Centralia Mayor Bonnie Canaday, left, shakes hands with Centralia City Council District 3 winner Pat Gallagher, right, after the 2013 general election results were announced at the Lewis County Auditor's Office Nov. 5, 2013.
Centralia City Councilor Pat Gallagher has announced he will be stepping down from his position to take a job in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Gallagher, an engineer for the Washington Department of Transportation, has taken a job as a bridge engineer at the private firm LJB Inc. He plans on Aug. 12 as his final day serving as a city councilor. He’ll serve at the final meeting on the night before. Gallagher is one of the newest members of the council. He was elected in 2013 to the Centralia City Council’s District 3 seat. His term was set to expire in 2017.
“It’s in response for my career interests,” he said in a written statement delivered to The Chronicle. “...I love Centralia. I don’t like to leave but I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do for my family and my career.”
In his resignation letter to Centralia City Manager Rob Hill, Gallagher said in 2004 he “came to Centralia an arrogant, self-righteous individual who would spend many years being humbled. Eventually those humbling episodes turned into maturity and I am thankful for the lessons the Lord has taught me in my time here.”
In his letter, he wrote of the issues that he faced as a councilor. Most notable to him was the issue of oil trains, which he still believes the city should make a statement about.
He lamented how consumed his time was when recreational marijuana came to Centralia and the city found itself fending off a lawsuit and pressure from pot business interests and lawyers.
“One hand (sic) I am honored to have been a big part of that, and on the other frustrated that our city was put in the situation it was in. But I think we came up with a reasonable response,” he wrote.
He said his passion is designing bridges, but the changing culture at WSDOT pushed him to leave. He thanked Hill in his letter and wished the best to Centralia.
“Centralia has so much potential. I hope that when I return years from now that Centralia would realize its full potential and that this small town would be a shining example to the rest of Western Washington of what small towns can be like when people check in and invest locally,” he said.
Gallagher said he won’t continue a career in politics, at least not until his children are grown up.
“There’s a lot of time involved. It comes at a cost. I want to give that time to my children while they need me and my wife when we’re still young and vibrant,” he said.
To replace Gallagher, the city needs to publish a notice that it is accepting applications for the open position. The city council will set an application deadline, which hasn’t been discussed since the resignation letter just came in. The council will then have a special meeting to interview each candidate before selecting a replacement by vote.
