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Chehalis City Council appoints Michael Barton to fill vacant Position 2 after candidate interviews
Summary
After a special Feb. 3 interview session and an executive session under state law, the Chehalis City Council appointed Michael Barton to the open Position 2. Councilors interviewed five applicants and discussed topics including homelessness, downtown vitality, annexation and permitting.
CHEHALIS, Wash. — The Chehalis City Council on Feb. 3 selected Michael Barton to fill the council's vacant Position 2 following a special meeting that included interviews with five applicants and an executive session under state law.
Councilors interviewed candidates in a public session before adjourning to executive session pursuant to the statutory citation recorded in the meeting as "RCW 42Dot30Dot1101H." After returning, the council took nominations and voted; Michael Barton was chosen to fill the seat. The council reminded candidates that, if appointed, the person must file for election in May and again in two years.
The interviews gave councilors and the public a look at several recurring concerns for the city. Many applicants raised homelessness and affordable housing as top issues. Pete Hammer, an applicant who said he has lived in Chehalis since 2011 and serves on the Historic Preservation Commission and as president of the Chehalis River Basin Land Trust, said the city should "partner with other organizations where that's their expertise" to address housing and related issues. Hammer also cited downtown parking as an "easy" problem to tackle.
Dolores "Dolly" Tardiff, who identified herself as a business owner and an Economic Alliance employee, told the council she had heard that the permitting process can be a barrier to housing and development and suggested more training or streamlined/fast-track permitting for smaller projects. Tardiff said she would recuse herself from votes where her employer had a direct financial interest.
Michael Barton, a U.S. Army veteran who recently moved to Chehalis, said public safety and resources for people experiencing homelessness were priorities. "Increasing funding for law enforcement and safety," he said during his interview, and he also discussed leveraging Chehalis's position on the I-5 corridor to attract businesses and visitors.
Other applicants raised growth and annexation, water supply concerns, and downtown vitality. One candidate said downtown "lacks a vitality" and welcomed recent planning efforts to bring new businesses and uses to the area. Another applicant with municipal communications experience flagged permitting and state regulation timing as factors that can affect affordable-housing projects.
After interviews and an executive session, the council took nominations for the vacancy created by the departure of former councilor Daryl Lund. A motion to nominate Dolores Tardiff was made and seconded; the clerk recorded two affirmative responses when the council called for ayes on that nomination. A subsequent nomination of Michael Barton was also seconded; the council recorded the affirmative votes and announced the selection of Michael Barton as the appointee to Position 2.
The council concluded by thanking all applicants and noting the filing requirement for the appointee. The meeting record shows the council conducted the appointment process at a special meeting on Feb. 3, 2025, and that the executive session cited state law as the basis for closed deliberations.
