The Lewis County 911 Communications Executive Board continues its mission to find an executive director for the newly independent countywide 911 call center.
During a meeting of the 911 Executive Board on Thursday, members rescinded a conditional offer for the position.
The executive board approved a motion to extend the conditional offer to the candidate, who was not named publicly, during a previous meeting roughly a week earlier. The offer was conditional pending a background check and vetting process through a third party organization.
The executive board met again Thursday to discuss the executive director position and immediately entered a 30-minute executive session after calling the meeting to order. After returning from the executive session, board members voted to suspend the hiring process of the original candidate.
Executive sessions in the state of Washington allow a governing body to discuss issues in private. It is unclear what led to the decision.
After confirming that a second candidate was still interested in the position, the board promptly moved forward with the new hiring process and voted to extend a conditional offer, once again pending a background check and vetting process.
While the name of the new potential candidate has not yet been revealed, Executive Board Director and Centralia Police Chief Andy Caldwell recused himself from any interviews or review process concerning the new candidate, citing the candidate's personal connection to the City of Centralia local government.
The executive board has had a seemingly tough time finding a suitable executive director for the new agency.
The current search marks at least the second time the executive board has gone through the interview and vetting process for a potential executive director candidate. A previous process ended without a suitable candidate when the executive board voted in August not to advance its only remaining candidate and start again with first round interviews.
The previous executive director of the 911 call center, Jennifer Libby-Jones, left the position in May 2025.
The executive board has made clear during previous meetings that they are looking for a new executive director to not only take on the role of running the 911 call center but also to shape the new Lewis County 911 Communications agency that has moved to establish independence from the Lewis County government.
