The Chronicle’s article on the petition to expand the Lewis County Board of Commissioners avoids the core problem. Power has concentrated into two votes.
Three commissioners means two people decide everything. Budgets, contracts, land use, legal settlements. Once two line up, the third vote becomes meaningless. The public sees it play out meeting after meeting.
Commissioner Lindsey Pollock keeps raising questions that deserve answers. Sean Swope keeps turning those questions into attacks on her credibility. Scott Brummer votes with Swope, and the outcome is locked in. That pattern is now routine.
When two people dominate the board, it costs the county money. The 2-1 vote to clamp down on syringe exchange programs is a clear example. That decision triggered lawsuits and legal action against the county. Everyone pays when two commissioners turn their personal crusades into lawsuits the county has to defend. Attorney time, staff time and outside counsel all come out of the same taxpayer pool.
A five-member board breaks this dynamic. It forces decisions back into conversations instead of foregone conclusions. It breaks the grip of personality politics and forces decisions to be about the county instead of the people sitting at the dais.
Three seats let two districts run the county. Five seats give more of the county a real voice.
That is why this petition exists. It is not about who filed it. It is about giving voters more say in how this county is governed. Expanding the commission spreads power out, reduces gridlock, and protects taxpayer dollars by making it harder for politics driven by ego or loyalty to turn into costly mistakes.
Lewis County spans hundreds of square miles from Pe Ell through Centralia and Chehalis to Winlock, Toledo, Mossyrock, Morton, Randle and Packwood. Three people cannot realistically represent that. Five can.
More representation leads to better oversight and better decisions. The pushback is coming from people who know exactly how much power two votes gives them and are willing to risk taxpayer money to keep it.
Matt Evans
Centralia
