The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) Board of Commissioners selected Dave Muller on Tuesday, May 6, to fill the vacant seat representing District 1.
Muller, who is a former Lewis County PUD general manager, will serve in the position for about a year and a half until the term ends in December 2026. The election for who takes over in 2027 will be held in the fall of 2026.
Muller was nominated by the current PUD commissioners, Mike Hadaller and Dave Fenn, who pitched Muller as an experienced man who will likely return to retirement after the shortened term he is set to serve. Muller, for his part, said he will have to make the decision whether to run for a full six-year term next spring when candidate filling opens up.
“I’m 75 now, and a year from now I’ll have to make a decision whether I file or not,” Muller said.
The appointment brings an end to a series of events set in motion when former PUD Commissioner Michael Kelly was arrested and charged with felony bribery in December of 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was filed after he allegedly attempted to bribe PUD Manager David Plotz for a pay raise in exchange for employment for himself at the PUD. Kelly is set to lose his job with TransAlta when their local plant shuts down at the end of 2025.
Kelly's seat on the Lewis County PUD Board of Commissioners was vacated in accordance with state law after he was absent from PUD meetings for more than 60 days.
That absence was prompted in part by a court order barring Kelly from having contact with any witnesses of his alleged crime until his trial concludes.
The Lewis County PUD commissioners invited all eligible candidates for the commissioner seat to come to the Tuesday morning meeting to give a short presentation to the board ahead of the selection.
There were four candidates other than Muller, including Jeffrey Baine, Frank Corbin, Ben Kostick and Chris Thomas.
Candidates cited personal connections and interest in the local community along with relevant experience either with the Lewis County PUD or in other leadership positions in the community.
Baine spoke of his intimate knowledge of the PUD from his more than 20 years working for the organization.
Corbin highlighted his own experience with electric utilities, including his time as pastor and city counselor in Cascade Locks, Oregon, where he worked on the city's efforts to make their power grid more efficient.
Kostick cited his past service on the Lewis County PUD Board of Commissioners for roughly 14 years from the time he was appointed to fill his father’s seat after his death until he was defeated by Kelly.
“If you do appoint me, you don't have to put another picture on the wall, because it’s already up there,” Kostick said.
Thomas shared his experiences in a variety of leadership and service roles in the community, including his current roles on the executive board of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce and the Centralia College Board of Trustees.
Muller focused his time talking about Lewis County PUD’s contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The PUD relies on BPA for a majority of its power and will negotiate and sign a new contract this summer.
Muller participated in the last contract negotiations roughly 20 years ago as an employee of the PUD. Muller worked for the PUD for 39 years, including 12 years as general manager.
“I had discussion with the commissioners individually and they were interested because of my background,” Muller said. “I understand some key questions before the board now because the BPA contract and then the Cowlitz Falls coming back, and I had interest in both of those. And then the overall operation of the PUD operated under a conservative manner. Always interested in economic rates.”
After the presentations, Hadaller and Fenn held a 15-minute executive session to deliberate before their announcement to appoint Muller, citing his experience. They encouraged other nominees to stay involved.
“I thought everybody was great,” Hadaller said. “You all have your good points, and I would encourage you to file and run for the office. Two people, in my eyes, should not have to pick. To my eyes, the people should get to pick.”
With the decision made, Muller will serve out the term, but the collection of candidates could provide a preview of who will file for the position a year from now.
At least one candidate, Thomas, said he plans to run for the position next year.
