Stamper Appointed to Twin Transit Board, Seeking ‘Stability’

Lewis County commissioner Gary Stamper has been appointed to Twin Transit Advisory Board, replacing fellow commissioner Bobby Jackson, who resigned earlier this month after a turmoil-plagued tenure.

“We want some stability, some settling down,” said county commissioner Edna Fund, who conferred with Stamper on the decision. “It’s always tough when you have some issues that have risen up and disturbed staff and people on the board, etc. We’d like a settling down, just let’s provide best service. … We’re looking for some homeostasis.”

Fund would have seemed the logical choice to serve on the board, as she represents Centralia, which along with Chehalis — in Jackson’s district — makes up the entirety of the bus system’s service area. Stamper’s district does not include any Twin Transit taxes or routes. However, Fund’s role on the legislative steering committee for the Washington State Association of Counties requires up too much time to allow her to take on an additional role.

“Part of the discussion was that I’ve got legislation right now and that keeps me really, really busy,” she said. “Gary said, ‘We need you to be able to be on the legislative steering committee with the counties.’ He volunteered. There was no arm-twisting involved.”

Stamper was out of the office Monday and could not be reached by press time. His appointment will take effect on March 25, and Fund will serve as his alternate. It is not known if either commissioner will be at the regular meeting of the advisory board on Tuesday morning.

Jackson resigned as board chair following months of increasing scrutiny regarding his role in a botched ballot initiative to expand Twin Transit services countywide, his backing of embattled general manager Derrick Wojcik-Damers (who resigned last month) and Jackson’s recent misstatements about expansion of the Lewis Public Transit Benefit Area.

Jackson remains a subject of an open investigation by the state Public Disclosure Commission into possible misuse of public resources by Twin Transit for campaign purposes related to the failed ballot measure. He declined last summer to act on an email from Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer advising him that informational materials paid for by Twin Transit may not comply with state law.

Centralia City Councilor Chad Taylor took over as board chair following Jackson’s resignation. Taylor served as chair in 2018 and will be backed up by Centralia City Councilor Rebecca Staebler, who remains vice chair. Stamper will hold the title of board secretary for the remainder of 2019.

“I don’t think it will be much different having someone on the board who isn’t a representative of an area served right now by Twin Transit,” Taylor said. “(County commissioners) make decisions and they’re on committees impacting the whole county. They make decisions on transportation projects that affect Centralia and Chehalis, and (Stamper) is a smart guy for us to have.”

According to Fund, county commissioners are hoping to have a discussion about the makeup of the Twin Transit board once a full-time manager is appointed to lead the agency, noting that several nearby transit services structure their leadership quite differently.

“When we had our discussion, we talked about the composition of the board and checking with other counties,” she said. “When that (manager) is hired, then they want to look at the composition of that board in the future.”

Taylor said that with Stamper in the fold, the board hopes to ramp up its search for an interim manager as well as a permanent replacement for Wojcik-Damers.

Twin Transit is tentatively set to begin reviewing resumes on March 22 with interviews potentially taking place before the end of the month. Taylor said it’s possible the person selected for the interim role will be a candidate to stay on indefinitely.