During Tuesday’s election, voters will decide which candidates will be filling a number of different municipal positions, including Centralia City Council position 3 at-large for a four-year term.
Running for that position are Kylie Sexsmith and incumbent Councilor Adrianna Garibay.
The Chronicle sent both candidates questions via email asking them what is driving them to run, what they hope to accomplish on the council if elected and what sets them apart from their opponent.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. If a voter hasn’t received their ballot, the Lewis County Auditor’s Office recommends visiting votewa.gov and selecting “my ballot,” calling 360-740-1278 or visiting the office at 351 NW North St. in Chehalis. Voters who have submitted their ballots can check their status on the same site.
To find a ballot drop box and information on candidates and ballot measures, visit https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov.
Kylie Sexsmith
A former banker raised in Centralia who is now a homeowner and a stay-at-home parent in the city, Sexsmith said she decided to run because she wants Centralia to be a place people plant their roots to raise families again.
She said she is running because the biggest concerns she’s heard while talking to voters are addiction and the homelessness crisis.
“I’ve lived here all of my life and this is not the same Centralia I grew up in,” Sexsmith said.
Sexsmith said she recently helped her own mother, who was living at the former homeless encampment Blakeslee Junction, fight fentanyl addiction.
“That process was not an easy one, nor was it without many hiccups,” said Sexsmith. “It showed me just how easily a person can slip through the cracks.”
She added she wants taxpayer dollars to go to services that “lend a hand up, not a hand out,” and believes better accountability is needed for organizations providing services to those experiencing homelessness or addiction.
“I believe we need to address the homeless crisis with both services and enforcement in order to help these people become productive members of our community,” she added.
As for housing, she opposes the “housing first method,” believing it bypasses root causes of homelessness such as mental illness and addiction. Instead, Sexsmith wants developers to produce affordable housing such as small, single-family homes or townhouses.
“We also need to work on bringing in livable wages, which will help us both gain and retain solid, engaged and diverse families,” Sexsmith said.
If elected, she wants to be a voice for Centralia residents who care about the community and its prosperity while making sound decisions for the city’s betterment as a whole. With inflation breaking many people at the bank, she added she understands how raising taxes can increase that burden.
“I plan to exercise my voting powers on the council to pass ordinances that protect the public and the beauty of our city,” said Sexsmith. “I want to continue focusing on infrastructure to entice new businesses to choose us.”
As for what sets her apart from her opponent, she believes having dealt with frustration stemming from dealing with homelessness and addiction services first hand with her mother set her apart from not only her opponent but the other councilors.
She hopes to use those experiences to be a beneficial addition to the council and said voters should support her because she will ask hard questions and be willing to learn and advocate for Centralia residents.
Adrianna Garibay
Having originally immigrated from Michoacàn, Mexico, in 1998, Garibay settled in Centralia and currently manages GT Roofing in Centralia along with working for St. Joseph Church in Chehalis.
“I chose Centralia as my home more than 25 years ago and am raising a family still here today in Centralia because I fell in love with this community and felt embraced by our city,” Garibay said.
While she is the incumbent councilor, she has only been on the council since her appointment in may to fill the position left after Leah Daarud resigned.
Garibay is seeking to keep her position to fulfill three values she believes are important: Giving back to the community, supporting local businesses and supporting economic opportunities which allow everyone to thrive.
Giving back is especially important as she attributed her own success to the support her neighbors in Centralia have given her over the past 25 years.
“I am ready to continue giving back, serving our citizens as a city councilor, and am committed to extending that same support I received to others in our community,” said Garibay.
One area she hopes to help if reelected is Centralia’s downtown district, including the businesses and groups who organize events in the area. Those events help bring in tourists who fuel the city’s economy.
Garibay also hopes to continue working with agencies, such as The Salvation Army, providing services and outreach to those experiencing homelessness within the community.
“I would like to continue with the important work of addressing homelessness, housing and making key decisions that support a family’s success,” she added.
Along with this, Garibay is also passionate about connecting the Hispanic community in Centralia with the community at large. When originally appointed to the council back in May, she said she originally applied to represent the Hispanic community and to get them more involved in local government.
Other goals she has include improving public safety, improving quality of life overall in Centralia and creating more family-wage opportunities for residents.
As for what sets her apart from her opponent, Garibay declined to answer the question because she said she didn’t know anything about Sexsmith’s campaign. While Garibay attended both the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce candidate debates and the Centralia Downtown Association candidate forum last month, Sexsmith was not present at either event.
Garibay did have an answer for why voters should support her though.
“I am committed to bringing a fresh perspective and renewed enthusiasm for making new civic-minded connections across our city,” Garibay said.
