Dead Man May Become New Fire Commissioner in Lewis County, WA

Tom Crowson, a longtime firefighter and former fire commissioner who died in July, leads his opponent by 31 votes.

By Jacob Farmer

Source The Chronicle, Centralia, Wash. (TNS)

Nov. 7, 2025

2 min read

Nov. 5—A dead man may become Napavine's newest fire commissioner.

Tom Crowson, who died on July 27 at the age of 73, leads Rick LeBoeuf by 31 votes in the race for Commissioner Position 2 at Lewis County Fire District 5.

Write-in candidates have received 21 votes thus far.

Crowson, a longtime firefighter who served as District 5 commissioner from 2015 to 2021, finished first in the primary race on Aug. 5, earning 713 votes to LeBoeuf's 275.

Incumbent commissioner Sam Patrick finished third in the primary with 172 votes.

The Lewis County Auditor's Office estimates that 1,204 ballots still need to be counted before general election results are finalized. The question is how many of those apply to District 5.

The next count was scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday. See updates at chronline.com.

According to Deputy Auditor Tom Stanton, if Crowson wins, the situation is treated as if a commissioner were to resign.

That means the other two commissioners would have to appoint someone to fill the vacancy, which wouldn't become official until January when elected officials typically assume office.

If the fire commissioners were somehow unable to reach a decision, the Lewis County commissioners would step in to make an appointment, Stanton said.

If all else fails, the decision goes to the governor's office.

Napavine Fire is now facing two potential vacancies to its leadership posts. Former Fire Chief Jonathan Beck was let go "without cause" on Oct. 9. He was the third chief to be fired since June 2023.

Gregg Peterson is currently serving as interim chief.