During Tuesday’s election, voters will decide which candidate will serve a six-year term as Port of Centralia commissioner for district 3.
In the running are former Lewis County Assessor Dianne Dorey and incumbent Commissioner Peter Lahmann.
The Chronicle sat down with both candidates last month to ask them what is driving them to run, what they hope to accomplish on the port commission if elected and what sets them apart from their opponent.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. If a voter hasn’t received their ballot, the Lewis County Auditor’s Office recommends visiting votewa.gov and selecting “my ballot,” calling 360-740-1278 or visiting the office at 351 NW North St. in Chehalis. Voters who have submitted their ballots can check their status on the same site.
To find a ballot box and information on candidates and ballot measures, visit https://elections.lewiscountywa.gov.
Dianne Dorey
After retiring at the end of 2022 from a 24-year stint as the Lewis County assessor and 47 years total working in the assessor’s office, Dorey decided to run for local office again after several people talked to her about the port commissioner position.
“Several people asked me if I would be interested in running because of my qualifications,” Dorey said. “As the county assessor and with my prior experience in the office, I worked with levies for 47 years, and that’s a big part of funding for the port.”
Dorey is also familiar with property taxes and appraisals. She added while not everyone liked her assessments, she would still educate property owners so they at least understood why she assessed their property at a certain value.
As for what she hopes to do if elected, she stated the port has almost used up all of its developable property in its inventory. She wants to help write the port’s strategic plan, laying out goals for the next 20 years.
“What we’re visioning today could be a reality in 20 years, but we have to look at how we’re going to get to that reality,” Dorey said.
According to Dorey, the port will need to either purchase land in the Centralia School District or repurpose existing port property. She said the funding for this would come from the taxpayers.
“How much are taxpayers willing to invest in the future economy of Centralia? That’s what it boils down to,” Dorey added.
She also said the port’s new Centralia Station project, which will include a WinCo grocery store, could end up looking similar to the Twin City Town Center, the retail shopping district in Chehalis on Northwest Louisiana Avenue. Dorey hopes it will attract other retail businesses that will develop on land surrounding Centralia Station and increase the amount of sales tax Centralia collects.
Chehalis currently collects more sales tax than Centralia despite being a smaller city, Dorey noted.
She said what sets her apart from her opponent is that she believes Lahmann doesn’t support the Centralia Station project, as evidenced by two votes against motions revolving around the project this year.
“He can have concerns. He can certainly vote. But at that point it was a done deal. A vote against it should've been years before to stop the whole project,” Dorey said.
She also said her years of experience in the assessor’s office and networking within the local business community as a part of the Centralia-Chehalis Chamber of Commerce sets her apart.
“I didn’t just show up because there’s an opening on the ballot. I’ve been studying how this works for many years and want to be able to contribute,” said Dorey. “In those 47 years in the assessor’s office, the taxpayers paid for my education. Now it’s time to give back.”
Peter Lahmann
Now coming to the completion of his first term as a Port of Centralia commissioner, Lahmann is running for re-election for many of the same reasons he ran initially. What he thought would be easy changes in how the port operates, solvable within a year, turned out not to be.
“The biggest issues all along have been transparency and communication,” Lahmann said. “I feel that we are not properly communicating with the public and with our constituents. We can do better… and it’s not a high cost item to do that.”
Lahmann is a lifelong construction worker and apprenticeship advocate.
He said the lack of transparency extends to himself as a commissioner. With the port’s 2024 budget hearings approaching, he has asked port staff for a detailed budget plan but hasn’t received one yet.
“I don’t need a one-page synopsis. I know, yeah, we’re wonderful. Let's see what we actually did and see if we’re being cost effective,” said Lahmann.
According to Lahmann, port staff not supplying him with adequate information has led to the two “no” votes from him this year on motions involving Centralia Station.
He said despite these two no votes, he supports the project even though he’s been accused of opposing it by both his opponent and fellow Port of Centralia Commissioner Kyle Markstrom.
Markstrom wrote an opinion concerning this subject that was published in The Chronicle in September detailing his accusations.
Lahmann stated he did in fact support the project and the port’s overall mission to improve the local economy by bringing in new businesses with higher-wage jobs.
“I’m the classic Centralia kid that can’t find a good job in this area and has to go north to find one … I’m looking forward to Centralia Station and I’m not against WinCo,” Lahmann said.
He added he’s usually the one proposing the motion to pass all of the pay estimates and change orders the contractors building Centralia Station have submitted for the work completed on the project so far, and has voted to approve them all.
The two motions Lahmann voted no on involving Centralia Station were an amendment to an existing purchase and sale agreement with WinCo’s developer and to surplus land in Centralia Station. Both motions passed by a vote of 2-1.
As for what sets Lahmann apart from his opponent, he believes it is his continued desire to bring more transparency to the port is the main difference.
“If I’m making multi-million dollar decisions for the constituents, I should know all the information,” said Lahmann.
He is also concerned with the port’s future, as the port’s levy is set to expire at the end of this year. Lahmann hopes to help the port become self-sufficient as it was originally intended to be.
“I voted for the concept that the port would be self-supporting in eight to 10 years. Now, 36 years later, we’re taxing at the maximum amount we can,” Lahmann said.
