Port Commission
Under Title 53 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW),
the powers of the port district are directly vested in its board
of commissioners. Like a city council, the port commission
is the district's policy making and regulatory body.
Commissioners are responsible for making decisions concerning
discretionary policies and operations of the district in both
internal and external matters. Port commissions are independent
of the cities and counties in which they are located. Examples
of commission responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
-
adoption
of harbor improvement plans
-
establishing
employment policies and work positions
-
real
property management, purchases and sales
-
constructing
and maintaining facilities and equipment
-
establishing
rates, charges and regulations applicable to facility users
-
adopting
periodic and supplemental budgets
-
levying
taxes
-
borrowing
funds when necessary
District
1: Stephen R. Tucker
Current
Term: January 2012 - December 31, 2015
Steve
Tucker is a retired business
owner and an avid boater and fisherman.
Steve
grew up outside of Boise, Idaho where he earned a Bachelor
of Science degree in Biology at Boise State University. Shortly
afterward he and his wife, Cathy, moved out west, ending up
in Port Townsend in 1981. Unemployment was even higher than
it is now. There were no jobs in his field but they fell in
love with Port Townsend and vowed to stay. Steve got a job
at Thomas Texaco pumping gas and doing mechanical jobs. He
later got on at Crown Zellerbach working in the bag plant.
From there he moved into the Lab where, for several years,
he performed lab duties and environmental testing and monitoring
for what is now Port Townsend Paper Corporation. Wanting to
work for himself, he left and took over the Texaco service
station that had enabled him to locate here. After outgrowing
that facility, he and Cathy built Auto Works which they operated
together until they sold it in 2004.
Over
the years, through the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Power
Squadron, Steve has taught many courses in boating safety,
maintenance, navigation and electronics. He has served on
Port-related committees including the A/B Dock rebuild committee,
the Strategic Planning Committee and he was the "Boat
Ramp Guy".
District
2: David H. Thompson
Current
Term: January 2010 - December 31, 2013
1st
Term: January 2006 - December 31, 2010
Dave Thompson is a shipwright, a
caulker and a marine surveyor. His business, Charlie Noble Enterprises,
is a leaseholder in the Port's boatyard.
Thompson was born and raised in Spokane
where he spent 3 summers during high school fighting forest
fires in WA, MT and ID for the Department of the Interior. After
a tour of military service in the Far East he pursued additional
education at several west coast colleges and universities. He
also worked as a pulmonary therapist; in an insurance accounting
office; and in real estate sales.
He arrived in Port Townsend by boat
in 1974 and took permanent moorage as a liveaboard. He was employed
by the Port hauling boats, pumping gas and cleaning restrooms.
He then worked at Port Townsend Boatworks repairing wooden boats,
and in 1982, with 7 others, founded Port Townsend Shipwrights
Co-op. Upon leaving the Co-op he worked on military and private
projects in Miami and San Diego, and worked a planking contract
on the Lady Washington in Aberdeen.
Thompson recently chaired an advisory
committee for a student boat building project at Chimacum High
School and teaches the occasional caulking class at the Northwest School for Wooden Boat Building in Port
Hadlock. He did a caulking demonstration at the first PT Wooden
Boat Festival in the 1970s, and for the next 30 years was an
annual presenter.
District
3: Leif W. Erickson
Current
Term: January 2010 - December 31, 2013
Leif
Erickson is a consultant
and project manager with his company, The Leif Erickson
Co.
Erickson
was raised in Bellevue, served in the Marines, and came
to Jefferson County in the mid-1990s on a marine trades
career trajectory that has included work at Kvichak Marine
Industries in Seattle as a mechanical manager, Delta Marine
Industries in Seattle as an owner's representative, Falcon
Marine in Port Townsend as an engineering department manager,
Admiral Marine in Port Townsend and Port Angeles as a mechanic,
and for over a decade at Townsend Bay Marine in Port Townsend
as the production manager.
At
Townsend Bay Marine, Erickson managed the workflow of jobs
and helped develop budgets and project plans. He was also
involved in outside sales.
In 2005/06, Erickson took a leadership
role in forming the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association,
an advocacy organization for the local industry. He helped develop
the by-laws, served as the board secretary, and held the position
of vice president when he resigned due to potential conflict
of interest after being elected to the Port Commission.
His District 3 residence is in Mats
Mats, near Port Ludlow.
Regularly scheduled meetings of the Port Commission include:
-
the
second Wednesday of each month at 1:00
p.m. in the new Commission Building, 333 Benedict Street,
Port Townsend, WA, and the fourth Wednesday of
each month at 6:30 p.m. in the same location
-
public
workshops called on an as needed basis
You can
find public notice of special meetings and workshops, meeting
locations, and time changes at either the Peninsula
Daily News, The Leader or on this website.
