Lewis County will have a packed race for a single seat on the Lewis County Board of Commissioners this summer as a fourth candidate has announced their campaign.
According to filing reports with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission, Toledo resident and business owner Kyle Wheeler filed a disclosure to run for Lewis County commissioner on Tuesday, March 31.
The disclosure shows no major contributions so far and clarifies that Wheeler will run as an independent for the Lewis County commissioner District 3 seat. District 3 covers the most rural parts of the county from Vader in the southwest to Packwood in the east.
After publication of this article, Wheeler officially announced his campaign on Facebook.
"Hi neighbors!" he wrote. "I am proud to announce my campaign as an Independent candidate for Lewis County Commissioner District 3. As a small business owner and community advocate, I hope to utilize my skills and passion for the betterment of the beautiful county we all call home. My platform has a particular focus on transparency, accountability, and compliance, reforming our animal welfare ecosystem, and supporting responsible growth."
Wheeler is an active business owner in the Toledo area, establishing his business, Toledo Cheese Depot, last year with his husband, Matt. As of February, Wheeler is also a member of the Toledo Planning Commission. He was appointed to the commission unanimously by the Toledo City Council with one councilor, Jillian Niles, abstaining.
Assuming Wheeler does decide to follow through on his financial disclosure and file for the ballot in May, he will be the fourth to join the race. There does not yet appear to be any publicly available campaign announcement from the candidate.
His financial disclosure appears the same week that Lewis County Democrats Chair and Ethel resident Zac Eckstein officially announced his own campaign for Lewis County Commissioner for District 3.
Eckstein filed his disclosure with the PDC on Friday, March 27, and officially declared his campaign early this week. For previous reporting on Eckstein’s campaign and platform, visit https://tinyurl.com/3w5actxn.
The two recent entrants to the race come after both incumbent Lewis County Commissioner Scott Brummer and Lewis County Public Utility District Commissioner Mike Hadaller filed disclosures with the commission more than two months ago in January.
Both Brummer and Hadaller are running for the seat as Republicans.
For previous reporting on the race by The Chronicle, visit https://tinyurl.com/4zysadrf.
To learn more about Wheeler, visit KyleForCommissioner.com.
