PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend Executive Director Larry Crockett expects to take some time for himself after his June 1 retirement.
“I gave my first 20 years to my parents as a good son who never got into trouble,” he said.
“The next 30 were spent serving my country and the next 17 serving my community, so I’m ready for some ‘me’ time.”
Crockett announced his retirement at a meeting of the Port of Port Townsend commissioners Jan. 13, taking an action he has talked about for several years, according to Deputy Port Director Jim Pivarnik.
Port commissioners will most likely begin discussing the replacement process at a Feb. 10 workshop meeting, according to Pivarnik, as commission president Pete Henke will be in Hawaii until the end of January.
“We haven’t talked about this yet,” Henke said from Hawaii. “We knew that he was going to move on, so we are prepared for this.”
Henke and Pivarnik said it would be possible to name an interim director to allow time for the search, a position that Pivarnik said he would most likely accept if asked.
“The commission may need more time to work this out,” Pivarnik said, adding that he wasn’t angling for the top spot.
“The community may want change which I would not provide as I would run the port similar to Larry.”
Pivarnik said the search might be competitive as at least five port director positions are now open in Washington.
The candidates could include someone with little or no port experience, Pivarnik said, as “these positions tend to be filled by ex-military or lawyers.”
Crockett joined the U.S. Army in 1969 and worked his way up to the rank of full colonel before retiring in 1999.
“When you are in the military and getting shot at, you put everything else in perspective,” Crockett said.
“As tough as local government is, nobody dies.”
Crockett used many of the same skills in the Army and the port position.
“When you are an officer in the military, your job is to protect the organization,” he said.
“You need to stay vigilant against the forces that may become a threat.”
One difference between the Army and the port is the rate of progress.
“In local government the pace is so slow that it creates a system of ‘no,’ ” he said.
“There are so many rules about building in the water that you may as well change the Constitution.”
Crockett said the Army has a valid reputation as a bureaucracy “but moves at light speed when compared to the government.”
Crockett said he was ready to retire at the end of 2013, but the newly elected Henke asked him to stay on until Henke learned his way around the job.
That one year became two, and Crockett made the decision to retire while on a cross-country trip in October.
In 2015, commissioner Steve Tucker was re-elected resulting in what Crockett calls “a stable commission,” but added that he would have retired if Tucker’s challenger Diana Talley was elected to the board.
April Fools Day is a special day for Crockett.
He proposed to his wife and was commissioned as an officer on that day, and began at the port April 1, 1999.
He thought of retiring on April Fools Day this year, but found the extra two months would increase his retirement.
Crockett now earns $126,000 per year, one of the highest paid public officials but “one of the lowest paid port directors,” he said.
Henke said the commissioners might hire a person with less experience for less money and “bring in someone younger who can grow with the job.”
He would rather not use a search firm, he said.
Tucker said Crockett has done more than most executive directors as he has passion for what he does.
“The port has a unique set of regulations that is unlike any other city or county agency,” Tucker said.
“I’ve been to a lot of meetings with other ports, and Larry is revered as someone who knows how to get things done.”
The third commissioner, Brad Clinefelter, was not available for comment Friday.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
