Jonathan Meyer is interviewed at the courthouse in Chehalis tonight after election numbers gave him what appears to be a big win in the prosecutor's race
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Supporters for Jonathan Meyer were gleeful when the election numbers were read tonight giving the challenger for Lewis County prosecutor just over 66 percent of the votes.
The Centralia defense attorney said he’s got work to do, to start getting ready for a new role.
“I’m just humbled by all the support,” Meyer said. “I think people thought there were issues with the prosecutors office. We’ve got cases to get ready for and that’s what we’re going to do.”
With ballots counted from more than half the registered voters in Lewis County, the numbers show its a “done deal” with Meyer beating Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden, according to longtime Lewis County Auditor Gary Zandell.
The preliminary results give Meyer 13,393 votes and Golden 6,815.
It’s a reversal of four years ago when initial tallies in the race for prosecutor gave Golden an overwhelming lead with almost 64 percent over attorney Don Blair.
Meyer, 39, began practicing law in 1996 at what is now McConnell, Meyer and Associates. He raised more than $32,000 during his campaign, compared with about $21,000 Golden was able to raise.
The Republican was accompanied by his wife Michelle and daughters, Payton and Emily at the historic Lewis County Courthouse in Chehalis tonight.
Golden wasn’t there and didn’t return phone calls for comment to his home and cell phone.
Meyer said he will begin transitioning on Thursday.
For existing clients, if that means getting them another attorney if their case is not finished by January, that’s what he’ll do, he said.
As for clients he has represented, whose cases are still pending in court: “We’ll have a conflict wall in place where I won’t have anything to do with their cases,” he said tonight.
“If they need to be handled by an outside prosecutor, we’ll do that,” he said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter