**Title: City of Pullman Claims Administrator Resigned; Urban Denies Departure**

The City of Pullman has issued a press release stating that Administrator Mike Urban has resigned effective Monday, a claim Urban disputes. He expressed surprise at the announcement, stating, “I heard from staff I resigned. I believe I would know if I resigned.”

Urban was previously placed on paid administrative leave for three weeks this spring due to allegations that were later found to be false. A third-party investigation revealed that text messages falsely attributed to Urban were part of a probe involving the city’s former police chief, Jake Opgenorth, who resigned over an extramarital affair and faced dismissed allegations of rape in civil court. The investigation found that Opgenorth used Urban’s name to obscure contact details for his mistress.

On April 17th, the City of Pullman welcomed Urban back to work, exonerating him from the false allegations. Mayor Francis Benjamin acknowledged the significant impact the situation had on Urban and his family.

Urban stated that he was instructed to check in with city hall every morning during his leave but claims he never received a formal return-to-work letter. His last correspondence from the city was the letter placing him on leave. Urban has since hired attorney Alexandria Drake from Dunn & Black in Spokane to explore his options.

Mayor Benjamin indicated that the city has received communications from Urban or his attorney suggesting he would not return to the office, which the city interprets as a resignation. However, Urban contends that neither he nor his attorney has communicated any such intention.

In a statement addressing the situation, Mayor Benjamin described Urban as “principled, ethical, caring and dependable,” highlighting his positive contributions to the city.

This incident follows a pattern of unclear public statements from the City of Pullman regarding its top administrators. The city initially provided vague explanations regarding Chief Opgenorth’s leave and Urban’s absence, only clarifying their statuses later.

Urban was appointed City Administrator in 2021 after serving as the City of Pullman’s Finance Director for two years. The City of Pullman has announced that it will begin the search for a new permanent administrator immediately, with an interim city administrator to be named soon. Currently, Recreation Manager Megan Vining is serving as Acting City Administrator.