EVERETT — The last election for the Port of Everett commission two years ago was something of a free-for-all.
Port commissioner Connie Niva stepped down after moving a few blocks outside her district, and five people stepped up in the general election to finish out the final two years o
f her term. There was no primary.
Consultant Mark Wolken was the victor in the nonpartisan race, helped with $46,000 in election contributions that he used for two big political mailings and — for the first time in a Snohomish County port race — television ads.
He’s running again this year for re-election to a full, six-year term for the commission’s Position 2. Tom Stiger, a former port commissioner, ran for the seat two years and is running again.
In addition to serving a term on the commission, Stiger said he also worked on the waterfront as a young man and later as a commercial fisher, saying he has an understanding of a port’s role in the community and the economy.
He said the port’s marine terminals provide it with more than half its revenue and the largest amount of its employment. “We need to make it a priority to expand those operations,” he said.
Stiger said he generally likes a recent report from an ad hoc planning committee on development of the port’s marina district. It calls for a variety of uses from commercial businesses to public amenities.
But Stiger said he’s concerned that the port tore down many of the buildings in the area that served industrial and commercial businesses. “It’s time to stop planning and start building,” he said.
Wolken also said he’s focused on trying to use the port to improve the area’s economy.
He said the committee’s report was helpful in giving the port commission “a tighter target to focus on.”
He said the economy plays a key role on what the port will do with its waterfront property.
“We have no idea what the economy is going to look like in the next three, five and 10 years,” he said, noting he’s glad the port’s previous development partner didn’t start building the 660 waterfront condominiums before the recession hit.
It will take a while for the economy to improve enough for any housing to be built in the area, he said. But he said the port can continue to remove pollutants from the property and to promote businesses that will better serve the marina.
“That will set the stage for us to be much more selective and to find something that will sustain itself and be much better for the community,” Wolken said.
Whatever is decided, Wolken said he wants things there that will attract families to the waterfront, such as public markets, a fish market and some sort of activity.
“We need to make sure it’s the kind of space we can use year-round,” Wolken said.
Wolken noted that he worked in economic develop for the City of Everett for many years before moving to consulting with businesses.
“I think I have the background and the skills to provide reasoned policy direction that is beneficial,” he said.
He said he believes the port’s biggest opportunity is in growing its niche in bulk shipping — moving cargo that doesn’t use a container.
“We’ll never be competing with Seattle and Tacoma, but there are things we can do better than they can,” he said.
Its biggest challenge, he added, will be cleaning up industrial pollution near its terminals that will have to be dealt with before any expansion.
He hopes that a containment wall loaded with fill as the base for a bigger terminal will solve the problem.
Dealing with the problem may not be easy, but Stiger said the port’s focus should be on terminal expansion.
“A lot of the focus has been on (developing) the north marina, but we need to refocus on the shipping terminals,” he said, adding the community’s deepwater port is a tremendous asset, as is the strong working relationship with the area’s longshoremen.
Stiger said that during the campaign, it’s clear to him that the economy and jobs are the most important things on people’s minds.
He said taxes are also important, and he’d like to gradually lower the property taxes charged by the port until they are eliminated.
“I don’t know why the port can’t be self-sufficient,” he said.
He also would like to see the port offer residents of the district a better deal on boat moorage to fill some of the vacancies and to give taxpayers a break.
“We need to do some creative things to get the marina filled up again,” he said.
During his first port election in 2009, Wolken raised $46,030 from unions, businesses and a number of individuals in Everett. He spent $41,641.22. This year, he’s raised $13,941 so far and spent $3,537, according to filings with the state Public Disclosure Commission.
He said he hadn’t decided yet whether to buy time on television again.
Stiger didn’t file any reports with the state on his contributions or expenditures in 2009, which prompted James Krider of Everett, a former Snohomish County prosecutor, to file a formal complaint earlier this month that is now under investigation by the commission.
Krider said that Stiger’s newspaper advertising alone in the 2009 race exceeded the maximum amount of expenditures for nondisclosure.
Stiger said that he filed information about this year’s contributions on Monday showing that he had received $1,695 so far and spent $7,001.42, contributing $5,316 himself.
Everett Port Commission, Position 2
Mark Wolken
Age: 54
Residence: Everett
Occupation: Consultant
Priorities: Increase cargo handling, help the economy
Tom Stiger
Age: 73
Residence: Everett
Occupation: Family carpet business
Priorities: Expand shipping terminals and jobs
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