Former Centralia Mayor and current Riverside Fire Authority Commissioner Bonnie Canaday is trailing her challenger Matt Evans in the general election.
Longtime Riverside Fire Authority board member and former Centralia Mayor Bonnie Canaday is trailing challenger Matt Evans in Tuesday’s primary election for Position 4 on the board, according to vote counts released by the Lewis County Auditor’s Office.
Both Evans and Canaday would move on to the general election if the results hold, though.
A third candidate, Amber Ferrano, received 12.4 percent of the vote, or 300 votes.
Evans is a Port of Centralia commissioner whose term ends in December. After the second vote count was released Wednesday afternoon, Evans was leading with 51.72 percent of the vote, or 1,249 votes.
Canaday has so far received 35.5 percent of the vote, or 866 votes.
The primary results are scheduled to be certified Aug. 15. The top two candidates will move on to the November general election.
In his campaign statement to the Lewis County Auditor’s Office, Evans said his father worked for the Centralia Fire Department before the RFA was formed.
“I now want to turn my attention to emergency services,” Evans’ statement reads. “Watching my father and interacting with his co-workers growing up, I gained great respect and admiration for the role firefighters play in a community. Emergency services are critical to any community and need community support.”
Canaday has been a member of the RFA board since its formation. She recently resigned as Centralia’s mayor after 20 years on the council. She moved out of her district to live with husband and now Centralia Mayor Lee Coumbs, who she married last year.
Canaday’s seat on the Centralia City Council is also up for election this year. She did not file for reelection to that position, but did file for her RFA seat.
