The Port of Centralia Commissioners, Julie Shaffley and Peter Lahmann, were again unable to come to an agreement about who to appoint to fill the vacancy on the board at their regular meeting on Wednesday. The commissioners have dedicated time at four separate meetings, both special and regularly scheduled meetings, to discuss who to appoint.
“We’re spending a lot of time on a subject that is very difficult — that is being made very difficult and unfortunately, I feel is being made very political and I’m uncomfortable with that,” Shaffley said.
After no appointment was made, Shaffley called for a special meeting to take place on Wednesday, Sept. 23, saying that it was their duty to decide on a candidate, but Lahmann was unsure if he would be able to make the meeting due to prior engagements. Lahmann said he would let Port of Centralia Executive Director Kyle Heaton know if he would be able to attend via phone. This will be the second special meeting called to discuss who to appoint.
The third seat on the board was left vacant after the resignation of Dan Keahey on July 3. The commissioners have 90 days after the resignation to appoint someone to fill the seat before the decision falls into the hands of the county commissioners, according to Chief Civil Deputy Eric Eisenberg in the Lewis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The deadline is Oct. 2.
Lahmann and Shaffley have discussed the decision at four separate meetings in and out of an executive session. The five candidates who were interviewed for the position are William Luond, Michael Mahoney, Kyle Markstrom, Richard Schnatterly and Lindy Waring. The interviews took place on Aug. 19. After deliberation following the interviews, the commissioners decided to hold off on the decision to get an attorney’s opinion on the possible conflicts of interest of each candidate, as discussed in previous meetings.
Michael Mahoney’s possible conflicts of interest stem from the sale of his family’s land to the Port of Centralia in 2006 and the check his family receives every month from the Port of Centralia.
Lound’s conflicts of interest include working for RailWorks, a company that the Port of Centralia contracts with for some projects. Also, his appointment could have “the appearance of nepotism” as William Luond is the son of Centralia Mayor Susan Luond, Shaffley said.
The two commissioners that Shaffley said do not have conflicts of interest are Rich Schantterly and Lindy Warning. She made a motion to appoint each candidate but the motion failed for lack of a second.
Lahmann moved to appoint Michael Mahoney and then William Luond. Each motion failed for lack of a second.
“I’m looking for the best candidate, I’m looking for the one that fits the needs of my constituents — our constituents,” Lahmann said.
