Lewis County Chief Deputy Coroner Chelsie Niemcziek says she is ready to lead the office

Chelsie Niemcziek first volunteered at Sticklin-Brown Funeral Chapel at the age of 14.

She was fascinated with the work from a young age,

Now, roughly 14 years later - she will turn 29 later this year - Niemcziek believes she has the experience and the passion to become the elected Lewis County coroner.

"This has been something that has grown into more than a decade of service for families navigating loss and uncertainty," Niemcziek said.

Niemcziek is the current Lewis County chief deputy coroner, serving as one of the lead administrators of the office operating under Lewis County Coroner Warren McLeod, a Republican who is seeking re-election. The two are joined in the race by candidate Jessica Stickley who, like Niemcziek, is running as an independent.

The top two finishers in the Aug. 4 primary election will move on to the general election in November.

The coroner's race in past years has often featured a single, unopposed candidate.

For her part, Niemcziek finds herself in the unique position of competing in a three-way race for the office of coroner against her current boss.

She maintains that she respects McLeod "quite a lot," adding "I wouldn't be here without him."

For Niemcziek, it's not personal. She said she and McLeod have always agreed to leave politics out of the office, anyway.

Niemcziek in many ways represents continuity with the current coroner's office. As chief deputy coroner, she is the highest non-elected official in the office and works in the administration.

Niemcziek emphasizes that she believes her office should remain outside of politics as they respond to scenes dealing with people of all political backgrounds. Last month, she received an endorsement from the Lewis County Democrats.

"Although I am running as an independent candidate, I am proud to announce that I have been endorsed by the Lewis County Democrats," the independent candidate wrote on social media in announcing the endorsement. "They took the time to listen to my experience and background, ask thoughtful questions, and learn more about my visions for the future. I am grateful for the support and confidence they have placed in me. My priorities remain the same for everyone in Lewis County: compassion for all, accuracy in every investigation, respect for every individual, experience you can trust, and a commitment to service."

Her run for coroner, she said, is more about her belief that she is ready to lead the office coupled with a desire for some outside changes. She added that with the way the office currently operates in adherence to the many state laws and standards of the jobs, there is not room for major changes.

While she thinks the coroner's office does a decent job communicating, Niemcziek believes there is room for improvement. She would like for the office to be more proactive in its communication with other county departments and local law enforcement agencies and look for places where the coroner's office could make things easier for its partners.

She would also like to emphasize more public outreach by the office to improve communication, help residents understand what the office does and overcome any potential discomfort.

"I would like to open communication with the public more, and other county leadership, about exactly what we do, what we can tell people, what we can't say, and just more making ourselves more available for the community," Niemcziek said.

Niemcziek pushed back against the idea of "if it's not broke don't fix it," emphasizing her desire to make the office as efficient as possible in communication and investigation.

As far as qualifications for the job, Niemcziek insists she has already seen and worked in all parts of her field despite her age.

Starting with her volunteering at Sticklin-Brown Funeral Chapel, Niemcziek eventually began working full time at Newell-Hoerlings Mortuary in downtown Centralia and Fir Lawn Funeral Chapel in Longview before returning to Sticklin-Brown Funeral Chapel full time.

She recalls first connecting with the coroner's office during her time at Sticklin-Brown. At the time, the county did not have a transport team and instead relied on a contract with the funeral home.

In 2018, Niemcziek joined the coroner's office first as a part-time reserve deputy coroner. Within about a year, she would come to the coroner's office full time as an official Lewis County Coroner's Office deputy. She said, at that time, she already knew she would like to be coroner one day.

In the coroner's office, she has worked as a trainer for new reserve deputies, a transport specialist and an autopsy technician assisting a medical examiner, all before eventually being promoted to chief deputy in April 2025.

"Going through every rank of the coroner's office, the funeral home, autopsy technician, and now being the current chief deputy coroner," she said, "I think I have all the knowledge and background to lead with that."

Perhaps the root of her push for the coroner's office is to be more connected with the community. Niemcziek is involved with programs outside of the coroner's office such as Cribs for Kids, which donates free cribs to families that may not be able to afford them in order to avoid co-sleeping deaths.

She has given presentations at local driving schools, most recently Aloha Driving Schools, teaching about the deadly impacts of driving distracted and under the influence. She has also presented to local high school and college students about the responsibilities of the Lewis County Coroner's Office.

Niemcziek will host her first meet-and-greet event in downtown Centralia on Saturday, July 11, at Dawn's Delectables, beginning at 8 a.m.

For more information about Niemcziek visit https://www.facebook.com/ChelsieForCoroner/ to view the Facebook page dedicated to her campaign.

Look for coverage of the McLeod and Stickley campaigns in an upcoming edition of The Chronicle.

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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 11:19 AM.