Three candidates vying for open seats on the Centralia and Chehalis city councils met with members of the Lewis County chapter of Olympia Master Builders (OMB) at the group’s regular meeting Wednesday night, sharing cocktails and beers in a large circle at the Chehalis Moose Lodge.
The informal meeting was spurred by candidates reaching out to the chapter with hopes of attending the meeting, said Jason Gano, government affairs director with the Master Builders. The Lewis County chapter does not plan on providing formal endorsements for council races in the Twin Cities this election cycle.
Kate McDougall, Terry Harris and Leah Daarud were the three candidates who spoke with members. Harris and McDougall are running this year to fill Mayor Dennis Dawes’ seat on the Chehalis council, while Daarud is vying for an open at-large seat on the Centralia city council; her opponent, Steven Hubbard, was not present.
After a “State of the State” address from 20th Legislative District Rep. Peter Abbarno, R-Centralia, who was also previously a Centralia councilor, members and staff of the Master Builders engaged candidates on topics including mental health, housing, fire safety, population growth and other priorities.
After introductions, Daarud used most of her time to inquire about what the group feels are the city’s strengths and weaknesses when communicating with city staff and legislators. She mostly took the time to listen, telling The Chronicle later it was an opportunity for her to gain insight into their world.
OMB members generally had high praise for the two cities and their staffs, who they say work closely with developers and contractors to make sure their bases are covered.
“We need someone at the local level who can communicate these processes,” Daarud said, adding that it’s about “listening to them and saying ‘how can I help?’”
Daarud currently serves on the Centralia Planning Commission and was recently hired as an assistant planner with the Lewis County Community Development Department.
McDougall took her time to introduce herself to the members and give a little bit of her background. A longtime employee of Harborview Medical Center, she moved to Lewis County two years ago to live with her husband on their family’s farm. She underscored her background in mental health and motivation to address homelessness in the city, noting she’s not a fan of “Band-Aid approaches” but doesn’t have “all the answers.”
“I think we really need to restructure how we’re going to look at the homeless and mental health issues. Resources, in a way, where it’s not enabling, but it’s so multifaceted and so multigenerational,” she said, advocating for a more regionalized collaborative approach to utilize existing resources.
She also voiced support for finding “sustainable and humane” ways to lower crime rates and make the community safer.
Harris jumped into the conversation after OMB members brought up moving the Chehalis fire station. The City of Chehalis last year signed off on a $1.2 million purchase of land to build its new fire station at 1380 Northwest State Ave. and is currently in the process of building a temporary station.
OMB members criticized the city for choosing a site so far north within the city limits. Harris, who’d previously been on the council during the search effort, disagreed.
“I’m glad it’s where it’s going to be. The response times, I think, are going to be fantastic and it’s going to be less than a 30-second difference from where the fire station was at before,” Harris said.
Following the meeting, he told The Chronicle, “We looked at everything — even if it wasn’t on the map — on where to build it.”
