A spot on the Centralia City Council is open once again after council members ruled that the man they appointed to the position last week did not meet the qualifications.
Members of the Centralia City Council voted unanimously to declare that the previously appointed candidate, Cameron Bluhm, failed to qualify for the District 1 seat and that it remains vacant during a 6 p.m. special meeting Tuesday.
The actions taken in front of the public lasted less than a minute. The executive session to discuss the candidate’s qualifications before the vote lasted 35 minutes, but was not open to the public.
After council members returned to the council chambers from a private room, Mayor Chris Brewer reconvened the public session. Councilor Tucker Voetberg quickly motioned for a vote on Bluhm’s qualifications and vacancy of the seat before Councilor Adriana Garibay provided a second and the board voted in support.
Mayor Brewer declared the motion passed and promptly adjourned the meeting.
“The motion carries 6-0. With no further business to come before us this evening, we are hereby adjourned,” Brewer said.
The council did not offer any opportunities for public comment during the special meeting. A special announcement released by the city on Monday announced the meeting would begin at 6 p.m. The announcement also stated the council would not take public comment and that the only business item would be handled in executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) and would likely result in action by the council in a public session afterward.
The portion of Washington state’s executive session laws permits the council to enter into a private executive session to “evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for appointment to elective office.”
The council and the mayor did not offer any additional information concerning the candidate or his qualifications for appointment to the position. In a statement from the mayor provided to The Chronicle Wednesday morning, Brewer stated that the council convened the special meeting to revisit Bluhm’s qualifications after receiving “new information.”
Members of the public had called into question Bluhm’s residency, noting that public documents seems to indicate he lives in Thurston County, among other concerns about his background.
Brewer declined to provide further explanation of the discussion within the executive session citing state law that bars a municipal officer from disclosing confidential information. He added that the council would soon provide additional information on the appointment process to fill the council’s District 1 seat.
“I know this process has been unusual, and I really appreciate all of your grace and patience as we move forward,” Brewer said.
Immediately after the meeting was adjourned, Bluhm approached the dais asking councilors if he would be told why he didn’t qualify or have a chance to comment on the decision. Brewer responded that the information discussed in the executive session could not be discussed with the public.
After adjournment, Bluhm offered a statement on the actions by the city council and discussed his residency in the area. He stated that at the time of application he had been confirmed as a resident of the city and of District 1, stating, “ I have been a resident of District 1 for many, many years, about seven years.”
“Before I ever applied, I did my due diligence and made sure I met the rules and qualifications for this office,” Bluhm said. “The same level of due diligence does not appear to have been done before appointing me and then revisiting it only days later.”
In his statement, Bluhm requested that the Centralia City Council tell him in writing and on the record the reasoning for his failure to meet the qualifications of the Centralia City Council Position for District 1. He added that he believes his disqualification from the position was politically motivated.
“This became political within five days of my appointment, and I believe this work was supposed to be nonpartisan and focused on the community,” Bluhm said.
According to a Facebook post from Brewer posted at the beginning of March, the qualifications for the open council position included a minimum one year of residency within the Centralia city limits, a current address in Centralia District 1 and current voter registration in the state of Washington.
RCW 35A.12.030 lists the same requirements for holding local elective office under the mayor-council model. A qualified candidate must be a registered voter in the relevant city district at the time of application and have been a resident within the city limits for at least one year prior to the date of application.
The Centralia District 1 Council seat has been open for roughly a month after former Mayor Norm Chapman announced during a city council meeting in mid-February that he would resign his council seat at the end of the month. The council has exactly 90 days from the date of Chapman’s resignation from the council before the appointment duties would be deferred to the Lewis County Board of Commissioners.
The city is expected to release details on filling the council vacancy in the coming week.
For previous reporting by The Chronicle, visit https://tinyurl.com/5n72x58c.
