Port of Centralia
Port of Centralia Commissioners Julie Shaffley and Peter Lahmann interviewed five potential candidates to fill the commissioner vacancy left by Dan Keahey on Wednesday and after deliberation decided to table the decision until a special meeting next week.
Former Port of Centralia Commissioner Keahey resigned this summer, leaving the district 1 seat on the board of commissioners open. The five candidates that were interviewed were William Luond, Michael Mahoney, Kyle Markstrom, Richard Schnatterly and Lindy Waring.
Shaffley made it clear she wanted to make the decision on Wednesday evening after the interviews, but Lahmann said he needed more time to do research on the candidates to identify any conflicts of interest.
“I feel it’s our duty to decide tonight on a commissioner. We have been given all of this information in a very timely manner. We have done our interviewing. We have done our research and I feel that it is imperative and it’s our duty to decide on a commissioner tonight,” Shaffley said.
Shaffley moved to appoint Richard Schnatterly to the board of commissioners, but the motion was not seconded. Later, after saying he needed more time to decide, Lehmann moved to appoint William Luond and it was not seconded.
After about 20 minutes of back and forth and multiple motions made by each commissioner without a second from the other commissioner — they settled on calling a special meeting at 3 p.m. on Aug. 26 to decide who to appoint to the board after the port gets a written legal opinion on all five of the candidates, including possible conflicts of interest.
Shaffley did not think it was necessary to spend money on getting a legal opinion before making the decision but Lahmann disagreed. Port of Centralia Executive Director Kyle Heaton said he could get the legal opinion on each candidate by Monday for the commissioners to review before the special meeting.
The interviews on Wednesday began at 3:05 p.m. and each candidate gave a two-minute opening statement to tell the commissioners a bit about themselves. The commissioners asked each candidate four questions, including one about the future of long-awaited Centralia Station project, the role of a port commissioner, an example of a challenging situation he or she overcame and what ethics and integrity mean to him or her.
William Luond grew up in Centralia and graduated from Centralia High School. He received his business management degree from Washington State University. He received his MBA from Saint Martin’s University. For the past 13 years, he has been working at RailWorks in Chehalis and is currently the general manager.
When Luond was asked about ethics, he mentioned the current situation regarding the governor’s statewide mask mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m one of those ones that are challenged by the governor’s orders and I also understand the concerns of the folks in the community. I find that most community members, including myself, will wear a mask in situations where it’s required. It’s the right thing to do and I think if you do right by the people around you, you’ll be benefited from it,” said Luond.
He said that the Port of Centralia has a lot of opportunity for growth. When asked what he believes the role of a port commissioner should be he said, “I believe it’s to provide a solid support for the decisions being made by the director” and make decisions that have a positive impact on the community.
Michael Mahoney, the commissioner’s second interviewee, moved into the area in 1965, he was in the army for three years then graduated from WSU. He worked on a family farm then managed dairy research at the California State University, Fresno. He worked with the Washington state Department of Corrections on an inmate management team for 11 years. He also managed a truck driver distribution center at a furniture store and managed a dairy farm. The Port of Centralia purchased Mahoney’s family farm in 2006. Mahoney served for 10 years on the Lewis County Planning Commission.
“In any governing board, commissioners are responsible for policy, mainly, and beyond that the fiscal welfare of how the tax-payers money is utilized,” said Mahoney.
He said he believes that Lewis County needs more good jobs because the county doesn’t rely on agriculture and forestry as heavily any more.
“We need to come up with other opportunities for employment for the citizens. It should not be that government and nonprofits are the largest employers in the county. I see the Port of Centralia as being part of that answer and I would certainly like to see it grow,” he said.
Kyle Markstrom, the third candidate, grew up in Centralia and graduated from Centralia High School. For the last 13 years, he’s worked in manufacturing at ZEV Technologies, which is a Port of Centralia tenant. The commissioner asked if he felt that would be a conflict of interest and Markstrom said that he didn’t believe it would be.
“I think the port seems to be on a pretty great trajectory and I would like to help support that… and the mission and the vision of the commission,” he said.
Richard Schnatterly, born and raised in Centralia, graduated from Centralia High School and Centralia College before going on to the University of Washington to get a degree in biological oceanography. Schnatterly said that he also took many business classes. He purchased and has owned a bean and seed company for 23 years. When asked about the Centralia Station project he said that the port may have to pivot its plan based upon the effects of COVID-19 on certain types of businesses. He described the role of a port commissioner as an overseer while keeping the vision of the port in mind.
“When you own your own business, I think your reputation is very important. Honesty, I think, is the most important thing someone can have… I always treat people with the utmost respect,” said Schnatterly regarding his ethics and integrity. In five to 10 years, Schnattery said he would like to see progress on Centralia Station while providing more jobs for Lewis County citizens.
Lindy Waring, raised in Adna, said she and her husband have owned local businesses including iBean Espresso & Mini Donuts. She formerly worked at The Chronicle.
She said she would like to help the Port of Centralia with growth so that her child can have opportunities in Centralia.
Waring said that she worked as the VP of sales at The Chronicle over the last year and had to make a lot of tough judgment calls when having to lay some people off. Another challenging situation Waring said she faced was having to close down a bar she and her husband owned and lay off family members.
“I hope that in five years, Centralia Station is done and completed and that we’re working on other tenants coming to fill it. I think that Winco is a great anchor,” she said.
Waring said that relationships are key and listening and knowing what the community wants is important. She said the role of a port commissioner is to be a team player who helps support the executive director and helps with policy and planning.
Citizens wanting to listen to the full interviews can email agraber@portofcentralia.com for the recorded audio.
