Centralia will soon fill its vacancy for Economic Development Director.
City Manager Galen Mahle has announced City Councilman Rob Jackson will fill the position beginning in mid-September.
“I would say the number one key feature of Rob Jackson in any role with the city of Centralia, whether it be his current role as council member or his upcoming role as economic development director, is his passion for the city of Centralia,” Mahle said. “He was born here, raised here, has lived here the vast majority of his life, and has been dedicated to the city in a lot of different functions, whether it be in volunteerism, on the City Council, with the Chamber of Commerce, or the Cultural Society.”
Mahle adds all of Jackson’s past employments have also been in positions where he had to work with people.
Jackson first expressed his interest in the job when Mahle was appointed city manager, but Mahle wanted to see if there were any other area candidates who had a background in economic development. Without finding any, Mahle felt it was important to fill the position.
“There are a lot of things happening in Centralia right now with new businesses, with businesses expanding and relocating within the community,” Mahle said. “The economic development director spot being vacant has been, I’d say, an issue, only because there hasn’t been one person that’s been able to singularly focus on assisting the business owners with all of those types of activities.”
Jackson must resign his city council post before he starts in his new position. The council will then have 60 days to appoint a replacement who will serve until the April 2027 election when candidates will run for a two-year unexpired term.
