By Dee Anne Finken, Communications Portfolio Director, LWV of Washington
On Washington’s southwest coast, with world-class bird-watching, great razor clamming and the stunning Quinault Rainforest nearby, Grays Harbor County offers visitors a bevy of natural treasures.
In the early 1900s, the region was considered the West Coast’s lumber capital. But as logging declined, Grays Harbor became better known for its tourism and commercial fishing.
Aberdeen, the area’s most populous city, gained 1990s fame as the birthplace of Kurt Cobain, lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana whose“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a global hit.
Now, Grays Harbor has another identity: The board of directors of the League of Women Voters of Washington in late June approved its formation as the state’s 20th and newest League local. Its formal recognition by the national League is expected any day.
Thirty-five members — many more than the minimum eight members that League bylaws require to become a local--were on hand the evening of June 17 for the group’s organizing meeting at the Hoquiam Timberland Library.
There, Hoquiam resident Lisa Chappell is president of the new local League, which for now, will be a unit at large. Vice president is Cynthia Winder and secretary is Kat Bryant.
As state board First Vice President Nancy Halvorson explained, a unit at large is one of two types of local Leagues. A stand-alone local is responsible for its own bylaws, corporate filing and treasurer accounts, for instance, while a unit at large relies on the state for some of those administrative duties. “The idea behind a unit at large is to make it easier for a League to form,” she said.
That same evening, also as bylaws require, members reviewed and agreed to abide by the state League’s nonpartisan and diversity, equity and inclusion policies, added Halvorson.
Halvorson’s role shepherding the new local into being has given her a front-row seat on what’s happening in the organization. Describing Grays Harbor County members as spirited and ready to work, she added, “They’ve very enthusiastic and educated and involved. They know the issues in Grays Harbor, and they are very active in the community.”
Among those new members are two city council members and a former deputy county auditor. A former editor of the local newspaper, The Daily World, also has expressed interest in moderating an upcoming candidate forum and college officials have indicated a willingness to partner on the forums.
Halvorson was impressed by the speed at which the Grays Harbor local came together.
In late March, Chappell was attending a No Kings Rally in downtown Aberdeen when she met Dale Larson, a former Grays Harbor College faculty member. Larson, who taught English and philosophy, was voicing his concerns about threats to the democracy.
In short order, Larson connected Chappell with others at the rally and from there was born the plan to establish a local League.
Chappell, a former social work provider,immediately got to work. “In 58 days, I lived, breathed and slept the League,” she said.
She reached out to everyone she knew to drum up interest.
“I attended every meeting and community gathering that I could. I told everyone I spoke with about LWV and I invited them to our event and handed out flyers,” she said. “I attended the Home and Garden Show at the county fairgrounds and shared the news with everyone there. It was exciting because many people told me that they had already heard about the meeting, and one woman showed me that she even already had the meeting on her calendar!”
In late May, slightly less than two months after the No Kings rally, the group held its first meeting. Fifty people attended.
Before night’s end, determined not to lose the momentum, attendees had set a date for a subsequent meeting. Then came the organizing meeting, where the elections were conducted.
“Lisa is a driving force,” said Halvorson, whose praise for Chappell is endless. “She is so effective at communication and people just want to help and want to help her.”
Voting rights and voter participation rank high among the issues facing the75,000 people who make their homes in Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Montesano, Ocean Shores, Westport and surrounding areas.
“Oh, my gosh. We have an incredibly low voter turnout in our county,” Chappell said. Referring to statistics from the Washington Secretary of State’s Office, she noted that Grays Harbor had the fourth lowest turnout of the 39 counties in the November 2025 general election. Grays Harbor only bested Franklin, Yakima and Grant counties.
Environmental issues are on the list of concerns, too, heightened by proposals to build a data center and a wood pellet factory. And with Grays Harbor featuring a bounty of bodies of water, local members are concerned about the health and well-being of shorelines, too.
A local League in Grays Harbor is not entirely a new development.In previous years, a small local League served the community. Chappell served as secretary and then co-president.
“It was a very small group of us, back in 2011-2012. We were small, but all of us got candidate forums going and voter registration and guest speakers,” she said.
The group disbanded in 2017 or so, said Judy Davis, a former Washington state League board member who moved to Aberdeen a few years ago after retiring.
Some blame a downward turn in the economy for the group’s folding. But Davis, having been active in Leagues in eight states and a former member of the national board for six years, said the disbanding could just have been part of evolution.
“Sometimes Leagues die and then they are reborn.”
From all indications, the new Grays Harbor local League is looking at a long and prosperous future.
