After the death of Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper last September, the county Republican Precinct Committee Officers sent three nominees for the remaining commissioners to choose from.
Of the three, Lee Grose — a Packwood resident who had previously held the seat — was chosen to serve the final year of Stamper’s term.
Once the November election is completed, the candidate county residents vote into office to represent Commission District 3 will take over for Grose immediately, rather than waiting to be sworn in the following January with most elected officials.
But well before the entire county casts ballots, the citizens of Commissioner District 3 will vote in an August primary to narrow down the race of five. The district encompasses most of South and East Lewis County. Winlock proper is in Commission District 2, which is represented by Commissioner Lindsey Pollock, who lives in unincorporated Lewis County near the town. South of state Route 505 mostly falls in district 3. In acreage, the district makes up well over half of the county.
One of the five candidates, Pete D. Krabbe, is listed under the “Stop the Steal” party, though he said he filed this way “sarcastically.” The four other candidates in the primary race each hail from a different community in district 3 and are all listed as Republicans.
In interviews, all candidates spoke at length about Lewis County’s growth. Assessor Diane Dorrey earlier this year said the county is experiencing growth in “every metric you can measure,” including population, industry and construction.
The four Republican candidates each mentioned the importance of growing responsibly, saying it’s important to provide more economic opportunities while preserving the area’s rural lifestyle.
The top two finishers in the August primary election will move on to the general election in November.
Harry Bhagwandin
Harry Bhagwandin, 63, of Onalaska, was one of the three nominees chosen by the Lewis County Republicans after Stamper’s death. He ran against Stamper in the 2014 primary election, and said he supported Stamper in the race thereafter, as was part of their “pact.”
Bhagwandin has never held public office before.
“I’ve been actively involved with county issues since I’m from an unincorporated part of the county in Onalaska,” he said.
Bhagwandin is the founder of the Onalaska Alliance, a community nonprofit that runs the Apple Harvest Festival and had a hand in establishing the Onalaska School District’s award-winning aquaculture program at Carlisle Lake.
He moved to Onalaska in 1985 to do an apprenticeship program with Burnt Ridge Nursery in Onalaska after growing up in Indiana. In 1991, Bhagwandin purchased 65 acres near Onalaska, where he raised children and grew timber and produce.
“I have four children I’ve raised in Onalaska and they would love to live here but there’s not suitable employment,” Bhagwandin said. “I’m really concerned about keeping Lewis County rural and having appropriate economic development that doesn’t take away from why we’re here in the first place.”
Other issues he spoke to were flooding and fishery restoration. With parts of district 3 in the Cowlitz River Basin and others in the Chehalis River Basin, Bhagwandin said he placed a lot of value in protecting the “world-class” chinook runs in the Chehalis.
He also called Interstate 5 flooding “unacceptable.” He said the county needed a “balanced approach” to flooding and fish problems for both its major rivers, adding, “It looks like that’s where we’re heading.”
When asked what he thought was the most major problem Lewis County faces now, Bhagwandin said “Lewis County is not broken.”
Of the biggest challenges now, he listed Packwood’s housing crisis, dwindling agriculture in district 3 and having appropriate community development planning to support responsible growth.
“I want to hear the concerns of people, let’s do this together,” Bhagwandin said.
Scott Brummer
If elected, Scott Brummer, 51, of Winlock, would be the second commissioner on the three-person Board of County Commissioners from the Winlock area. But, he said his career with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) gave him countywide experience that familiarized him with the various issues facing its diverse communities.
He said he invested a great deal of his career in district 3 and, since campaigning, has spent time in community meetings throughout East Lewis County.
Brummer has never held public office before.
“I believe I have the experience and abilities to help manage county government,” he said.
Brummer is a 28-year resident of Lewis County with three children. In his work with WDFW, he helped landowners with habitat and flooding projects including culverts and river bank stabilization, especially on the Tilton and Cowlitz rivers. He serves as senior pastor at God’s Place in Ethel and is a self-employed consultant.
If elected, Brummer said one focus issue would be flooding in district 3 and countywide, adding that he’s been “on the ground,” for every local flood since 1996.
Other issues he mentioned were growing wisely to pave the way for future generations and supporting law enforcement.
“I think it is the responsibility of the commissioners to work with both other elected officials and with local and county first responders to make sure we’re meeting their needs,” Brummer said.
He said the current commissioners were representing the community well, despite being in office during a challenging few years.
As a third generation farmer, Brummer also has a background in agriculture. He and his wife of 27 years own Patriot Farm and Feed in Winlock.
When asked what he thought was the most major problem Lewis County faces now, Brummer said with inflation soaring, the county needs to brace for potential economic downturn by being prepared to make appropriate budget cuts and that there are “several large issues looming out there that largely revolve around land use planning.”
Pat Saldana
Pat Saldana, 55, of Morton, said she was encouraged to run for the position by Bobby Barnes, the wife of Stamper.
“I know both of them personally and admired Gary’s work,” she said.
Saldana has served on the Morton School Board for about seven years and is the board chair. Her 32-year career has been in claims adjustment, which she felt gave her the investigative techniques necessary to look at complex issues from many perspectives.
“I always like to say, ‘I play well in the sandbox,’” Saldana said.
She has lived in Morton for 18 years, which she felt gave her an edge in the race for commissioner as she resides in the heart of district 3.
Saldana values community service, whether that is through running for public office or volunteering.
She helped establish Northwest Backpack Snack, a nonprofit that provides kids in the Morton School District with food on weekends and holidays. It has since been taken over by the Mineral Food Bank.
If elected, Saldana said her top three issues of focus would be mental health — citing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and families — growth that increases opportunities while preserving the area’s rural feel and supporting law enforcement.
“I’m not into police reform,” she said.
When asked what she thought was the most major problem Lewis County faces now, Saldana said that besides mental health crises, it was tough to give one answer for the county as a whole.
“Every community has their own issue,” she said, listing housing in Packwood, the proposed YMCA camp in Mineral, “bio sludge” in Toledo and water infrastructure issues in Morton.
Saldana also mentioned a focus on bringing professionalism to the seat if elected.
“The lack of professionalism that I’ve seen in public is a huge concern to me,” she said. “We’re not respecting other people’s views and opinions. It’s OK if we don’t agree. … I’m still going to treat you with respect.”
Jodery “Jody” Goble
Jodery “Jody” Goble, 60, of Toledo, grew up between Packwood and Randle and graduated from White Pass High School.
After a career with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fighting fires across the state, Goble retired about four years ago. He has Bachelor of Science degrees in agriculture and forest management and completed a leadership development forest agriculture program in 1999.
He spent about four years working as a community corrections officer.
“I have a diverse skill set,” Goble said, adding he has experience in many of the diverse industries of the county.
Goble has never held public office before.
After retiring about four years ago, Goble started substitute teaching in 13 different school districts across Lewis County, which he said further familiarized him with the different communities.
He said teaching gives him “a little snapshot of each community and I have the future in front of me.”
If elected, major issues Goble would focus on include flooding, growth and public safety.
He said the three issues were tried together, as the area grows, public safety supports need to be increased and more folks are affected by flooding. He said it’s the job of commissioners with work with the sheriff’s office, public works and hospital districts to support a growing community.
He also mentioned housing in Packwood as a major concern.
When asked what he thought was the most major problem Lewis County faces now, Goble said flooding and housing. He would work on these things by managing the county’s budget appropriately, he said.
“Overall I think our county is doing pretty well,” Goble said. “I’m glad to say that, but we’ve still gotta keep working hard.”
Goble didn’t begin campaigning for the seat until filing week, he said, but he decided to in order to represent East Lewis County. He added that, if elected, he would stop substitute teaching in order to “put 100%” into public office.
Pete Krabbe
Krabbe, 69, of Randle, has lived in Lewis County for 33 years.
He is the chair of the board of Pinchot Partners, a collective that focuses on the welfare of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, which makes up a large chunk of the county’s district 3.
Krabbe has never held public office before.
He filed for the Commission District 3 race by listing his party as “Stop the Steal,” a term that originated from claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent.
However, Krabbe said he used the slogan ironically to “reverse it” by focusing on what he truly believes is getting stolen by the government: rights.
“The conservatives are basically stealing our country. They don’t believe in the Constitution, they don’t believe in democracy,” he said.
As a senior on disability, Krabbe said he would represent marginalized voices if elected.
When asked what he thought was the most major problem Lewis County faces now, Krabbe talked about flooding, blaming the impacts on building in the floodplain and saying the Chehalis Basin Board lacked foresight.
“(The board) received $70 million dollars for two years,” Krabbe said. “That’s a lot of damn money when the real issue is they need to get out of the floodplain. Up here in East Lewis County there is no mitigation.”
Another major issue Krabbe would hope to address is Lewis County’s growth. He said he was opposed to the development in the county, listing Packwood’s housing crisis as a result of that growth.
Krabbe also said he disliked how disconnected district 3 was from Chehalis, saying that its residents suffer from higher property taxes because of countywide growth even when they don’t receive all of its benefits.
“I almost think East Lewis County should secede and become Pinchot County,” Krabbe said, later adding, “Vote for change. I’m change.”
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Look for more 2022 election coverage at chronline.com as the primary election draws closer.
