District 1 resident Cameron Bluhm will fill the vacant seat on the Centralia City Council after being appointed in a tight vote on Tuesday night.
The Centralia City Council nominated and appointed Bluhm to the council Tuesday night in a special meeting that began at 6 p.m. ahead of its regular business meeting that convened an hour later.
Bluhm won the appointment in a 4-2 vote, receiving support from both Mayor Chris Brewer and Deputy Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston as well as Councilors Tucker Voetberg and Kevin Curtis.
The council also interviewed and nominated candidate Meri Bretthauer, but her bid for the seat fell short. She received two votes from Councilors Adrianna Garibay and Ray Chapman-Wilson.
The process was relatively quick.
The council interviewed each of the candidates publicly in the council chamber and asked six pre-determined questions — the same questions for each candidate.
The council first heard from Bretthauer before also questioning Bluhm.
After less than 30 minutes, members of the council left the chamber, entering into a private executive session to discuss the candidates for roughly 20 minutes. The council failed to select a candidate for lack of a majority on the first vote due to technical difficulties stemming from Smith Johnston attending the meeting virtually. Upon a second vote held to verify Smith Johnston’s stance on the matter, the council approved Bluhm.
After the appointment, Brewer announced the council would swear in its new member during the next Centralia City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 14.
The questions and the answers
Each councilor was assigned one question they would ask the candidates, with Brewer at times asking questions in place of councilors who were unavailable. Councilor Voetberg first attended by Zoom before arriving in person.
The questions covered a range of topics asking each candidate about their previous experiences with city government, leadership and resolving conflict, what local issues they feel are most important, where they get their information, and how they might approach addressing homelessness in the community.
Bretthauer approached the interview making clear that she didn’t have local government experience, instead highlighting her career experience. According to her responses, Bretthauer worked in the movie theater industry for roughly 20 years before transitioning to commercial truck driving for another 20 years. She added that a recent transition to working for Lewis County Transit meant her schedule was more regular and would allow her to get more involved in the community.
In response to questions about local issues, she highlighted a need to improve the road and informational signs in the city. Responding to questions about addressing homelessness in the community, Bretthauer said she would like to see more shelter beds in the area and added that she has regular interactions with people experiencing homelessness in her job with Lewis County Transit.
“My job has me interacting with a lot of unrepresented groups,” Bretthauer said. “I, at present, work for Lewis County Transit, and we haul a lot of unhoused people and low income people … I hear a lot of things from them and what they require.”
During his own interview, Bluhm often stressed the growing role of social media in local government throughout his responses. He also touted his experience as an active business owner in the Centralia area. Bluhm operates a family-owned recycling business in the Centralia area and is also the owner and operator of Beat Drop Kitchen and Event Center in Lacey.
Bluhm credited a recent experience speaking with City of Centralia officials and tackling a fencing issue on his property for opening his eyes to the local government and making him want to be more involved.
“That definitely made me meet a lot of people and figure out how I can get things done when things do need to get done,” Bluhm said.
Touching on the top issues in the community, Bluhm mentioned the Fox Theatre, which is seeking additional funding for restoration, and the former Pearl Street Pool property. He added that social media could be a good way to hear directly from residents on the issues they find most concerning.
Responding specifically to addressing homelessness, Bluhm said he would like to see improved communication and education in the community to connect locals with the services that already exist, pointing to Gather Church as an example of a local resource.
