To many in the community, Centralia’s newest councilor is a familiar face.
Joyce Barnes was sworn into the position 1 at-large seat during the council meeting on Monday by Centralia City Clerk Deena Bilodeau.
Barnes defeated incumbent Bart Ricks, who was appointed last year. In the November election Barnes took in just under 58 percent of the vote with 1,399 votes to Ricks’s 1,014.
Before her most recent foray, Barnes served as a councilor through the 80s and 90s.
After a four-year hiatus, she ran for city council again in 2003 but lost. She had also served for several years on the Centralia Planning Commission. She’s also been active in a number of boards and committees, including time on the Centralia Fire Advisory Board, the Downtown Revitalization Board, the Centralia-Chehalis Airport Board and the Salvation Army Board.
She was heavily involved in keeping the Pearl Street Pool operational for nearly 25 years, which includes a chairwomanship of the Pearl Street Pool Foundation.
