After 24 years serving much of Lewis County as a 20th District state representative, Richard DeBolt will now lead the Lewis Economic Development Council (EDC), filling the role left vacant after Executive Director Matt Matayoshi resigned this fall.
Bringing in experience from the Legislature, where he long served as House minority leader, and his past work at the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce, the ex-lawmaker says he wants to form a “post-COVID economy workgroup or summit” to maneuver the county into economic prosperity after the pandemic.
“Right now we think we have 7 percent unemployment, and we know it’s a lot higher than that because they only count people looking for jobs, and when these people are ready to go back to work, some of these businesses aren’t going to be there anymore,” DeBolt said. “So then you’re going to see a jump in unemployment numbers. And if we do this correctly, I think we can have an opportunity to bring in some businesses and help those unemployment numbers rapidly get better.”
EDC Board of Directors Chairman Dan Rich told Lewis County commissioners at a meeting Monday that “this person is not the answer to all of our questions, but he’s certainly in the knowing and ability to go and get those answers for us.”
“Every one of us is sitting on the edge of our seats, ready to get busy, to help Lewis County become better, not just in the next couple of years at the five- or 10-year mark, but up until the 30-year mark,” Rich told commissioners.
The county commissioners welcomed the decision.
“He certainly has the depth of knowledge in this area to be able to work for our best interests,” Commissioner Lindsey Pollock said Monday.
The EDC supports local businesses, works to bring new business to the county and plays a major role in industrial projects. This year, it was granted a significant portion of the county’s allocation of federal CARES Act funding, which it distributed to businesses and nonprofits.
In a conversation with The Chronicle, DeBolt talked about his previous work as the director of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce as giving him an advantage coming into the new gig.
“I think it gives me an opportunity because I understand the chamber and the needs of the business community … how the chamber and the EDC can work together,” DeBolt said. “My goal is to be somebody who helps unify everybody, gets everybody going in the same direction so that we can make sure that we have as much success in this post-COVID economy that we can have.”
County Commissioner Sean Swope stated similar goals in his campaign for election this fall, saying he hoped to improve relationships with and between job-creating entities in order to transform the county.
“I think (DeBolt’s) a great pick. Excited about it, excited about the potential for him to bring people in,” Swope said. “I think it’s a good thing for all of us.”
DeBolt also cited his work in the Legislature as giving him an advantage to lead the EDC. He served as the House minority leader until 2013 and more recently as the ranking Republican on the Capital Budget Committee, the lead negotiator and budget writer for House Republicans.
“You have to know what’s out there and what’s happening in government to be able to advocate for our community when it comes to projects of interest,” he said. “And I think I have a good leg up in that.”
Although the former lawmaker, who starts the new job in mid-January, has his eye on a post-COVID workgroup, he said his main priorities right now are meeting with the EDC Board, county commissioners and other local leaders. He said he’s looking forward to focusing on more local projects after decades of work in Olympia.
“I’ve been super grateful for the opportunity that’s been provided to me by my community to serve in a role as a legislator for all these years … Now I have an opportunity to come back and work on some projects that I think will be important to the community,” DeBolt said. “I’m very excited. This is a big time in my life.”
