Letter to Editor | Here’s why I would like to be your Port Commissioner

— from Matt Fikse —

My name is Matt Fikse and I’ve thrown my “hat in the ring” as a candidate to fill the open term on the Port of Orcas commission. Here is some background about the skills I hope to contribute to this important public service role.

My approach in a nutshell: It is vital to move forward together to strengthen the relationship between the Port and our Community, sustain operational excellence, and uphold the unique character of the Orcas Airport while we work together charting a course for the future: refining the Master Plan so it earns widespread community support.

A bit of background: I first flew in and camped out at the Orcas Airport in the mid 1990s and returned countless times after that. (Thirteen years ago, it was the very first spot that my future husband and I ever went camping together!) Over the years, Orcas Island quickly became our favorite place in the world. Now the island is our home. We live out past Doe Bay (with our two dogs Henry and Jake), and deeply appreciate the unique character of Orcas and our incredible friends and neighbors.

We are a family of longtime aviation enthusiasts (both of us are recreational private pilots) and, like others have noted, we have seen many airports elsewhere suffer from neglect and a lack of community. Orcas Island Airport is an exception because it is so deeply rooted in local life—and has been so for many decades. It is impressively cared-for, well-operated, and upholds high safety and operational standards. It is truly part of what makes Orcas unique. And like so many on the island, I feel a strong duty to help care for this amazing place.

Having followed the Master Plan process and the Port Commission for some time, I believe there are three important goals for the Port commission right now: 

• First, assuring the safety and operational excellence of the facility, 
• Second, building and sustaining strong, dynamic connectionsbetween the Port and the entire community, 
• Third, assuring that plans are solid, strategic, and flexibleto adjust to realities as we encounter them—while ALSO upholding the first two goals. 

There’s much important work ahead! 

The skills, expertise, and energy I can contribute to the Commission can help it achieve those goals and more. 

My life experience includes working in business, public service, and journalism. My work now focuses on consulting with clients on strategy and communications—helping them connect with stakeholders, sharpen relationships with other organizations, and become more strategically effective—especially in times of great change.

In business, I’ve worked with exceptionally large organizations and small businesses and am fluent in managing a “bottom line” and helping diverse global teams achieve their goals. In public service, my work for a city mayor included managing huge volumes of communications and service to constituents, developing effective public engagement activities, and leading citywide emergency management communications. 

Working as a journalist has helped me appreciate the importance of absolute transparency, precise and accurate record-keeping, and continuous, open communications. 

Working with non-profits and foundations has helped me understand the importance of nonstop outreach to all stakeholders—communication should truly never stop. 

In terms of aviation, I’ve served as a Marketing Director at the Museum of Flight (way back when) and as a board member of the National Gay Pilots Association and its scholarship granting educational foundation.

My personality includes a geeky curiosity: I love to dive in and learn complex new things, study, and digest lots of input and information, and especially hear and learn from people. As a Commissioner, I will always keep an “open channel” for anyone to share thoughts, ideas, and concerns at any time. (Feel free to contact me at: orcasislandmatt@gmail.com)!

Moving Forward Together on the Airport Master Plan

The Port of Orcas has a fresh Commission, new administrative support, and (fingers crossed) may have a new Airport Manager soon. That all builds a great foundation for moving forward.

Getting to an Airport Master Plan that meets technical objectives while also earning widespread public support is important and doable. Rather than bringing pre-conceived ideas to the table, I would aim to foster a range of questions and to explore creatively as possible.

For example:

• What does the current pandemic and travel-related economic crisis mean for air traffic projections and the airport forecasts? We might assume that general aviation may increase, but commercial aviation may decrease for some time. (Commercial operators are planning for a long recovery.) Is there a way to refresh the Master Plan’s growth projections to make them more precise given recent events? 
• Another question might be: How can we get a more definitive sense of what latitude exists in FAA-mandated components of the plan? While the FAA isn’t likely to entertain multiple major variances, some variances may be possible; and certain aspects may take FAA priority over others. The Airport Layout Plan (ALP) might be something to explore in this regard, or the forecasts driving the larger plan. Developing a broader, more open relationship with the FAA can help the Port enhance public support.  
• A third question to think creatively about involves resources. How might the recent CARES Act grant to the Port be deployed in a way that maximizes contingencies and strategic benefit to the Port, knowing that the current situation may impact some assumptions in the plan? 
• A fourth question to explore might be: How might the Port seek, synthesize, and incorporate ongoing community input and guidance to the plan, to earn maximum community support for it? 
• And lastly (for the moment): How might the Port actively compile a “roadmap” of the projected strategic needs of airport stakeholders and users, so we have a clear distillation of the objectives of the entire stakeholder community that can inform the plan, not just now, but on an ongoing basis? 

As mentioned, I don’t bring pre-defined answers to these questions, but do believe that working together and challenging ourselves to think fresh about refining and finishing the Master Plan is essential to its success. Creative shared thinking will be necessary to earn the full support of the entire community. 

It is my hope that this gives you a sense of who I am and what I might bring to this role in our community. The commission has strong choices to fill the open position and that is evidence of how much our community values the Port of Orcas.

My skills and work experience in public engagement, strategy and communications would be a valuable addition to the Commission in this work. It would be an honor to serve Orcas Island as a Port Commissioner.

Thank you for your consideration and please be in touch at any time.