Commissioner Vickie Raines gets community send off

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026

Grays Harbor County Commissioner Vickie Raines received a standing-room-only community send-off upon her retirement from elected public service during an event at the county administration building on Tuesday.

A packed house including family, friends, coworkers, elected and public officials, and representatives from Raines’ new employers gathered to share stories and anecdotes from Raines’ 26 years as an elected public servant.

Grays Harbor County Executive Assistant Rose O’Keefe read a prepared statement on behalf of county staff, Sheriff Darrin Wallace read and presented a letter of commendation, and Raines’ close friend and former campaign manager Kellie Daniels recalled several highlights from their friendship and collaborations over the years. The microphone was then passed to anyone who wished to speak about Raines, her accomplishments and relationships.

“Over the past decade as County Commissioner, and more than 26 years in public service, you have helped shape not just the decisions of the county, but the structure that supports those decisions. Your focus on long-term planning, from the comprehensive plan to the capital facilities plan, parks plan and strategic plan, has helped lay a foundation that will guide the county well into the future,” O’Keefe’s statement read in part.

Raines says she was quite moved by the outpouring of love and respect from those in attendance.

“It was extremely moving for me, emotionally moving, and I was extremely humbled and a little bit overwhelmed. I kept telling my family, I go, ‘I don’t know how many people are going to show up. There may not be anybody here.’ And so it was fun to have so many people come,” Raines said. “At one point they were, we were full in the chambers and then there were people out in the vestibule and trying to work their way in. It was just very humbling and extremely thoughtful, and it really touched my heart.

“I was really touched by what the sheriff said [and] by the Public Services Division and Road Division, the comments that they made to me, maybe not openly in the meeting, but came up to me and said how much they appreciated me and that I was a voice of reason for them, that I would listen to all sides of things and make the decision that was best for the county and our communities.”

In late December, Raines announced she would not seek a fourth term as District 3 Commissioner, and in mid-February announced her resignation from the Board of County Commissioners effective March 31, and her new role as CEO of Community Integrated Health Services.

“I am very excited to take on the leadership role of CEO and work with an entity that provides behavioral health services to our five-county region,” Raines said upon announcing the role.

“Of my new position, I have established a five-person executive team. I would be the sixth. And four of those five were present [Tuesday], came up and met my family. One of them spoke in the audience,” Raines added.

Raines was elected as the first woman Cosmopolis City Councilor and Mayor, respectively, and served on the Council for three years, as Mayor for 12, and as County Commissioner for the last 11. She also served on numerous boards including 911 and Transit, and was the Chehalis Basin Flood Authority chair for nearly 15 years, and most recently was instrumental in the formation of the Ocean City Drainage District and the creation of a strategic plan for Grays Harbor County.

“The last year and a half has been challenging at the county, and it was just time for me to move on. I’d already decided I wasn’t going to run and so when this new position came up, I had a different opportunity,” Raines said. “I’m ending a little earlier than I had planned, but I also think that this is the right time to leave. There are a few things that I’m leaving undone, but I’m confident that people will warrior through and get those things completed and for that, I’m very grateful.”

Upon learning of Raines’ impending resignation in February, retired editor and publisher of The Daily World, John C. Hughes, wrote: “… the bad news that County Commissioner Vickie Raines is resigning, effective March 31, was offset by the announcement a day later that she will become the chief executive officer of Community Integrated Health Services, a behavioral health agency that serves five Southwest Washington counties. In her 26 years of public service, from the Cosmopolis Council to the Courthouse, Raines has had a front row seat to gauge the devastating impact of mill closures and timber harvest cutbacks.

“There’s not enough room today to enumerate all of Vickie Raines’ achievements as a Mayor and County Commissioner. They reach way beyond her Third District, including sewage treatment and drainage projects; common-sense land-use planning; criminal justice and economic development initiatives; her tireless work as chair of the Chehalis River Basin Flood Authority and her diplomatic skills championing the crucial North Shore Levee flood control project …”

Raines summed up the afternoon this way, ”It was just a really good day. I can walk away knowing that I made a difference in a small way.”