Grays Harbor County Chief Deputy Treasurer Shawn Hill has been selected as the County’s new treasurer by a 2-1 vote by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). District 3 Commissioner Vickie Raines cast the lone “no” vote.

Hill was one of three nominees put forth by the Grays Harbor Democrats after former County Treasurer Kenneth E. Albert stepped down on June 30. Albert was appointed in similar fashion in November 2016 and won election in 2017 and 2022.

“On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, I want to congratulate Mr. Hill and thank all of the nominees for their willingness to serve,” said Raines. “We also extend our appreciation to the Finance Panel and members of the public who supported this transparent process.”

According to a press release issued by the county, the County Treasurer holds a key position of public trust in the financial affairs of local government. The Treasurer is not only the custodian of all county funds but also acts as the “bank” for other units of local government including school districts, fire districts, water districts, and local improvement districts.

The Treasurer collects property taxes, special assessments, excise taxes, gambling taxes and miscellaneous receipts and provides receipts and accounts for all funds and deposits of revenue for the state, county and junior taxing districts. Management of cash flow of the county, investment of money, administering debt financing, as well as oversight of banking services are amongst the duties of the Treasurer.

In October 2024, the BOCC honored three staff members, including Hill, for a clean financial audit report from the Office of the Washington State Auditor.

“To recognize the exceptional efforts of the team that contributed to this success, the Board of County Commissioners presented the Grays Harbor Board of County Commissioners Leadership and Service Award to three outstanding employees: Budget Manager Andree Harland, Chief Deputy Auditor Ricardo Espinoza, and Chief Deputy Treasurer Shawn Hill,” the county stated in a news release.

Under Washington state law, the Democrats were required to recommend three qualified nominees to the Board of County Commissioners. The appointed Treasurer must be from the same political party as the departing official.

The three nominees, Hill, Susan Ancich and Mike Cooper, participated in a round of financial specific interviews on Monday and another round of interviews Tuesday afternoon as part of the BOCC’s regular meeting. Rob Bouffard, Grays Harbor County HR manager, served as moderator for the interviews.

The interviewees were asked about their experience that would qualify them for the County Treasurer role. Ancich discussed her 18 years of experience in banking and service on the Board of Equalization, Hill talked about his eight and a half years as deputy county treasurer and Cooper described his role as an Elma city councilor and mayor pro tem, chair of the Elma finance committee and additional municipal budget experience.

“I have so much experience now. I’ve seen the … workings of the office,” Hill said. “And I’d like to go to the next level and work with the treasurers around the state to help clarify how they would like to enter bills for changing things. It’s a really exciting position that I would love to be a part of.”

The candidates were asked a variety of questions about priorities, and office and employee management. After the interviews, the BOCC entered an executive session that was extended numerous times before emerging for a public vote. Hill was elected 2-1 with Raines casting the only “nay.”

Hill graduated from Grays Harbor College with an associate degree in 1997 and from Western Governor’s University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 2013. Hill’s wife Christine is one half of a vocal duo with now retired County Treasurer Ken Albert.