Two of the three candidates running for Winlock City Council position No. 3 will advance from the Aug. 1 primary election to the general election in November.
The seat is one of three in the South Lewis County city that are up for election in November, but is the only one where a candidate will be eliminated in the primary. It’s currently held by Lonnie J. Dowell, who did not file for re-election.
In the order they appear on the ballot, the candidates are Shelly Allen, Eric Contreras and Jodie Curtis.
Contreras is already a city councilor. He currently holds position No. 2, but filed for a different seat this time. He did not have any information submitted to the voters pamphlet and did not respond to The Chronicle via email nor phone.
Allen, who also had no information in the voters pamphlet but did respond to a request for comment, has never held public office before. Allen has worked for the City of Toledo, however, and said she is familiar with the ongoings of municipalities.
Allen’s dad, Kenneth E. Davidson, was the Winlock Police Chief while she was growing up, she said. She and her family have always had close tied to the South Lewis County community, where she has volunteered for the Toledo School District and is a part of a church group.
Asked why she is running for office, Allen said she wants to “bring back joy and happiness and life back into Winlock.”
The city council has a big impact on town maintenance and community decisions, she said, and Allen would like to be a part of that process.
“(I’ve been) seeing a lot of negativity on Facebook and just toward the city. It’s heartbreaking. Maybe I can come in and help to turn things around,” Allen said. “That was my hope and prayer for it, to bring light and brightness.”
Curtis is a Winlock High School graduate with an associate’s degree in early childhood education and a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is the only candidate for Winlock’s city council position No. 3 with information in the voters pamphlet.
Curtis sits on the planning commission and is a former city councilor. She volunteers on Winlock’s Egg Day committee as a member of the Lion’s Club and is the vice president of the Olequa Senior Center advisory board.
Curtis also volunteers with the Rowdy Rooster and founded a community outreach meal program. She is also a member of her church choir, according to the voters pamphlet.
“I would also like to come up with a way to make downtown more desirable for businesses,” Curtis wrote in her campaign statement. “Should we create a themed town? We have the chickens, maybe a whole barnyard? I’m open to all ideas.”
She mentions the urban growth area annexation in her statement, a hot topic in Winlock for several months, saying, “I believe annexation is a great idea in theory, but … no one should be forced into annexation.”
Ballots are due in the election by 8 p.m. on Tuesday either in the mail or in ballot drop boxes. Those turning in ballots through the mail are encouraged to enter the post office rather than leave their envelopes in drop boxes, because ballots postmarked after Aug. 1 will not be accepted.
To find the ballot drop box nearest you, visit https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov.
For questions about the election, visit the Lewis County Auditor’s Office at 351 NW North St., Chehalis or call 360-740-1164.
