LONGVIEW — The Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office voided the appointment of three nonelected county Board of Health members Thursday because the recruitment process did not follow state law, confirmed board member and Cowlitz County Commissioner Dennis Weber Friday morning.
Chairman Kelly Lane was reappointed to the board and two new members, Bill Youngren and Lorna Stuart, were appointed to replace Lindy Campbell and Mary Jane Melink, respectively, at the board’s Tuesday meeting.
Lane said the board did not advertise that it was accepting applications for the positions. However, Washington state administrative code says that the board must “actively recruit” applicants and provide advance public notice when applications open for a nonelected position. It also requires that the board interviews the applicants, but Melink said she was not involved in any interviews and does not know when or if they occurred.
Lack of advertisement
The lack of advertisement had an affect on the applicant pool. When the positions were first added to the board following a change in state law in 2022, the board received 17 applicants and interviewed six. This time, Lane, Youngren and Stuart were the only applicants.
