Join Us in Celebrating the 2025 Hilander Hall of Fame Inductees. February 7, 2026. RSVP Free | Ashtown Brewery After-Party | Nominate 2026
Establish honest baselines and system controls before expanding participation
One-liner: Publicly list what our voting system can and can't prevent (fraud, disputes, identity verification).
Every system has limits. We document ours publicly so you know exactly what Hilander Democracy can and cannot guarantee.
Identity Verification: Your identity is verified through email and payment card. No biometric or government ID verification. A sophisticated actor could create multiple identities, but it would cost them money to do it.
Fraud Detection: Manual review by trustees. No automated systems. Fraud may not be detected until after votes are cast.
Vote Integrity: Standard database security. No blockchain verification. Vote integrity depends on system administrator honesty.
Dispute Resolution: Trustees resolve disputes by vote. No external arbitration. Enforcement depends on community cooperation.
One-liner: Every system change gets logged — no exceptions.
Any change to Hilander Democracy systems requires documented approval and permanent logging. No exceptions.
The website (hilanders.org/democracy), voting platform, payment processing, email systems, and any database storing votes, nominations, or member data.
Written description of the change. Trustee vote (6 of 9). Record of who voted and when. Documentation of what, why, who approved, when implemented, and who implemented.
All changes logged permanently. Log accessible to all trustees. Log entries cannot be deleted or modified.
Security emergencies (breach, critical vulnerability) can be addressed immediately. Document within 24 hours. Ratify by trustee vote within 7 days. If ratification fails, reverse the change.
Remove barriers so every Hilander can participate in democracy
One-liner: Accept cash, check, and Venmo through KPSF.
Not everyone is comfortable with online payments. Your grandparents who remember the legends we're honoring shouldn't be locked out because they don't have a credit card.
KPSF serves as the trusted intermediary. You pay KPSF via cash, check, or Venmo. KPSF records your payment and voter information. KPSF reports to HHoF. Your nomination or vote is processed with all others.
One-liner: Accept paper nominations and ballots.
Some community members aren't comfortable with online forms. Paper ballots ensure everyone can participate.
Submit paper nomination or ballot. KPSF receives and logs it. KPSF digitizes the information. Digitized submission included with all online submissions. Paper original retained for audit trail.
One-liner: One-time payment for lifetime voting rights.
One payment. Lifetime participation. For individuals, families, and organizations who want to commit to the Hall of Fame long-term.
| Tier | One-Time Payment | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | $50 | Lifetime voting rights for one person |
| Family | $250 | Lifetime voting rights for a family of five |
| Organization | $500 | Lifetime voting rights for a company or organization |
One-liner: Inductees get lifetime voting rights for free.
Every Heisman Trophy winner gets invited back to the ceremony and gets a vote for future winners. We're adopting the same model.
Lifetime right to nominate and vote at no cost. Lifetime invitations to all HHoF events. Continued voice in building the institution they helped establish.
Create escalation paths and protect fundamental rules
One-liner: Full board can override committee decisions (6 of 9 required).
If a committee rejects something with significant community support, there's now an escalation path.
One-liner: Changing core rules (thresholds, trustee structure, eligibility) requires 6 of 9 trustees and 30-day wait.
Changes to fundamental governance parameters require enhanced approval and a cooling-off period.
Quorum requirements. Voting thresholds. Trustee structure (number, terms, selection). Voting eligibility. This process itself.
Proposal Phase: Written description. Rationale. Impact assessment.
Initial Vote: Requires 6 of 9 trustees.
Ratification Period: 30 days. Any trustee may call for reconsideration.
Final Ratification: After 30 days with no successful reconsideration, change takes effect.
No emergency exception. Even in crisis, fundamental parameters cannot be changed without 6 of 9 and 30-day ratification.
One-liner: When 5+ rule changes happen at once, we call a public convention with notice and discussion period.
When five or more constitutional-level changes are proposed simultaneously, trustees call a formal constitutional convention rather than voting piecemeal.
Conventions happen post-season, after the induction ceremony. The cool-off period allows reflection before voting on structural changes.
Enable community participation in governance decisions
One-liner: When trustees deadlock, community breaks the tie.
Season 1 showed trustees can reach consensus. But as we grow and face complex choices, we need a safety valve. Rather than deadlock stopping progress, the community can break ties.
When trustees cannot achieve required consensus after full deliberation (minimum 3 business days), any trustee may initiate community escalation. The community vote is binding.
Eligible Voters: Advisory Board members. Hall of Fame inductees (all categories). Qualified nominees. Verified nominators. Verified voters from current or previous seasons.
Community votes require simple majority (51%). Voting period is 5 business days. One vote per eligible member. Trustees provide neutral explanation of the deadlocked decision. Result is final and binding.
Minimum 48-hour trustee deliberation before escalation. Any 3 trustees can block frivolous attempts. Maximum 4 escalations per season. Emergency decisions exempt. Written rationale required.
One-liner: Create rules for community members to register, vote when trustees deadlock, and override trustee rejections.
This formally ratifies a complete constitutional framework for community participation. 18 amendments across 4 sections.
Establishes who can participate and how we verify identity.
Defines the relationship between trustee decisions and community voice.
Sets practical rules for how community voting works.
Expand who we honor and recognize those who came before us
One-liner: Let us honor organizations (fire departments, service clubs), not just individuals.
It also allows era-specific recognition: Kelso Fire Department 2015-2020 or Kelso Kiwanis 1970-1985, for example. Currently, the Community Hero category only recognizes individuals. But some of Kelso's greatest contributions come from organizations that have served for generations.
Organizations become eligible for Community Hero recognition. Fire departments, service clubs, community organizations, and other groups that have made lasting contributions to Kelso can now be nominated and inducted.
Same nomination process as individuals. Same voting thresholds. Same induction ceremony. The organization designates a representative to accept the honor, but the recognition belongs to the organization as a whole.
The Kelso Fire Department has served this community since 1889. The Lions Club, Rotary, and other service organizations have contributed for decades. They deserve the same recognition as individual heroes.
Create a recognition pathway within existing categories for individuals who achieved excellence while overcoming significant physical, cognitive, or adaptive challenges.
Chris Belville transferred to Coweeman Junior High from the Christian school system. He lived in Winlock. He had Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a service dog named Shadow—a beautiful golden retriever.
In other school systems, they might not have given Chris a choice. They would have separated him. Put him in a special track. Decided for him.
Kelso gave Chris a choice. He chose the main track.
John Janke became his mentor. John has cerebral palsy. He understood what Chris was fighting for—not accommodation, but recognition. Chris was pretty damn smart. He knew sports inside and out. His dad Tom was a high school quarterback. Chris helped Chris McCoy understand material well enough to test well during the DECA campaign year. The fan became the tutor.
"He was my fan. I was his friend."
At graduation, Chris McCoy gave Belville a photo of the two of them. His parents—Tom and Carol—still have it.
Shadow changed Belville's life because the dog gave people a reason to come talk to him.
Chris Belville was accepted to UW's Do-It program for challenged scholars. He passed away Winter Quarter 2004 while attending UW. Duchenne muscular dystrophy took him. He was 21.
A recognition pathway within existing categories—a tributary feeding into the same river.
Excellence comes in many forms. Some people achieve it while carrying burdens most of us will never understand. This lane ensures their achievements aren't overlooked simply because their path looked different. It's not separate recognition—it's recognition of a different kind of excellence within the same Hall of Fame.
One-liner: Create a Cowlitz Indian Tribe section — they control their own nominations.
Kelso was built on Tiahanakshih. That's the Cowlitz name for the village that stood here for thousands of years before Peter Crawford platted the town in 1884.
In 1855, the U.S. government offered the Cowlitz a treaty that would have forced them onto the Quinault Reservation with traditional enemies. The Cowlitz refused to sign. They stayed on their land. They were promised a reservation of their own. The promise was broken.
The Cowlitz waited 145 years. Federal recognition finally came in 2000.
Today, the Cowlitz Indian Tribe headquarters is in Longview. Not across the state. Next door to Kelso. They're still our neighbors.
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Historical Section: A dedicated section within the Hilander Hall of Fame honoring Cowlitz heroes, leaders, and community builders.
Up to 2 inductees per year selected by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe using the same democratic process as Hilander Democracy. Same math. Same thresholds. Same transparency.
Tribe-led nominations and voting: The Cowlitz nominate and vote on their own heroes. They control their own vote entirely. Or they can let the Kelso community vote alongside them. Their choice.
Joint induction ceremony: Cowlitz inductees are honored alongside Hilander inductees at the annual ceremony. Two communities. One celebration.
The Cowlitz don't need our money. What they can't buy is recognition from the town that was built on their village. That's what we can give.
This isn't about guilt or reparations. It's about neighbors recognizing neighbors. It's about completing 145 years of unfinished business.
This proposal authorizes trustees to formally approach the Cowlitz Indian Tribe leadership to discuss partnership. Final terms subject to negotiation and tribe approval. Any formal agreement returns to trustees for ratification.
Authorize the Hall of Fame to sponsor restoration of the "K" monument above Kelso, designating a project lead and advisory group support.
The "K" sits on the hill above Kelso—a concrete monument to generations of Hilanders. It started as wood in the early days, erected and maintained by Kelso High School's cross-country team. Today, the K needs restoration. The concrete has weathered. The monument that symbolized permanence now needs care.
Pioneered by Joe Stewart and supported by the KHS cross-country team, local businesses, and community volunteers, the K represented what Kelso stood for: hard work, permanence, community pride.
This proposal only authorizes the Hall of Fame to sponsor and promote the restoration. It does NOT commit Hall of Fame funds. Any financial support requires a separate trustee vote. The project lead manages fundraising specifically for this project. Advisory Board supports with expertise, connections, and community outreach. Project lead builds restoration team from community volunteers. Hall of Fame promotes the project through existing communication channels. Funding through donations specifically designated for K restoration (separate from KPSF scholarship funds)
Every Hilander who played sports, ran cross-country, or looked up at that hill knows what the K means. It's not just school pride—it's community identity. Joe Stewart made it permanent because he knew symbols matter.
Now it's our turn to maintain what he built. The Hall of Fame exists to honor Kelso's legends. Joe Stewart was one. The K is his monument—and ours.
14 proposals. 18 constitutional articles. Five phases that build on each other.
Phase 1 (Foundation): 2 proposals establishing transparency and system controls.
Phase 2 (Access): 4 proposals removing barriers to participation.
Phase 3 (Checks): 3 proposals creating escalation paths and protecting fundamental rules.
Phase 4 (Community): 2 proposals enabling community voice in governance.
Phase 5 (Symbiosis): 3 proposals expanding who we honor and recognizing those who came before.
All proposals require 6 of 9 trustees. This is a constitutional convention.
