In an unexpected Lewis County Board of County Commissioners news release on Tuesday, July 7, the commissioners announced they were looking for volunteers to fill a vacancy on the Winlock City Council.
The council, as of its previous meeting at the end of June, had no vacancies.
After the announcement, Winlock Mayor Victoria Marincin said in an interview with The Chronicle that city staff were contacted this week by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, which informed them that they had removed Councilor Jeramy Allman from his seat as they had deemed him ineligible to hold the office.
The reason for his ineligibility, according to the prosecutor’s office, was his loss during his reelection bid in 2026.
However, the opponent who beat him, Thomas Robinson, was ineligible to hold the office himself, as Robinson had not legally been a resident inside Winlock city limits for at least a year.
So, at the beginning of the year, Allman was simply sworn back into office with the other newly elected councilors, with the city attorney raising no objections.
Marincin said the prosecuting office told her that should never have happened.
Instead, beginning on the first day of her term in office, Jan. 1, Marincin should’ve initiated the 90-day process to gather applications from residents interested in being appointed to the council vacancy.
If no appointment was made by the city at the end of that first 90-day period, the Lewis County commissioners are then required to appoint someone qualified. As it’s been well over 90 days since Jan. 1, the prosecutor’s office directed the county commissioners to go ahead and start their own appointment process.
“It is entirely my fault that we did not get this rectified and have a new sitting council person in the seat within the 90 days,” Marincin said. “I’m a new mayor, and I did make that mistake, and I take full responsibility for that.”
She said she wished she and the remaining councilors had their own chance to interview and appoint a new councilor, but she has accepted it is now in the county commissioners’ hands. She also invited Allman to apply to be reappointed.
When asked what effect it would have on any of the Winlock City Council resolutions and ordinances Allman voted on over the past six months, Marincin said the prosecutor’s office has not mentioned anything about that.
The Chronicle reached out to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for more information, but did not receive a response before the print deadline on Wednesday. The Chronicle also contacted Allman, who questioned whether the prosecutor’s office even had the authority to remove him from the seat in the first place.
“The challenger was not a citizen of Winlock, should never have been on the ballot. I challenged the election by following the statutory procedure and filing an affidavit with the Lewis County Superior Court,” Allman said in a statement to The Chronicle. “The statute says the court is supposed to set a hearing, but the court has not followed through. Once it is decided the election was invalid, I am the holdover incumbent. If the election was valid, then a vacancy occurred when the challenger never assumed office on Jan. 1. At that point, then the city has 90 days to appoint. If the city does not appoint a person to the council, then the county has 90 days.”
Specifically, Allman has filed a voter election process law review lawsuit against Robinson, contesting that Robinson and those who supported him knew of his ineligibility to run for office. That lawsuit is still active within the superior court system.
In a letter to the editor published by the Lewis County News on Jan. 14, Robinson stated he had “overlooked” the residency requirement for holding office:
“I am writing to address why I am unable to accept the Winlock City Council Position No. 4. First, I want to offer my sincerest apologies to everyone who placed their trust in me and voted for me. I was truly overwhelmed and honored by the support I received. When I filed the paperwork to run for this office, I unfortunately overlooked the one-year residency requirement. This requirement ensures that those taking office are fully familiarized with the area. While we fell in love with Winlock through numerous visits to explore its parks and community, our official move-in date was in early Feb. 7, 2025. I also want this community to know that we purchased this home on Jan. 8, 2025, but the home was not completed at the time. Although my residency does not yet meet the legal requirement for this term, my commitment to this town remains unchanged. We chose Winlock because of how welcoming this community is, and I look forward to continuing to find ways to serve and benefit our town as a resident. Thank you for your understanding and your support.”
Allman also questioned whether the county commissioners still had the authority to appoint someone to the vacancy — as they, too, are limited to 90 days to make an appointment per state law.
“More than 180 days has passed since Jan. 1. The county has no legal authority to appoint a person to the council. But, before it can be determined whether a vacancy even occurred by the challenger not taking office on Jan. 1, it has to be determined whether the election was even valid,” Allman said.
According to state law, specifically RCW 29A.36.180, votes cast for a disqualified candidate in a general election simply “shall not be counted for that office.” The statute further states, “if the disqualified candidate is the only candidate to have filed for the office during a regular or special filing period for the office, a void in candidacy for the office exists.”
Robinson, however, was not the only candidate.
Despite Allman’s arguments, the Lewis County Board of Commissioners is still moving forward with their own appointment process. According to their news release, the deadline for eligible Winlock residents interested in serving on the city council is July 23.
For more information, including eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit the Lewis County commissioner’s website at https://tinyurl.com/3fpfpmwb.
