Lewis County commissioners are seeking applicants to fill a Winlock City Council seat. Now residents are asking why the people of Winlock are not directly choosing their next council member.
Questions are rising in Winlock after the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners announced it is seeking a volunteer to serve on the Winlock City Council.
Winlock has a mayor. Winlock has residents. Winlock has voters. Winlock has people who live inside the city limits and pay attention to what happens at City Hall.
So why are county commissioners in Chehalis now involved in choosing who sits on the Winlock City Council?
Why are residents not getting a direct chance to elect a council member right now? Why did the process reach the point where the county is stepping in? And why does it feel like the public is being told what will happen after the process has already moved forward?
City council seats normally belong to the residents of the city — not the county.
In most U.S. cities, city council seats are chosen by the residents of that city through local elections. The county government generally does not select who serves on a city council.
Washington law does allow a county legislative authority to step in under certain vacancy circumstances. Under RCW 42.12.070, if the local governing body fails to appoint a qualified person within the required time, the county legislative authority may make the appointment.
That may explain the legal pathway. It does not answer the public’s political question: Why did Winlock reach that point?
Council members are normally elected by city voters to represent the people, pass ordinances, vote on budgets, and shape local policy.
When a seat becomes vacant, the remaining council members are generally expected to appoint a qualified replacement within the legal timeline.
If the city fails to fill the vacancy within the required period, county commissioners may appoint someone so government can continue functioning.
“From the Board of Lewis County Commissioners: The Lewis County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is seeking a volunteer to serve on Winlock City Council.”
The county notice states that the City Council is the legislative branch of Winlock’s government and includes five elected officials responsible for adopting ordinances, budgets, resolutions, and city policies.
The notice also says individuals who live within Winlock’s city limits and are interested in volunteering for the at-large City Council position are encouraged to submit an application.
Lewis County says the appointment process helps keep the city council functioning when there is no elected councilor available.
But Winlock residents still deserve answers. If the people are expected to accept an appointed council member, then they deserve to know why the city process reached the point where county commissioners are now involved.
The appointment may follow a legal process. But is it transparent? Is it what residents want? Is it local control — or county control?
The mayor was elected by the people of Winlock. So why is the city allowing the council appointment process to move into the hands of Lewis County commissioners?
That is the question residents have a right to ask.
Ongoing controversies in Winlock continue to reflect tension between city government, residents, and property owners. Concerns about transparency, political integrity, public accountability, and legal compliance have not gone away.
Now, with Lewis County commissioners preparing to appoint someone to the Winlock City Council, those concerns are growing louder.
Where is the people’s voice? Where is the election process? Where is the explanation from City Hall? Where is the public accountability?
Winlock residents deserve more than silence. They deserve answers.