Herb Williams selected as Centralia’s new Mayor

Story and photos by Caden Cole

After being without a mayor for just over a week, the Centralia city council elected Herb Williams as interim mayor.  Williams took the open seat on Monday night after hearing public comments that were addressed to the board on the mayoral issue.  Before Williams took the seat he thanked the council and his wife of 53 years.

Williams stood before the council and the people of Centralia and spoke on bringing hope and positivity back into Centralia.  “We are second to none Centralia but we’re making ourselves second because of the negative things were putting out there. If I read it you read it, people in Mount Vernon, Salem, Chicago. Everywhere else reads it and I think everybody in here wants one thing, Centralia to be the best”

He said it is important to bring the city together through respect and fairness.

“We have to show some love in our town. We have so much negative the “he did this” or “they did that” or “he don’t care of this” and “they don’t care for that” We have got to come together as a whole-as a city. We come together as a city then we become one and maybe we get some other people to come together. We got a show that love. Love also comes through respect if you respect me and I respect you guess what? We’re going to love each other. We’re going to have that respect to get the love”

Williams spoke about bringing God back into Centralia, and all of those at the meeting joined hands as Williams invited Reverend Val Powe and all of the ministers in the building to pray over the city and the changes that are about to come.

“We just got through saying the pledge we put our hands on our hearts and said one nation…how?  One nation under God. Let’s bring God back to Centralia.”

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