Candidates address Grays River Grange

The candidates for Wahkiakum County Assessor, Wahkiakum County Sheriff, Mayor of Cathlamet, Wahkiakum County Clerk, and Naselle-Grays River Valley School Board District #4 were all on hand Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the Grays River Grange to discuss their platforms. Each candidate was given 15 minutes to present and answer questions. Topics ranging from budgets to transparency and clear communication were addressed among the candidates.

Running unopposed were two candidates: Natasha Crater for the School Board District #4 position, and Jess Reddon for the Wahkiakum County Clerk position. During her platform, Crater said, "I got on the board because I wanted to join the PTA and there was no PTA. I just wanted to know more about the place where my kids were going and about the people that were helping to raise my kids. They're there seven hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year, an hour on the bus. It's a significant amount of their lives...If the school is not thriving, the community is not going to be thriving."

Addressing her main objective, Reddon said, "I'm running to retain this position because I believe in the work that we're doing and the direction that we're headed. The clerk's office is often behind the scenes, but it's where fairness and accountability become real. This is how I approach the work; steady, practical, and focused on long-term work rather than short-term fixes. One of the largest projects I've begun working on this year is digitizing our court records and implementing an e-filing system. For decades, the Wahkiakum County Clerk's Office has relied on paper records carefully organized, meticulously maintained, but limited by time and space. Digitizing those records would be a big step forward. It protects decades of local history while making the court more accessible and efficient."

Though residents outside of Cathlamet will not factor into their election, voting wise, mayoral candidates Nicholas Sevald and Laurel Waller discussed their objectives as well. Referring to her current role as a member of Cathlamet Town Council, and, perhaps a way she could improve this connection as mayor, Waller said, "Each council person has their own passion about what they're doing. Somebody else might be with the museum, and somebody else might be with the library, the Pioneer Association, even though they're not part of the town, so we spread out and we bring back reports and say this is what they're talking about...That's a connection to the community and that all got severed because the mayor sent out letters to all of our counterparts - the county, PUD, the Chamber of Commerce, etc...Those relationships got severed in the early parts of 2024. We've actually gone a long time now without that connection between the town and who we work with. We got restricted from talking about certain things like the utilities with certain people. We were restricted from talking with the PUD. It was really a hard time, and we just waited and waited for information." Before Waller could elaborate more on elements involving the PUD operations agreement, her 15 minutes had lapsed, ceding the floor to Sevald.

Saying he "wants to set a new standard for leadership," and "to bring leadership that helps offer clarity, collaboration, and calm, especially when things are tough," Sevald said. "Effective leadership isn't loud, it's clear. It isn't reactive, it's responsive. It isn't about pointing fingers, it's about bringing people together. Cathlamet deserves a mayor and council that will work together for the benefit of the people, not just the will of a select few. I've been out canvassing and I've had the good fortune of learning from our community. There are amazing ideas out there that are worth exploring. There are people at work bringing more to Cathlamet every day, our unsung heroes. I want to keep hearing from all of them. I want the opportunity to tap into the wealth of knowledge we have right here at home."

With the floor then going to the candidates for Wahkiakum County Assessor, Drew Jenkins discussed his history with working with Wahkiakum County and his retirement a couple of years back. "There are a lot of rumors about my departure from the office, and I want to say that when I walked out the door, I had all of the pre-work done for the following year for the appraiser," said Jenkins. "There was nobody left at a lurch...The work was all prepared, printed, mapped, and ready to go for the following year. Once I retired, I found out very quickly that I didn't want to be at home. I had a lot of energy, so within just a couple of months, I accepted a job at Dollar General...I have been at Dollar General for the last two years. When this race came up last spring, I felt it was really good to have competition in races, and I felt that I was probably one of the only people in the county who was qualified for this job, so I went ahead and entered the race. For the past five or six months, I've run a campaign that is based on my training and experience and I believe I have built a solid reputation in this county over the last 10 years."

Jenkins' opponent for County Assessor, Justin Moriarty, listed his qualifications, including his "skill set in appraising." Recognizing the need for custom homes in rural locations, Moriarty, "out of the necessity to gain business," carved out a niche, becoming known for taking on assignments that other appraisers turned down. Speaking specifically to the position for which he is running, Moriarty said, "I realized the potential to make a greater impact was from within the assessor's office, so I decided to step up and serve the community from within that office. As your next assessor, I will assure fairness where your property is not overvalued. I will achieve that through data supported conclusions, which are publicly released. I am willing to thoroughly explain all aspects of this process in a manner that is understandable. An office led by me will be 100 percent transparent and accountable to you."

Finally, the candidates for Wahkiakum County Sheriff, Josh Grasseth and current Sheriff John Mason had their time on the floor. A big topic discussed by the two was budgeting. Going first, Grasseth said, "When deputies leave, we lose more than just man power, we lose institutional knowledge, community connection, and the trust that comes from having familiar, consistent faces serve our county. As sheriff, I'll work hard to improve retention by pursuing funding to increase wages and provide competitive benefits investing in an ongoing training and career development and developing a positive and professional work environment where deputies feel valued, respected, and supported."

Describing funding for personnel as "one of the biggest, heart-breaking factors of the finances," Mason said, even with funding for programs and gear, "none of that matters if you don't have boots on the ground." Discussing the issue with grant funding, Mason said, "To be running shorthanded is tough, but the grant funding that's available right now to assist in personnel just doesn't work for our county. It's coming through the state. It's part of a state bill that involves a grant from last year to this year. One of the requirements for that is that I have to disarm my reserves. I have five reserves that help out and they come in clutch for larger events like Bald Eagle Days where I have to shut down the traffic in town for the parade...It's one of our high volume nights for calls and services. Without those reserves, I wouldn't be able to support the services for that day and the Chamber of Commerce and Town wouldn't be able to afford to hire extra security at the rates they're going...This grant from the state would provide up to about three quarters of one position for maybe one or two years but that would be trading that three quarters of a person - which the county has to match - for all of my reserves. It's not doable."

The general election takes place Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Wahkiakum County Eagle has issued the first of three questions addressed to the County Assessor, County Sheriff, and Mayor of Cathlamet candidates. To see the candidates' responses, please see page 3.