During the first Chehalis City Council meeting of the year on Monday, Jan. 8, incumbent Councilors Tony Ketchum, Daryl Lund and Kevin Carns were sworn in after winning their respective elections alongside newly elected Councilor Jody Kyes.
Carns was sworn in over Zoom due to being sick and unable to attend in person. All councilors will be serving four-year terms.
Additionally, the council also chose the city’s mayor and mayor pro tem, with Ketchum again selected as mayor and Lund selected as mayor pro tem.
Chehalis Municipal Court Judge Allen Unzelman oversaw the swearing-in ceremony and signing of election documents.
“First of all, I’d like to say congratulations to all of you, welcome to Councilor Kyes …” Chehalis City Manager Jill Anderson said during the meeting. “Thank you for your service to our community. I’ve had the opportunity to see first hand what you commit to and the sacrifices you make to make sometimes easy decisions and sometimes very difficult decisions.”
While Kyes is filling the position of District 4, formerly held by Dr. Isaac Pope for nearly 40 years, the District 1 position remains vacant following former Councilor Jerry Lord’s resignation last year. Lord resigned because he moved out of the city at the end of October.
The deadline to apply is Thursday, Jan. 11, as per state law the city has 90 days to choose Lord’s replacement following the official date of his resignation.
Once applications are received, the Chehalis City Council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, Jan. 18, at 5 p.m. to interview candidates and vote to choose the new councilor, who will then be sworn in during the regular city council meeting scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22 — the last council meeting still within the 90-day deadline.
According to Chehalis City Clerk Kassi Mackie, the city has only received one application so far.
Those interested in applying must be a registered voter, a resident within District 1 and have lived within city limits for at least a year.
Applications are available to download on the city’s website at https://tinyurl.com/3vn4pjcj. Once completed, applications can be emailed to Mackie at kmackie@ci.chehalis.wa.us.
Additionally, applications can also be picked up and submitted in person at the city clerk’s office, located inside Chehalis City Hall at 350 N. Market St., Chehalis. Applications can also be mailed to that address.
For more information, email Mackie or call the Chehalis city clerk’s office at 360-345-3240.
