— from Gregory and Heather Oaksen —
The Washington State Legislature established the Port District Act in 1911 creating public port districts.The Port of Seattle became the first autonomous municipal corporation in the nation and since then over 75 public port districts have been created by Washington state voters.
The mission of a port district is to sustain and enhance economic and environmental health of the port district. The Port of Coupeville has embraced this broad interpretation of it’s mission. Greenbank Farm was created by the Port of Coupeville, Island County and the Nature Conservancy in 1997. Greenbank Farm includes wetlands, trails, shops, a cafe, and artist galleries.
Mia Kartiganer is the only candidate for port commissioner that has campaigned on a broader economic role for our port district. Thus far the port has seen its mission as expanding and improving the airport without considering the potential of a broader role. Mia has suggested exploring options to sustain and enhance the economy and environmental health of Orcas Island through sustainable development under the auspices of the port.
Mia has the innovative vision of a true leader to use the port as a positive catalyst to sustain and enhance our community. Please elect Mia as port commissioner.
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Well said, and I agree. Not much is said about a Port’s mission and if people aren’t educated about it, they would not even know that it’s much broader than we have been led to believe. Thank you. Ports have ultimate power – over all other forms of government. We want responsible stewards who see the whole big picture and will work for it.
“Ports have ultimate power – over all other forms of government.” This is scary… vote!
While the Ports in Washington have broad powers, such as quoted by the authors of the letter, our former Commissioners and manager consistently and somewhat wildly overstated them. They most certainly don’t have “ultimate” power.
Peg; from what I’ve seen locally, nationally, and globally, Ports DO have ultimate power and they use it. It is the Ports that ultimately push through fossil fuel exports, to name just one thing. The achieve this by buying up (or taking through eminent domain) real estate around them.
The sole mission of Ports is economic development. Fossil fuel export seems to be one of the preferred ways for Seaside ports to make a lot of profit, sway government officials, and hire the lawyers to back them up. Wise citizens pay close attention to their Ports because Ports have a lot of federal monies and clout behind them. Many communities have lamented the fact that rampant growth by their ports has ruined their cities and towns, not to mention their ecosystems.
The current administration has slated billions of dollars to expand small to mid-sized airports through the AIP program (the Ports take grant monies, and then must dance to the puppetmasters.) Ports’ and airports’ land-use and airports’ FAR Ratio overlays “trump” anything that would protect ecosystems or high density residents and businesses under or near the flight paths.