“Tough, but fair” and “Honest, Integrity.”
These are the campaign phrases that appear on “Elect Mike Hadaller” campaign signs popping up across Lewis County.
A scion of a prolific Lewis County family and sitting Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) commissioner, Hadaller, a Republican, is seeking to supplant the Republican incumbent, Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer, in District 3, which includes all of eastern Lewis County and part of the southern portion of the county.
The Salkum resident is running on a platform of “Putting Lewis County First,” broadcasting an open-door policy and pro-business position.
Hadaller was one of the first candidates to disclose his campaign for commissioner, filing a financial disclosure with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission at the same time as Brummer on Thursday, Jan. 8.
Hadaller officially launched his campaign the weekend before candidate filing week, inviting supporters to celebrate with him in Morton on Saturday, May 2. Since then, he has participated in parades and other events across Lewis County.
More recently, he attended the Lewis County District 3 Commissioner Forum hosted by The Chronicle at the Bob Lyle Community Center in Morton, sharing his platform and offering responses to questions from both The Chronicle and county residents in attendance.
Hadaller has since declined to interview with The Chronicle about his campaign, doing so after being critical of questioning he received during the event, which included inquiries about candidates’ criminal and legal history.
The same questions were asked of fellow forum attendees Brummer and Zac Eckstein, a Democrat. Both candidates indicated they had no such history, while candidates Kyle Wheeler (independent) and Tim Toerber (Republican) were not present.
All candidates except for Hadaller have agreed to take part in interviews.
The Chronicle’s reporting on Hadaller’s platform and background relies on publicly available information and his responses to questions during the recent candidate forum.
Hadaller addressed a range of questions during the forum, including some that connect directly to his platform, which is described on his campaign website by four pillars: fiscal responsibility, infrastructure growth, economic resilience and community leadership.
Starting with economic responsibility, both online and during in-person events, Hadaller has emphasized a “common-sense” budget and has made comments calling for more budget transparency.
During the Morton forum, he suggested that the county should audit all of the agencies receiving funding through the county.
“With any tax or any county entity getting our tax dollars, they should be open for an audit period,” Hadaller said. “Don't matter if it's the sheriff, don't matter if it's the Lewis County Alliance or anybody — they should all be open to audits.”
Also related to the sheriff’s office, the county budget and the county’s aging infrastructure, Hadaller made a brief comment about roads funding in Lewis County during the Morton forum.
Hadaller refrained from providing specifics in response to a question about where the county should cut funding, stating he would wait to comment until taking office.
But he did offer a brief criticism of an annual transfer from the county’s road fund to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.
“I don't think you have to cut out a complete thing — I think you just need to tighten the belt,” Hadaller said. “I sure ain’t gonna take $1,250,000 away from the road maintenance crew to give it to our sheriff.”
In recent budget seasons, the county has transferred money from the county roads fund to the sheriff’s office to help pay salaries.
The issue came to a head during the 2026 budget preparation process, with Commissioner Lindsey Pollock pushing to reduce a planned $1.4 million transfer by $300,000 and eventually voting against the final budget. Pollock, a fellow Republican, has campaigned for Hadaller, including at the recent Winlock Egg Days parade.
Hadaller has positioned himself as a rural conservative, highlighted a deep connection to the area, and leaned on his record as a Lewis County PUD commissioner. He serves as the president of the Lewis County PUD Board of Commissioners and was elected to the seat in the 2021 election cycle.
Along those same lines, he has promised to lower regulatory hurdles and to be available to the public. On his website, he highlights an “open-door policy.” When introducing himself during the Morton forum, he said he would “listen, return calls and be a responsible steward for your tax dollars.”
“I love this place, and I love the people of it,” Hadaller said. “This election isn't a spelling bee. It's about leadership and who has the common sense, judgment, work ethic to make Lewis County a great place to live, work, raise kids and afford to retire.”
Hadaller was raised in Lewis County. According to his campaign website, Hadaller grew up in Ethel and went to school in Onalaska for most of his young life before eventually graduating from Mossyrock High School. Hadaller describes the local logging industry as playing a big role in his life.
“From a young age, Mike worked in hay fields and in the family shop before following in his father’s footsteps into the logging industry after high school,” reads his campaign website.
He currently lives at a residence with a Salkum address and, according to his social media activity and campaign website, now spends his time caring for cattle and acreage around the house along U.S. Highway 12.
According to the Washington Secretary of State business database, Hadaller has owned three businesses in the last 15 years, starting with Mike Hadaller TRK, Inc. — presumably an independent trucking business — founded in February 2014 and administratively dissolved in June 2015.
Starting in 2017, Hadaller founded Mike’s Stump Buster, LLC, and was still running the company during his campaign to become a Lewis County PUD commissioner. According to the secretary of state database, the company was voluntarily dissolved in June 2023.
The database shows a third company, Mike Hadaller TRK, LLC, founded in June 2023, became inactive. The most recent LLC was eventually voluntarily dissolved and became inactive in April 2024.
Diving deeper into his background, Hadaller was faced with questions about a brief criminal history during the Morton forum, once from The Chronicle, which asked the candidates if they had a criminal history. Elizabeth Rohr, a Republican precinct committee officer married to Greg Rohr, chair of the Lewis County Republican Party, followed up with a second question about criminal history, asking for information about previous felonies, bankruptcies or other matters of interest to voters.
Hadaller responded to the questions head on, bringing up a 1999 felony charge for attempting to elude law enforcement and linking it to trauma from the once unsolved 1985 murder of his grandparents, Ed and Minnie Maurin. He declared those times to be long behind him and pointed to his tenure as a PUD commissioner as evidence of his personal development.
“I wasn't a model citizen back there, and the last few years, I've grown up. I've given you four great years of the PUD, and I'll give you four good years as county commissioner,” Hadaller said.
In a letter posted to Hadaller’s campaign Facebook page two days after the forum, Hadaller expanded on his response and accused The Chronicle Publisher Chad Taylor and the Lewis County Republican Party of targeting him during the event with questions concerning his legal history.
He described the history as long behind him.
Public records databases confirm that Hadaller is long separated from any major legal trouble. While not exhaustive, a search of Washington state superior courts and bankruptcies show his most recent legal trouble as a bankruptcy from 2003.
Any other serious legal cases occurred more than 10 years before his 1999 felony conviction for attempting to elude an officer.
For previous reporting by The Chronicle on the Morton forum event hosted by The Chronicle, visit https://tinyurl.com/2p9r86vt.
