Experience    Integrity     Responsibility     Accountability

 

                    

 

Elect Steve Ferrell

Cowlitz County Commissioner

District 2 (R)

 

Maintain Infrastructure

Protect Private Property Rights

Foster a Climate of Safety, Prosperity, and Growth

 

 

My name is Steve Ferrell, and I'm proud to call Cowlitz County my home. I was born here, and I've lived here my entire life. I attended school in Longview, Toutle Lake, and Castle Rock. I had a paper route and I swept floors, stocked shelves, and packed lumber for our family business, Ferrell Lumber Company. My roots give me a deep understanding of the challenges we face in our community.

 

I worked at Longview Fibre for 36 years. I was hired in 1973 as a laborer, I moved into the mechanics, and became a Journeyman Electrician. In 1993, I was promoted to an Electrical / Instrumentation Supervisory position. The mill went through some restructuring and we went down to five supervisors, then to three, then down to two. I was one of the remaining two. My co-worker and I were responsible for the entire mill. I served in that capacity until I retired in 2008.

 

I was active in the union. In 1990, over 1500 AWPPW Local 153 hourly employees elected me as the chairman of their bargaining board. My co-workers knew me, they knew me well, and I was truly honored to represent them and their interests. When those who know you believe in you enough to ask you to represent them, to me, there’s no higher honor.

 

I helped write the Longview Fibre Company’s emergency evacuation and mill shutdown plan in the mid-1990s. 

 

I served as a PUD Commissioner from 1983 - 1988. You may remember the WPPSS (Whoops) nuclear power plant debacle. It became one of the largest municipal bond defaults in U.S. history. As the county chair of the local coalition, I led the charge against the exorbitant overruns and abuses of our local PUD customers. A year later, in 1982, I was recruited and elected as a PUD Commissioner. We built coalitions, and we stopped the runaway projects. Our efforts saved PUD ratepayers billions of dollars. We oversaw a 100-million-dollar yearly budget.

 

My active participation at the County Commissioner meetings over the last three years has given me a solid understanding of the county’s budgeting process and the current and complicated issues that I will have to address for our community.

 

Please vote for me, Steve Ferrell, I will work collaboratively and diligently to solve problems while watching your tax dollars to ensure they are spent thoughtfully, wisely, and responsibly.

 

 

General Election: November 5, 2024

Elect Steve Ferrell 

Cowlitz County Commissioner

District 2 (R)