A race for a Port of Centralia commissioner seat representing District 2 was the first to take shape as filing opened up for the 2025 local elections.
Incumbent Julie Shaffley will have to defend her seat against newcomer Ally Pickard.
More than 100 local positions are up for grabs within Lewis County this year, including seats on city councils, school boards and fire district boards of commissioners. As of Monday afternoon, the Port of Centralia commissioner seat was the only one with more than one candidate.
Filing week this year runs May 5 through May 9. The primary election will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and the general election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 4. The top two candidates in each race after the primary will move on to the general election.
At noon on Monday, 15 candidates had filed to run for positions on school boards across the county, including in Oakville, Centralia, Chehalis, Winlock and more. Twelve candidates had also filed for city council or mayoral positions in Centralia, Chehalis, Morton, Toledo, Vader and Winlock.
All four of the candidates registered for seats on the Centralia City Council were unopposed at the time. However, only one of the registered candidates, Norm Chapman, currently sits on the council, possibly setting the stage for big changes in Centralia.
Three current members of the Chehalis City council had already registered for re-election to their current at-large positions. Those include Kate McDougall for at-large Position 1, Kevin Carns for at-large Position 2 and Bob Spahr for at-large Position 3.
Brandon Svenson, the current mayor of Winlock, has also registered to run for reelection and is currently unopposed.
For the next week, residents of Lewis County who would like to run for election to a local government position can register through the Lewis County Auditor’s Office Elections Department. The filling period is open until 5 p.m. Friday, May 9.
Candidates can file by mail, online or in person at the elections department office in the Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis. To be eligible for office, a resident must be registered to vote in the relevant voting district, meet residency requirements and pay a filing fee.
Registration by mail must be received by the Lewis County Elections Department by May 9 at 5 p.m.
The list of positions up for election this year is available through the Lewis County Auditor’s Office website or at https://tinyurl.com/5cb27j83. Candidates who have already registered can also be viewed through the Lewis County Auditor’s Office website at https://tinyurl.com/3b2hprxr.
Port race
Pickard announced her candidacy for Port of Centralia District 2 commissioner seat in a news release sent to The Chronicle.
According to the Lewis County Elections Department filing website, Shaffley declared her candidacy for the commissioner seat on Monday morning.
Owner of the Good Health Nutrition Center in Centralia, Shaffley has served as the District 2 commissioner since beating candidate Bonnie Canaday in the 2019 election for the six-year term.
As for Pickard, she is running for the Port of Centralia District 2 commissioner seat to bring “a fresh, transparent and community-focused perspective to the Centralia Port Commission.”
“The port is one of the most powerful economic tools we have, and I believe we can continue its momentum while fostering greater transparency, accountability and public trust,” Pickard stated in the release. “I’m running to ensure the people of Centralia have a true voice in the future of our port. When the port was established, the promise was for it to become self-sufficient. Unfortunately, 40 years later the taxpayers are still supporting it with their hard-earned money. I will work collaboratively to create a timeline for the port to become self-sufficient and end its dependence on property taxes.”
According to the release, Pickard is an active volunteer who also serves on several regional committees and has done state-level work to help address youth homelessness and crisis responses.
If elected as the Port of Centralia District 2 commissioner, she said she will seek to restore public trust in the port by improving financial transparency, creating long-term strategic goals and focusing on practicing open government.
Pickard also hopes to hold port meetings “at accessible times” and establish a citizens advisory committee for the port.
“I’m not running to stop the port’s progress — I’m running to strengthen it, with the people at the center of every decision. Our citizens are overtaxed, and the port should be able to reach the goal of self-sufficiency. With proper strategic planning we can relieve that tax strain,” Pickard stated in the release.
