One issue among many that stood out when The Chronicle editorial board interviewed candidates for local public offices last week was the lack of communication between Lewis County commissioners and the Port of Centralia.
It’s no secret the two governmental bodies are at odds. In 2014, the two sides faced off before a hearings examiner in a dispute over the development of Centralia Station. The Port says the action, which was brought by the county and ended in a result favorable to the Port, cost over $200,000 in taxpayer money to resolve.
Commissioner candidate Dan Keahey blames the county, and said commissioners were not responsive to attempts to address the issue after what he considered to be pointless and expensive legal action. Likewise, his opponent, incumbent Edna Fund, noted the publication of an op-ed published in The Chronicle seeking face-to-face meetings with Port officials to resolve the issue. The two sides have never met.
At this juncture, without assigning blame, it’s clear that a lack of communication exists.
For that reason, and others, The Chronicle is adjusting its editorial rules to provide a format for public communication ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.
That begins today on page Main 9, where Port of Centralia Commissioner Matt Evans has written an 800-word commentary critical of the county commissioners.
In light of the publication, and in fairness to Fund, The Chronicle will allow submissions of up to 800 words from any elected official in Lewis County seeking to provide voters with their stance on any topic relative to the election. After the election results are announced Nov. 8, the requirement that such submissions be 550 words or less will be back in place.
There are several reasons for this.
If elected officials are unable or unwilling to speak to one another, then there is value to voters in publishing the information and allowing taxpayers to decide.
Secondly, The Chronicle editorial board does not endorse specific candidates, but we allow our columnists to do so. An unintended result of that stance has resulted in back-to-back editions of columnists writing in support of a single candidate. Other columnists have not yet endorsed, but they are free to do so.
By allowing elected officials to respond to what several have perceived as an unfair use of our Opinion pages, we’re essentially opening the floodgates for valuable information to be delivered to the public. If that means extra press runs to ensure all submissions are published before election day, then so be it.
The fact that we are a small, family-owned company gives us the flexibility to make adjustments such as this when the political climate calls for it.
We’re happy to provide the only platform in Lewis County that pairs critical reporting with critical commentary, two pursuits that provide an invaluable service to our thousands of readers in print and online. To make a submission, email your commentary to me at cfossett@chronline.com or mail it to 321 N. Pearl St., Centralia.
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Note: The final stories related to last week’s editorial board interviews — both concerning races for the Board of County Commissioners — will be published in Saturday’s edition rather than today in light of the developments in our front page story focused on controversy within the county commissioners’ office.
Christine Fossett is publisher of The Chronicle. She also serves as president and chief operating officer for Lafromboise Communications, Inc., the parent company of The Chronicle. She can be reached at cfossett@chronline.com.
