Kim Ashmore, Centralia’s public works director, had never seriously considered retirement until an innocent FaceTime call with his 2-year-old granddaughter in 2023.
He asked his granddaughter, who lives in Kuna, Idaho, what she wanted for her birthday.
“I want Papa and Meemaw to be here,” she responded.
Ashmore and his wife Deanne make the eight-hour drive to visit their daughter Mariyah and her children in Idaho every few months, but the thought of Ashmore leaving Centralia, a city he called home for 5aaa aa8 years, hadn’t kicked in until that call.
“For me, that was it. At that point, it was like, ‘OK, I need to get serious about this,’” Ashmore said of retirement.
He submitted his letter of resignation to the city and the entire public works staff on May 1, 2025, and will work his final shift on June 27, a day that Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith Johnston proclaimed as “Kim Ashmore Day” in the city during a retirement presentation at the city council meeting Monday night.
For Ashmore, his 41 years in public works working for the City of Centralia was more than a career or a job. It was a passion, but it wasn’t immediately clear that he would climb the ranks and set out to make a mark on the community in which he lived since he was 4 years old.
Ashmore, a 1981 Centralia High School graduate, first worked for the city’s streets and water departments in summer jobs in 1982 and 1983. When he returned for a third summer in June 1984, then-water manager Jim Smith asked Ashmore if he wanted a full-time job. At 20 years old, Ashmore was far from certain of what his career aspirations were, so he took the opportunity and was hired as a laborer in the water department.
“It seemed like working was in my blood. When I was offered that full-time job in June of ‘84, I really thought that this is a career. This is a full-time job with a city. I still didn’t know what that all meant,” he said. “Going forward, I would say it took about six years of working full time as a laborer for the wastewater department to figure out that, ‘yeah, this could be a career.’”
In 1991, Ashmore was offered a full-time job as the wastewater collections lead in Centralia. He was tasked with starting a new division and hiring employees. He spent 16 years in this role before the city was issued a stormwater permit. Former Public Works Director Kahle Jennings asked Ashmore if he would be interested in taking over the permit and working to get the city in compliance, and Ashmore began working in that management position in 2008. Three years later, he managed a combination of the streets, fleet and stormwater departments before taking over as public works director in 2017.
Ashmore called his shot to become the public works director around 2012 or 2013 in a conversation with former City Manager Rob Hill.
“I went to Rob Hill and I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to be your next public works director,’” Ashmore said.
The job was a big step for someone who admittedly did not attend college after high school. Ashmore decided to take classes at Centralia College to prepare for the job years before even applying and interviewing for it, but once he took the position in 2017, he left 28 credits shy of a degree as his time grew more limited.
During his time in public works, Ashmore said his top accomplishments include building a new wastewater treatment plant in 2004, passing the Transportation Benefit District tax in 2016 and gaining progress on the purchase of water rights.
He also brought up an initiative he created where, for one lunch per month, he gathers public works leadership to paint over graffiti and pick up garbage.
Ashmore also served as a member of the Centralia School Board for 12 years, president of Centralia Youth Soccer for over a decade, coached his daughter’s fastpitch and soccer teams, and served on the parks and recreation advisory board and the stormwater advisory committee.
Even after retirement from Centralia and moving to Idaho, Ashmore plans to continue his path in public service. He already has the Kuna City Council’s meeting schedule plugged into his cellphone, and he said he’s toyed with the idea of running for the council some day. Ashmore has already walked around his future home and picked up garbage with his granddaughter, passing on his wisdom and passion for community service.
No matter where Ashmore travels or what paths he travels, however, Centralia orange and black will always be in his blood, he said. After his final shift on June 27, he will celebrate with a retirement party at Dick’s Brewery from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. before heading to Idaho the following day.
“I might be leaving Centralia, but Centralia will never leave me,” he said. “This is my home. I’ve been here 58 years. I will never have that many years in Idaho, so this is my home. I never wanted to see Centralia fail, and I don’t think we have. Centralia was always number one in my world.”
The Centralia community came out in bunches to support Ashmore during Monday’s city council meeting, where the council, along with Centralia School District Superintendent Lisa Grant, honored him and spoke passionately about his service to the city. Ashmore’s wife and daughter virtually attended the meeting from Idaho.
“I feel a little emotional because I truly believe that public service is a noble calling, and Kim chose to spend 41 years of his career serving this community,” Smith Johnston said. “It’s an incredible legacy of service that you have demonstrated for us. You’ve given us a very clear path to follow.”
Councilor Mark Westley, a junior high classmate of Ashmore’s in the 1970s, told a story of Ashmore’s leadership from a softball tournament at Borst Park in the early 1990s.
“You were playing against a team that was a little chippy. You guys were in the field, and one of the batters was going at it and it wasn’t a very respectful thing,” Westley recalled. “I remember you walking toward him with your hat with BM on it, and you said, ‘Hey, look at this. You know what the BM stands for? Big mouth. That’s you. Zip it.’ It was one of those moments that I’ll never forget. Thank you for the example and leadership that you’ve been for me.”
Ashmore was joined by his brothers Scott, Rex and Doug and his sister Christine, who sat behind him as he sat at the microphone to thank them and the community for their support over the last 41 years. He vowed to give 110% in his service to Kuna as he did in Centralia and said he will still visit Centralia from time to time.
“I will always be a part of this community. It’ll always be my home. Thank you for allowing me to do this for 41 years. Thank you for all the kind words. It’s truly been a blessing, and I’m so glad to have known all of you,” Ashmore said.
Here’s what city councilors and the superintendent of the Centralia School District had to say about Ashmore on Tuesday.
• “Thank you, Kim. You wouldn’t have been able to do this if it weren’t for your love that you have for Centralia and for our community.” —Councilor Adrianna Garibay
• “I moved here in 1994, and for 31 years, your name is everywhere. It’s remarkable the impact that you’ve made on this community.” — Councilor Norm Chapman
• “It’s not going to be the same without you. You just have so much heart, and everybody that is in your presence can feel that you truly care. Whenever I’ve had a concern or a constituent has, you’re right there and you want to help. You will be greatly missed.” — Councilor Sarah Althauser
• “If somebody ever asked me about who Kim Ashmore is, the only thing I would say is pretty simple. I’d say Kim is a light. He’s a light to our city. He’s always happy. He’s always listening. He’s generous. Thank you very much. You’ve taught me a lot. I’ll never forget you.” — Councilor Max Vogt
• “As a first-time reporter at The Chronicle back in 2010, one of the first people that I had to call up for anything to do with this city was you. You were always awesome to work with, even through difficult stories we had to report on. You were always the same level-headed person then that I know you as now, and the remarkable consistency over the years has been awesome.” — Deputy Mayor Chris Brewer
• “It’s a privilege to be here to honor Kim Ashmore, who truly shows and exemplifies what it means to be a Tiger by his service to our community and our district as a partner. When I talk to people about his service, what they mention over and over was the help. He’s the person you can call when you have a need, and he’ll help you take care of it.” — Centralia Superindent Dr. Lisa Grant
