A new local group announced Thursday a petition to expand the Lewis County Board of Commissioners to five members.
The Lewis County Citizens for Commission Reform (LCCCR), as they identified themselves in a news release, is starting a push to collect 2,500 signatures in the county by July 4 from residents who support the idea to expand the Lewis County Commission.
According to the news release, if taken up, the proposal would have the current commissioners continue their terms and help in redrawing the county’s legislative districts to add two additional seats.
Two new commissioners would be elected to fill those seats representing two new districts and serve alongside the existing commissioners, who are currently Lindsey Pollock, Scott Brummer and Sean Swope.
The release from the LCCCR cites large districts that stretch across the county and separate communities as one reason for the expansion.
“Under the current three-commissioner structure, the third district covers a massive geographic area, often leaving East County residents with less influence in county matters,” reads the announcement from the new group. “Expanding to five commissioners would create smaller districts, allowing elected officials to be more responsive to the specific needs of their communities.”
The statement adds that the group also sees the expansion having the added benefit of a higher number of board members required to reach its voting capacity or quorum. Currently with a three-person board, two members constitute a quorum, meaning any two commissioners at an event can qualify as a public meeting subject to state Open Public Meeting Act laws. A five-person board would raise the quorum to three, allowing two members to join community events without concern.
The statement also adds that the new group calling for an expanded board of commissioners is also advocating for increased financial responsibility. The statement advocates for reform of the way commissioner salaries are set, including tying salary raises to local economic factors.
The LCCCR, in their first ever news release, refers to the group as a “nonpartisan committee of Lewis County residents” aiming to expand the Lewis County Board of Commissioners and promote salary reform.
While no names were included in the news release sent out on Thursday, the statement says that members include local organizers, business owners and former and current elected officials from the area. But the commission's financial disclosures with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission show the group used the email address lewiscodemocratswa.gmail.com to file the initial registration. The only officer listed is Lujan Rodriguez, who included a P.O. Box in Onalaska.
The group calls on registered voters of Lewis County to keep an eye out for where they can sign the petition at community events or specific locations around the county. More information on the new commission, including where to sign the petition, is available at https://lewiscounty3to5.com/.
Lewis County Republicans condemn effort
In a news release on Friday afternoon, the Republican Party of Lewis County condemned the effort.
"Public Disclosure Commission records show that the effort to expand the Lewis County Board of Commissioners is being driven by the Lewis County Democratic Party," the statement reads. "That’s important for voters to understand. Changing the structure of county government is not a neutral reform — it directly affects representation, district boundaries, and political outcomes. When a political party seeks to rewrite the rules because it doesn’t like election results, that should raise serious concerns. Lewis County’s current system works. Voters elect commissioners. Commissioners are accountable. Expanding the board would add more politicians, increase costs for tax payers, and open the door to redistricting that will dilute rural representation. Real reform should be driven by the needs of residents, not by partisan strategy and political maneuvering. The Lewis County Republican Party stands for transparency, accountability, and respecting the will of voters — not restructuring government to engineer different results. We encourage citizens to ask hard questions about who is behind this effort and why."
