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In analyzing the power structure that shapes flood policy decision-making in Lewis County, strong evidence indicates the existence of a local growth coalition as defined by Domhoff. A review of Lewis County government structure indicates which government officials are in a direct position to make decisions about flood policy. Analyzing the power structure of Lewis County and identifying the answers to Domhoff's indicator questions requires a close review of the community's growth coalition and an examination of how its members influence county government decision-making.
Decisions - or a conscious lack thereof - that affect land use and flood plain management are made on a regular basis as the county approves requests for land rezoning and grants permits for land use and development projects. While these decisions are made by government, they are influenced by private individuals as well as local interest groups. The divisions of government involved in local land use decisions are: Lewis County Board of Commissioners; Lewis County Planning Commission; and the mayors of the cities of Centralia and Chehalis. Lewis County also maintains a citizens' advisory committee that is designed to offer input on the development of the county's state-required comprehensive plan. Local interest groups that have an impact on land use decisions include the Lewis County Economic Development Council; the Chehalis Industrial Committee; and the Lewis County Master Builders Association. And at least two outside consulting firms - Pharos Corporation and Pacific International Engineering, both based in Edmonds, Wash., also have an interest in the flood issue, and their efforts to influence how Lewis County addresses flooding on the Chehalis River also have an effect on local land use policy decisions.
Several other groups may also wield influence over land use and flood plain management, including the local port districts; water conservation districts; and the Lewis County Board of Realtors. Because a review of local news reports made much less frequent reference to these groups, the researchers chose to exclude them from this study. It should be noted that there is some overlap in membership between the groups included in the study and those left out.
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Lewis County's legislative authority is the Board of Lewis County Commissioners, whose three elected members serve as chief administrators of county operations. At the time of this study, board members included chairman Richard Graham and board members Russ Wigley and Dennis Hadaller, the latter two serving their first terms in office at the time of this study.
Graham, the first commissioner in recent memory to have been reelected beyond one term, often served as the lead for county projects, including flood control. He is part owner of a construction firm that specializes in building roads and also provides trucking services. Some insight into Graham's perspective on government regulation as a whole can be found in a quote from him that is posted on the county's Web site. In the quote, Graham says the most demanding part of his job as commissioner is dealing with "ongoing changes, the feeling that things are not getting done due to legal, technical and environmental issues that literally tie your hands during the process. The constant changes affect the public sector as well as the interests and work of private industries." (Lewis County Web site, March 14, 1999)
Graham is very active in local organizations that are part of the Lewis County growth coalition. He currently serves as vice chair of the Lewis County Economic Development Council (EDC). He is also on the board of directors for the Chehalis Industrial Committee, a nonprofit economic development organization whose membership includes the joint owners of the Chehalis Industrial Park and other interested parties; and serves as the project manager for the Chehalis River Flood Hazard Reduction Project executive committee, in which capacity he acts as liaison with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Graham is also a member of the Chehalis River Basin Partnership, and participated as a member of the Flood Action Council when it was first organized following the 1996 flood.
Lewis County Planning Commission
The purpose of the planning commission is to make recommendations on county decisions related to land use in Lewis County. The commission's nine members are appointed by the Board of Lewis County Commissioners. At the time of this study, all nine planning commissioners were also active members of the local growth coalition. (See Appendix V.) Three of the men are well-known in the community as outspoken advocates of private property rights. The other commissioners include the county's interim community development director; a former logger and 30-plus year veteran of the planning commission, local well-driller Ed Moerke; and representatives from local businesses, including a title company and a firm located at the Chehalis Industrial Park.
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Centralia Mayor Robert Spahr, a former real estate agent, also serves as chair of the Chehalis River Basin Partnership. Both Spahr and Chehalis Mayor Jessie Brunswig, a former state representative, are active members of the Lewis County Economic Development Council.
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The Lewis County Comprehensive Plan Citizens' Committee was created by the Lewis County commissioners to satisfy a state requirement to solicit citizen input as county government develops its GMA-mandated comprehensive plan. The 11 members are appointed by the Lewis County Board of Commissioners and include the chair of the Lewis County Republican Party; a builder who is currently awaiting county approval for a large proposed housing development; the director of marketing for the Lewis County Economic Development Council; and other local business owners, including a tree farmer and a logger.
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Economic development councils, which are loosely coordinated through the state Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, can be found in all Washington counties. The stated goal of the Lewis County Economic Development Council, as reported on its Web site, is to promote the growth and diversification of the local economic environment in order to establish a permanent economic base consistent with the county's community character and capacity. The Lewis County Economic Development Council also aims to "...encourage job creation that enhances the environment and shows concern for natural surroundings." (Lewis County Economic Development Council Web site, March 19, 1999)
The nonprofit Economic Development Council has five staff members; five executive committee members; and 15 board members. Economic Development Council Executive Director William Lotto is also past president of the Thurston County Economic Development Council and is current president of the Washington Association of Economic Development Councils. Before joining the organization's staff, Lotto was vice president and general manager for a textile firm, the Professional Towel Company. (Lewis County Economic Development Council Web site, March 19, 1999) Lotto is also a member of the Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce, which represents the business interests of Chehalis and Centralia. Members of the Economic Development Council serve in county and city government; the government of the port districts of Centralia and Chehalis; the leadership of the Twin Cities Chamber of Commerce; the board of directors of Chehalis-based Security State Bank; and other area businesses and business interests such as real estate agencies, the PacifiCorp electric utility company and the local Providence Hospital. Centralia College, part of the Washington state community college system, is also a member of the Economic Development Council.
The Economic Development Council staff is actively involved in recruiting new businesses to Lewis County. Because concerns about flood risk, both real and perceived, can serve as a barrier to potential investment in the area, the EDC and its members have played a large role in local efforts to resolve the county's flooding problems. In fact, EDC members were the founding members of the Flood Action Council, the pro-growth group formed after the 1996 flood crisis to initiate a flood control project in Lewis County.
The Economic Development Council has also been indirectly involved in local land use and flood policy development. For example, the organization coordinated a letter-writing campaign in support of a proposed industrial site as well as to urge Lewis County government to minimize the passage of any new regulations aimed at growth management.
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This organization, whose membership includes home builders and related businesses, serves as an advocate for development and the protection of private property rights. Its five-member board of directors includes Lewis County Planning Corn-
missioner Ed Moerke, the local well driller who also serves on several other growth and flood control-related committees.
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The Chehalis Industrial Committee is a group of business and land owners and other interested individuals who have come together to support the further development of the Chehalis Industrial Park. The committee's membership parallels that of the Lewis County Economic Development Council.
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