PORT ANGELES — The two Port of Port Angeles commissioners voted during Tuesday’s regular meeting to change the day and time of regular meetings and to add regularly scheduled work meetings.
Beginning Monday, Feb. 22, the port will conduct work sessions at 9 a.m., with regular meetings at 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Mondays of each month.
Commissioners Connie Beauvais and Colleen McAleer on Jan. 12 began publicly discussing a change of meeting dates, initially considering Fridays.
Former Commissioner Jim Hallett was opposed to changing the meetings dates.
He announced his resignation Jan. 26, citing the ethics of his fellow commissioners on the three-person board. His resignation was effective Feb. 1
Hallett said Beauvais and McAleer had met with each other privately prior to the Jan. 12 meeting to discuss changing meeting days and electing McAleer as commission president in place of Hallett, who previously had held the position. McAleer was elected president Jan. 12.
Because Beauvais was officially sworn in Jan. 12, any discussions she had with McAleer previous to that time would not constitute a quorum, Beauvais has said, and not be illegal.
Beauvais has said the work sessions will be used to discuss pertinent issues facing the port and to formulate plans that can be voted on during regular meetings.
Having regularly scheduled work sessions frees the commission to take up new topic items not identified on the meeting agenda — something prohibited by the Open Public Meetings Act during special meetings, said Karen Goschen, the port’s interim executive director.
A special meeting is any meeting that is not a regular meeting. Had the port not fixed a day and time for work sessions, each work session would have been considered a special meeting.
The notice requirements for regular work sessions are easy, Goschen said, because all that needs to be done to stay in compliance with state law is to publish such notices on the port’s website no less than 24 hours in advance of the meeting start time.
Every other week?
Before voting, McAleer discussed hosting the work sessions and meetings on alternating weeks so that only one meeting would be required four days a month instead of two meetings twice a month.
Beauvais said she preferred to keep the meetings on the same days twice monthly.
Citing a need for “flexibility,” McAleer conceded and eventually voted for work sessions and meetings to be held on the same days.
Before the beginning of the meeting, Hallett, 60, of Port Angeles was recognized for his public service.
Hallett represented District 2, the central part of the county.
“At the end of the day, if you can step back and reflect that you’ve tried your best to do something for the common good . . . I think we are all going to be fine,” he said during the recognition.
Hallett resigned after serving four years of his six-year term.
Search for successor
The two sitting port commissioners have laid out the process for appointing a replacement for him.
During a special meeting Friday afternoon, Beauvais and McAleer directed staff to begin the process of accepting applications from registered voters in District 2 interested in succeeding Hallett.
Applications, available online at http://tinyurl.com/PortCommissionerApp, are due to the port by 9 a.m. Feb. 22.
Candidates are expected to want to be in the position for the long haul, completing the two years left on Hallett’s current term and giving a verbal commitment to run for office during the next election cycle in 2017, the two remaining commissioners said.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
