Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, June 28, 2009

EVERETT PORT COMMISSION

Expand board for stability

 EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial has been corrected since its original publication to note that Everett Port Commissioner Connie Niva currently resides in a leased home inside the port district she represents.


The pending resignation of Connie Niva from the Everett Port Commission, combined with Commissioner Phil Bannan's decision not to seek re-election this year, will leave the three-member board uncomfortably short of experience next year. Michael Hoffmann, the only current commissioner who will remain, has only been in office a year and a half and is still learning the ropes.

The port's role as a regional economic catalyst is too complex and important for its governing board to be so vulnerable to sudden turnover. To ensure greater stability, it's time for the commission to expand to five members, each serving four-year terms. Currently, terms are six years long.

Port district voters, who would decide such a proposal, could do so as early as November if the current board votes by early August to put it on the ballot. Elections for the new positions would take place later, giving potential candidates plenty of time to consider running.

This year, voters will elect two new commissioners. Troy McClelland and Mark Olson are vying to replace Bannan. Niva's replacement, who will be picked by Bannan and Hoffmann if they can agree on one, will also have to stand for election this fall.

Niva is leaving with two years left on her term because she'll soon move into a condo she and her husband are purchasing just outside the district boundaries. She says she didn't realize the property wasn't inside the district when she put down a hefty, nonrefundable deposit. She has continued to reside inside her port district, currently in a leased house, so she remains eligible to serve.

Expanding the commission to five members isn't a new idea; it was rejected by the board a year ago. At that time, Niva was against it, but she says she's now open to the idea. We urge the commission to bring it up again and approve it before Niva departs at the end of July.

We've voiced support for this change before, and we're not doing so now because of any disagreement with recent commission decisions. The most controversial, a recent vote to dismantle the Collins Building, was the right call, in our view. Generally, we think the port is fulfilling its economic mission and fiduciary responsibilities well, and with considerably more transparency than in the past.

Staying on that positive track mustn't be taken for granted, however. Too much is at stake for a public entity that has such a critical economic mission, taxing authority and a $25 million budget. It needs stable oversight, and a three-member commission, we now see, doesn't ensure that.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA