Centralia City Councilor Leah Daarud announced her intention to resign from her position — effective immediately — in an email to The Chronicle Thursday morning.
She originally took the position in November 2021 after defeating Steve Hubbard. She won the position left vacant by Peter Abbarno after he was elected to the state Legislature.
Prior to serving on the council, Daarud was an assistant planner for Lewis County Community Development and a member of the Centralia Planning Commission, according to previous reporting by The Chronicle.
In her resignation letter, she thanked her constituents for their support along with Councilors Max Vogt and Elizabeth Cameron for being kind and for their decorum. She pleaded for the other councilors to not give in to demands from “loud minorities or cronyism.”
The Chronicle reached out to Daarud to talk more in depth about why she resigned; however, she requested privacy and declined to provide additional comments.
Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston and other city councilors had not responded to requests for comment as of The Chronicle’s Monday deadline.
The council will likely discuss how to replace Daarud during its regular council meeting next Tuesday.
Daarud’s full resignation letter is as follows:
“April 13, 2023 — It is with a broken heart that I resign from my seat for Council Position 3 – At Large. Centralia has become my home and the community I chose to raise my children in.
When I applied to be appointed in 2020 I wanted to see change in my community and fight for my neighbors. I wasn’t chosen at that time but stayed dedicated to run again in 2021 so that I could be a voice for my neighbors. No one expected me to win. I am not a career politician and I don’t have the power and influence of my current seatmates. I am a woman who grew up in poverty, faced severe childhood adversity and have overcome the pains of my past, like many of you. I face and have faced many of the same barriers people of Centralia face in order to gain access to a quality life. I pursued a seat on the council despite those challenges and won. I have had the honor and privilege of serving in the role of a lifetime: being the voice of my neighbors. Over the last 10 years I have had the privilege of serving the community of Centralia in a variety of different ways, with the end goal being to limit government intrusion and fight for policies that uplift and empower families. To fight for families that can’t make it out of poverty, the senior citizens who are struggling every day, and for those who are stuck outside the margins is the reason I get up every morning and do what I do. Our working class have and forever will be the backbone of Centralia. I went to work for you. You are my mission and my guiding principle. We the people have a seat at the table and we need to take it. The last couple years have been unimaginably difficult. I strived to serve with compassion and give a larger platform to the people in Centralia who’ve been left behind time and time again. To my constituents, serving you has been a privilege and one I don’t give up lightly. You are my neighbors, many of you are my friends and my reason for this service. Please, stay engaged and continue to fight for your share of the resources. It’s hard to say goodbye, but know that I was in this fight for you and will be fighting in other ways. To my seatmates — It’s been a hard couple of years and working with someone who’s wholly “for the people” is not easy. I have pushed back, I have asked questions, voted against, and I have heavily disagreed with much of your policy. I hope that the working class families and senior citizens of Centralia become your priority and you begin to champion families first and pursue an agenda that all can be proud of. You all have the ability not to side with special interests over the needs of the working people of Centralia. Let’s see that in the upcoming years. Please do not succumb to the demands of the loud minority. Please do not yield to cronyism. Centralia has historically been a place where people can rise from the ashes and become equipped to be a free people and pursue their dreams. You are teetering on building an economy built on government coercion and manipulation, where Centralia will no longer be that place. To Councilors Cameron and Vogt – Thank you for being kind. Thank you for your decorum. Thank you for your true representation of inclusivity. Your standard in which you treat and value people is unmatched. Although we did not agree on everything, you let my voice be heard. You sought out my perspectives and throughout my service you remained approachable. You were available to ask questions and I will remain thankful for your kindness. To non-management city employees, continue to fight for resources accessible to you. Despite the noise and challenges you face every day, you deliver outstanding services that keep Centralia going. You got Centralia through one of its hardest times over the last few years. We are mostly on the other side of that now and each of you deserve to be praised. It isn’t easy working for local government. Thank you.”
