In this file photo, Alicia Bull, executive director of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber, Todd Chaput, Chamber president, and Coralee Taylor, head of the government action committee, discuss the Chamber's campaign that looks to restructure the county's government through a home rule charter.
With this week’s news that One Lewis County has obtained enough signatures to place the home rule charter process and freeholder elections on the November 2018 ballot, Lewis County and the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce are working to educate potential freeholder candidates about their duties and options.
One Lewis County, a political action committee formed by the chamber, has scheduled freeholder information sessions for noon Monday at O’Blarney’s at The Gibson House in Centralia — during the Chamber’s regularly scheduled forum — and for 6 p.m. Monday night at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 730 NW Liberty Place in Chehalis.
Todd Chaput, past president of the Chamber and one of the founders of One Lewis County, said the first meeting will be a broad look at the freeholder process geared toward residents who will be voting in the November election.
“The one in the evening is going to be more in depth,” he said. “If you really want to be a freeholder I would recommend the evening one.”
One Lewis County will likely schedule more information sessions in the future, Chaput said.
“We’ll do as many as needed,” he said. “I just want to make sure we have an extremely informed public and a good base of potential freeholder candidates.”
The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office is also planning information sessions, but hasn’t yet formalized dates, times or locations.
Attorney Eric Eisenberg, of the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, said Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer suggested his office sponsor the sessions.
“Our office is in an unusual position,” Eisenberg said.
While freeholders will be able to propose changes to county organization, the prosecutor’s office is required to remain in place, he said. The prosecutor’s office will also be tasked with advising freeholders on state law during their work.
The office is considering organizing three or ideally four information sessions in the Twin Cities as well as the western, southern and eastern regions of the county.
Representatives of One Lewis County dropped off its first set of signatures in January, but were 131 short of the required 1,689 — or 10 percent of voter turnout in the county’s previous general election.
The group dropped off a second batch of signatures Wednesday, pushing their tally to 1,721 signatures.
The Lewis County Auditor’s Office confirmed the group had enough signatures to put the home rule charter process and freeholders on the ballot.
The freeholders — 15 people elected from around the county — will be tasked with drafting a county constitution and reorganizing county government. When they’re done, county residents will be able to vote the measure up or down.
According to a draft freeholder nomination policy prepared by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, but not yet formally approved by the Board of County Commissioners, freeholder candidates would register for the November general election at the same time as other election candidates, during the week of May 14.
The draft policy will likely come up at the next prosecutor’s office briefing with the county commission, scheduled for Feb. 20, Eisenberg said.
One Lewis County’s chief goal is to codify the position of a county manager or executive into the organization of Lewis County government. They’ve also suggested expanding the size of the commission and drastically reducing the pay of each commissioner.
The group’s reasons for pursuing the charter have been listed as poor fiscal management, continued lawsuits, a lack of leadership vision and incompetent management.
The commissioners recently announced they would hire a county manager separate from the home rule charter process after a task force they appointed recommended the move last year.
