By Owen Sexton / owen@chronline.com
In Lewis County’s upcoming Aug. 1 primary election, four candidates are looking to finish in the top to advance to November’s general election for Centralia City Council position No. 2, at-large.
The candidates are Anthony Ahrens, Joyce Barnes, Leah Daarud and incumbent candidate Kelly Smith Johnston.
The Chronicle spoke to all four candidates this week to discuss their motivations for pursuing public office, their qualifications, what sets them apart from their opponents and what they hope to accomplish if elected to a four-year term.
Anthony Ahrens
The only one of the four candidates without prior experience on city council, Ahrens has still been involved in the local political scene for the past seven years helping other candidates with their campaigns.
Those candidates include Richard DeBolt, Max Vogt, Edna Fund, Peter Abbarno and Jaime Herrera Beutler.
“I just want to get involved to improve Centralia and want to better my family’s own chances both economically and socially, and see Centralia grow,” Ahrens said.
As a construction worker, Ahrens lacks the time to fully devote to campaigning, but if he makes it out of the primary, he will be out talking to voters. He is currently part of the construction crews repaving U.S. Highway 12 east of Mossyrock.
His main motivation for entering the race is he feels the working class is currently underrepresented.
“That’s unfortunate because the working class is a wide demographic that’s not receiving its adequate say in the political process,” said Ahrens. “Centralia’s budget reflects that as well. There’s not a lot of money in that budget for public works and I want to see that change.”
Another important issue for him is the affordable housing crisis. Ahrens said he believes it’s not necessarily a lack of housing creating the crisis, but many people have simply been priced out of the market.
“I think there are zoning issues that could also be addressed,” Ahrens said.
He said what sets him apart from his opponents is bringing a strong set of family values and work ethic to the race. His family has been supportive in his endeavor so far.
“I am not afraid to address hard issues, and I’m not afraid to stick up for working class families. I know these other candidates are well-versed and experienced, and I do appreciate their time, effort and energy they put into the City of Centralia,” Ahrens said. “But if you vote for me, you’re going to see a man of the people and not someone who caters to selected aspects of society.”
Fighting for the working class and supporting schools, both the Centralia School District and Centralia College, are the main challenges he hopes to take on if elected to the council.
Ahrens is currently 42 years old.
Joyce Barnes
If elected to the council, this will be Barnes’ third stint serving as a Centralia city councilor. She served on the council for six years during the 1990s and most recently served a term starting in 2016 before deciding not to run again.
Barnes was originally trying to get some of her friends to run against the incumbent, Kelly Smith Johnston, but when none of them filed, Barnes jumped in the race.
“About 15 minutes before the end of filing, I went and signed up. I’ve certainly got the experience and have been serving Centralia ever since I moved here,” Barnes said.
Aside from her prior experience on the council, she served on Centralia’s planning commission and fire advisory board and volunteered her time to run the Veterans Memorial Pearl Street Pool.
The Pearl Street Pool was another motivating factor for her entering the race.
She previously offered to personally pay for a ballot measure to give voters the choice of whether to fund reopening the pool. The council originally voted to create the ballot measure, but then reversed its decision when the Centralia School District levy failed, believing voters would not support any measure raising taxes right now.
“(Smith Johnston) talked them into rescinding it, and that’s not right. Her statement was, ‘we were elected to serve and make decisions and so we did,’ and now the pool is getting torn up,” Barnes said.
While she knows she can’t bring the pool back, she wants voters to be better represented on the council and hopes to do so if elected.
Her experience is the main reason she thinks voters should support her.
“The other things are my commitment to the city and then, of course, I’ve got the time,” Barnes said.
Currently 89 years old, Barnes is the oldest candidate in the field, but doesn’t think voters should be concerned about her age.
“If I’m sworn in, I’m going to be 90, but I’m sharp, confident and know what’s going on,” said Barnes. “People have asked me, ‘are you going to serve the full term?’ And I’ve said, ‘if God lets me keep breathing, I will.’”
Leah Daarud
Having recently resigned earlier this year due to family issues, Daarud joined the race to get back on the council. As a mother of three, her motivation for running is to help her community grow and prosper while facilitating growth wisely, she said.
Aside from her experience on the council, Daarud has also worked for the state government on housing and the Lewis County government.
“Understanding community development — not just from a planning perspective, but understanding the inner workings of communities, especially with Centralia which has been historically economically distressed — is important to be able to serve a community,” Daarud said.
Growth currently happening in Centralia is another factor driving her to get on the council. Metro areas are seeing a mass exodus of residents who are moving to smaller communities such as Centralia for a small-town feeling, Daarud said.
“I want to be an advocate and a voice for the people in our community. I know there’s a lot of concern about what Centralia will look like in the future, but no matter what, it’s growing,” said Daarud. “If there’s a possibility to have a voice at the table, I want to do it.”
As for what sets her apart from her opponents, she believes her experience with county and state government gives her a better understanding of how Centralia needs to grow.
“I am able to speak for all in Centralia and I don’t fall victim to the loud minority, and I know that sounds bad, but from my experience on the council I think I have a voice for all Centralians,” Daarud said.
If elected, she hopes to be able to facilitate better cohesion among those serving beside her on the council.
“I believe the seven councilors should work together for the betterment of the community, and my experience has not been that, it’s been very divisive at the dais,” said Daarud.
Whatever issue is being discussed, she hopes to facilitate actionable steps to solve problems. This especially applies to the homelessness and affordable housing crises.
“There are solutions being implemented all over the state that we could do too, we need to focus on actionable outcomes as far as addressing homelessness and housing,” Daarud said.
Daarud is currently 37 years old.
Kelly Smith Johnston
The incumbent councilor and current mayor of Centralia, Smith Johnston was motivated to run to keep her position because she believes the city is currently at an inflection point.
Current economic conditions are precarious in her opinion, and there are many projects which, depending on how they are handled, could either hurt or help Centralia’s growth in the long run.
“The city council has a very strong role in determining which path we choose as we head into the future, and I’m really committed to the path of vitality to the community,” Smith Johnston said. “There’s a lot of things we’ve set in motion that I want to continue.”
Aside from her service on the council already, Smith Johnston believes her other qualifications are her networking and listening skills.
“I do my homework. I talk to a lot of people and keep an open mind about what’s happening. I’ve been in this community for a couple decades now and have a graduate degree in organizational development,” said Smith Johnston.
She studied business and psychology at Central Washington University while getting her graduate degree.
Aside from her time on the council, Smith Johnston runs her own consulting firm, which provides a variety of services for local government candidates and elected officials on the West Coast.
“I’m a democracy nerd. I love democracy. It’s why my practice is focused on government, I believe in local government,” Smith Johnston said.
If reelected, she hopes to continue facilitating economic growth in the city, improving housing and creating partnerships with other local municipalities to do collaborative work.
“We’re also working on the issues of crime. There are several things in motion that are going to improve that, but they’re not going to happen overnight, and they need some stability in relationships, people and vision to keep going forward,” said Smith Johnston.
She hopes to facilitate the city’s response to the Blake decision, which will require rewriting of the city’s code focusing on drug possession.
“It’s going to push it to the municipal level, so we’ll have it in the municipal courts, so we need to be ready for that,” Smith Johnston said.
While she may not be the mayor if reelected, as the council chooses the mayor after every election, she still hopes to remain on the council nonetheless.
Smith Johnston is currently 52 years old.
