Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council invites local union members to an elections town hall

May 8-The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council is beginning its endorsement process for candidates for county and local offices in the region, and it wants union members in Thurston, Lewis and Mason counties to be part of the process, according to a news release.

A local elections town hall will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 23, at the Davis-Williams Building, 906 Columbia St. SW, Olympia.

The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council (TLM CLC) engages in a democratic endorsement process: candidates seeking labor's endorsement are interviewed by the labor council's political action committee (PAC), then delegates to the council vote on who the local labor movement will endorse in the coming election, the news release stated.

The Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council wants the process to be as transparent as possible, so it's taking the extra step of inviting members of the unions affiliated with the labor council to join and ask the candidates their own questions, according to the release.

Candidates seeking labor's endorsement for the 2026 election must fill out and return a Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council endorsement questionnaire by no later than May 12.

Candidates should contact Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council PAC Chair Isaac Wagnitz at pac@tlmlabor.org to get an overview of the process and receive their questionnaire. Candidates who have not filled out their questionnaire by the deadline will not be able to participate in the elections town hall.

The town hall is only open to members of Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council-affiliated unions. Union members interested in attending should check with their leadership to see if their local is affiliated, according to the release.

While questions from union members are encouraged at this event, only credentialed Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council delegates will be allowed to vote in the final endorsements.

For more information, visit https://www.tlmlabor.org or contact Wagnitz at pac@tlmlabor.org or Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council President Rachelle Martin at president@tlmlabor.org or 360-261-2090.

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