached below) in which he said:

 “The City is pleased to announce a series of initiatives designed to enhance the department’s efficiency, communication, and overall effectiveness. In the forthcoming months, the City intends to introduce training tailored to enhance the rapport between leadership and officers, enhance transparent communication, foster trust, mitigate workplace conflicts, and refine the strategic decision-making process, among other objectives.” 

None of the above training has been initiated and instead of trust and rapport increasing, things have stayed stagnant at best.  Feelings are getting even worse as our officers have been operating for the last 9 MONTHS without a contract, due to wage disputes since the city is only offering our officers a 1% raise.  Meanwhile, the commanders received an 11% raise and a brand-new car.  Even city staff received at least a 3% raise, with the highest wage increase at 25%.  That is a huge insult to our officers who are out on the road every day, sacrificing their lives to keep us safe, while their commanders sit behind a desk.  I have attached their payroll for 2023, 2024 and 2025 below.

Let’s keep our police safe from the toxic environment inside the department so they can keep us safe and do their jobs in the best way.  Let’s make sure we have a city government that supports them and helps create a department that will attract the best applicants for the positions that need filled.  Together we can achieve the goal of leadership with integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability.  Our police deserve it.  When I am mayor, I will get their contract finalized and help to foster an environment where there is hope for all.

May Hays 4 Mayor

Full Press Release

𝐌𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐆𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

West Richland, (April 3, 2024) - In response to the recent vote of no-confidence against Chief Thomas Grego by the West Richland Police Department, Mayor Brent Gerry has taken decisive action to address concerns within the department and foster a culture of transparency and communication.

Following the union’s vote, Mayor Gerry initiated a comprehensive climate survey conducted by an independent third party, Sound Employment Solutions. The survey, now complete, has yielded invaluable insights into the current state of the department, laying the groundwork for positive change.

The City is pleased to announce a series of initiatives designed to enhance the department’s efficiency, communication, and overall effectiveness. In the forthcoming months, the City intends to introduce training tailored to enhance the rapport between leadership and officers, enhance transparent communication, foster trust, mitigate workplace conflicts, and refine the strategic decision-making process, among other objectives.

Mayor Gerry unequivocally reaffirms his full support for Chief Grego, who has not violated any laws, city policies, or the collective bargaining agreement. The Chief has demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to the West Richland Police Department during his nearly 24-year tenure. Under his leadership, the department has achieved significant milestones, including the acquisition of new equipment, the introduction of the state’s first police therapy dog, essential officer training, and achieving full departmental staffing.

Chief Grego exhibits an unwavering commitment to the well-being of his officers and the citizens of West Richland. His steadfast focus on supporting and caring for his team underscores his commitment to excellence in law enforcement.

The City looks forward to working collaboratively with Chief Grego and the dedicated officers of the West Richland Police Department to implement these initiatives and further enhance the department's performance and morale.

Update as of September 16^th, 2025

ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

Yesterday I wrote about the lawsuits and tort claims that West Richland was facing as a city.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there.  Although the records are not available, clues from the claims against the city suggest that we are also facing lawsuits and tort claims against groups and individuals including, but not limited to:

• The City of West Richland
• Brent Gerry, Mayor
• Thomas Grego, Past Police Chief
• Selena Smathers, HR Director
• Andrew Woodruff, WR City Engineer
• Eric Mendenhall, WR Community Development Director
• Roscoe Slade, WR Public Works Director
• Alex Edison and Rich Olsen, WR City Building Inspectors
• West Richland Police Commanders and Department
• Various City Staff, specifically in the Community Development and Public Works Departments
• Janice Corbin, Sound Solutions, City subcontractor

The mayor and his “good old boys” have been withholding information about these multi-million dollars’ worth of claims from the city council and the citizens.  We have a strong mayor form of government, and the mayor has been using his power to keep us in the dark.  Look where that has got us as a city; a LOT of debt and misuse of power. 

At the Benton County Republican meeting on September 9^th, Fred Brink declared that he will not change the form of government and that he is for the strong mayor.  I, May Hays, am not for a strong mayor, but for a city manager, mayor, and city council that all work together to form our city government.  The current form of government doesn’t work when the people in power are mismanaging the city.   Currently, the city is on a path that is not sustainable.  As citizens, we are overtaxed, and the city is still struggling to balance the budget.  It is time to take our city back and run it efficiently with honesty, transparency, accountability and integrity!  Truth matters!  Your voice matters and voting matters. 

May Hays 4 Mayor

Update as of September 15^th, 2025

Government Transparency!!

One of my main goals as mayor is to increase government transparency.  As a member of City Council, I have discovered that there are many issues going on in West Richland that the mayor and his club have not disclosed, even to the council.  Some of these issues, when finally disclosed, have not been fully disclosed and attempts have been made to minimize, or sugar coat the issues. 

What got me looking into issues is when I found out that our Police Department is being sued by Amber Rodriguez family for negligence in the Wiley shooting.  Soon more rumors of lawsuits began to surface. Several months later a group of citizens concerned about the rumor of lawsuits, filed records requests for all lawsuits and tort claims against the city.  What they received was shocking.  As residents, I feel that you should know what the city is currently facing.

1-Rodriguez Family-$150 million (not including attorney fees)

They are suing the police department for negligence.  In 2024, Huizar was arrested on second degree rape and WRPD executed a search warrant on his home.  In the search they found a gun and ammo that had been issued by Yakima Police Department.  The family feels that WRPD should have done more to reach out to YPD and investigate.  This same gun was used to kill Amber at Wiley Elementary.

2-Averett Family-$55 million (not including attorney fees)

This family had a bathroom remodel done and inspected by West Richland inspectors.  However, the sewage pipe from the toilet was not hooked up properly and this was not caught in the inspection.  This led to sewage leaking throughout their home, causing illness and massive damage to their home and forcing the family to be displaced.

3-Francis McGowan-$3.5 million (not including attorney fees)

                Mr. McGowan is claiming that his property line was not adjusted properly after selling a portion of his land to Mr. Juan Zaragoza.  This led to a defamed title, slander, neighborhood hostility, and delays on other projects.

4-Ms. Erlich-$2,000 (no mention of attorney fees, documents appear to be self-filed)

                Search warrant was issued for her place of residence in the search for a person of interest.  When SWAT and WRPD responded flash bangs were deployed and windows were broken.  She is seeking the repair of her windows.

5-Ryan Boyce-$103,500 (no mention of attorney fees)

                Mr. Boyce is seeking remediation and damages for the defamation of his character brought on by the WRPD Climate Survey performed by Ms. Corbin and the City.  Former Chief Grego mispresented the facts of the situation and neither Ms. Corbin nor the city did their due diligence to get the appropriate documentation to bolster Grego’s claims.  He is seeking the above amount and the city and Ms. Corbin to publicly correct their mistakes.

6-Athena Clark (Unverified)

                While there is only a rumor of a lawsuit, the citizens did get in their request from the city a letter from an attorney representing Athena Clark to preserve all the private emails between two of Thomas Grego’s personal emails and the personal email of Salena Smathers, who is the HR director for the city.  While personal emails are not public records, the attorneys would need to have solid proof that work related messages were sent from a city work email address to private email address to be able to claim rights to that as public record. 

As a member of city council, I was unaware of all of these lawsuits, minus the one by Ms. Clark.  We have been told repeatedly that the insurance will cover it.  Insurance is a risk pool, the more insurance claims you file and prove that your risk profile is too great, they will drop you.  The total of these lawsuits/tort claims is over 208 million dollars; Ms. Clark’s could bump up that total by a significant amount.  These lawsuits could truly bankrupt our city and leave us without insurance.  Who will pay for that? YOU the taxpayer. 

My goal is to get the truth out to the citizens of West Richland on what is really happening with our city government. 

Economic Growth

West Richland has long prided itself as a “bedroom community”, a small quiet town that is primarily residential.  While I do want to keep that small community feeling, I also recognize that our community is growing and changing.  Growth is good, but it brings with it increased demand for resources.  We have largely been balancing the budget with the revenue collected from the permit fees associated with all the new development.  However, this revenue stream is not sustainable.

This past administration has had many opportunities to promote commercial growth, but they have not. Looking to the future, we need commercial growth.  During my time with the Chamber of Commerce I have developed many connections with leaders in business and have learned about the business needs in our area.  As mayor, I will use these connections to develop an economic growth plan that will secure the city’s financial future without increasing the tax burden on our citizens.

Honesty and Transparency

This past weekend I was visiting with a friend and on my way home one of my tires blew out.  While I was pulled off to the side of the road, an officer stopped behind me to assist.  The officer noticed that I had been drinking, and I was cited with a DUI.  I am posting this in the interest of transparency.  I know I made a poor decision, and I take full responsibility for it.  I am working through the legal process with the courts and am personally taking steps to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.