Members of the Winlock City Council appointed resident Dave Anderson to one of two vacancies on the council during their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 24.
The vacancy filled specifically was Position 1, left vacant after former Councilor Jess Bowers announced his resignation at the end of July as he had found a new job and was moving outside of city limits, making him no longer eligible to hold the seat.
According to the council’s agenda report, Anderson was one of four candidates who applied for the vacancy; the other three were Betty Kitchen, Michael Lowry and Lonnie Dowell. Kitchen was disqualified as city staff found she resided outside of city limits.
Lowry is already a member of the Winlock Planning/Park Commission, and Dowell already served a stint as Winlock’s mayor after being elected in 2013.
Ultimately, after holding public interviews during their Aug. 24 meeting and then convening for an executive session to discuss candidate qualifications, they decided to appoint Anderson over Dowell and Lowry.
Anderson has previously served as the Lewis County 911 Manager. He is a retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4. He served as a helicopter instructor pilot and “master aviator.” He now volunteers for the Lewis County Gospel Mission.
The council’s other vacancy was created after former Councilor and Mayor Pro Tem Jeramy Allman was deemed ineligible for the seat. Since the Board of Lewis County Commissioners' (BOCC) began its own appointment process over the summer on July 7, there has been no announcement as to when the commissioners will hold their own public interview and selection process.
The BOCC’s deadline for applicants passed on July 23.
