Trial of former Lewis County PUD commissioner to begin next week
The trial of Michael Jay Kelly, the former Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) commissioner accused of attempted bribery, is scheduled to begin next week.
A pre-trial conference and jury orientation is currently set for Monday, June 8. Kelly is represented by defense attorney Ryan English.
The former PUD commissioner faces one count each of bribery, a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines, and requesting unlawful compensation, a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.
Kelly has been out of custody since posting $10,000 in bail on Nov. 29, 2024. He was arrested on Nov. 27, 2024.
Kelly pleaded not guilty to both counts during a preliminary appearance and arraignment on Dec. 2, 2024, and again pleaded not guilty to an amended information on Thursday.
Kelly is accused of attempting to bribe PUD General Manager David Plotz into creating a position for him at the PUD. In exchange, Kelly allegedly promised to convince the other commissioners to raise Plotz's salary by 8%.
After speaking with police, Plotz engaged in a judicially-authorized recorded call with Kelly on Nov. 14, 2024.
"During the call, Kelly requested Plotz create an employment position for him at the PUD (and) in trade Kelly would make sure Plotz got the requested 8% pay raise," the Lewis County Prosecutor's Office said in its probable cause affidavit. "Kelly said he could persuade the other commissioners to agree to the raise and not to worry about it."
While on the call, Plotz repeated the phrase Kelly had allegedly uttered during their initial meeting on Nov. 7: "I'll take care of you, you take care of me."
According to the affidavit, Kelly agreed to the proposition.
A subsequent judicially-authorized recorded call, this time between Kelly and Lewis County resident Lynnette Hoffman, editor of the Lewis County News publication in Winlock, further implicated Kelly, as detailed in the affidavit.
Kelly was elected to the PUD Board of Commissioners District 1 seat in 2020 and began in January 2021.
His position was vacated in March 2025 after he failed to attend PUD Board of Commissioners meetings for 60 days.
PUD commissioners Mike Hadaller and Dave Fenn appointed Dave Muller to the vacant position on May 6, 2025.
Voters will determine who holds the seat in the November general election, as three candidates have filed in the race: Steve Grega, Ben Kostick and Jeff Baine. The top two candidates in the August primary will move on to the general election.
For previous Chronicle coverage on the Kelly case, visit https://tinyurl.com/4thtu4b6.
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