PORT TOWNSEND — Port of Port Townsend commissioners expect to select one of three finalists to be the next executive director Monday.
The person who is selected will replace Larry Crockett, 68, who is retiring June 1 after 17 years as port executive director.
The meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. at 333 Benedict St.
Commissioners interviewed the three finalists for 2½ hours before about 40 people Friday, then held a one-hour executive session.
They decided to get more input before making a final selection.
“We want to give the public a chance to comment,” said chair Pete Henke after the executive session.
“There were a lot of different interests here, and we want an idea about what people felt.”
The three finalists, Greg Englin, Sam Gibboney and Josh Peters, were winnowed down from a field of 19 applicants.
Henke said he hoped the selection would be unanimous.
Gibboney, 54, currently the director of environmental resources/deputy director of public works for San Juan County, worked as a political consultant in Port Townsend for several years.
Peters, 46, currently employed by the state Department of Natural Resources in Chimacum, previously worked for the Jefferson County community development and public works departments as well as the King County Department of Transportation.
Englin, 53, lives in Bainbridge Island and most recently worked for the Seattle branch of the Icelandic company Marel as a vice president.
He worked previously for 13 years at the Port of Seattle, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The interviews were conducted by a panel consisting of Quilcene activist Linda Herzog, former Port Townsend Mayor David King, rigger Gordon Nielson, engineer Bill Putney and Teresa Verraes, Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce executive director.
Questions, answers
Each panelist asked two questions, covering such topics as economic development, infrastructure, environmental matters and partnerships.
“The first thing we need to do is to take stock of what we have now, which is really quite incredible,” Peters said.
“The boatyard and the shipyard supports over 400 jobs, and our main concern is to make sure that boatyard is thriving.”
Peters said the port can’t support economic development on its own.
“We need to develop partnerships,” he said.
“This will maximize the value of public assets and continue to create opportunities.”
Gibboney said poor infrastructure means that “the county has fallen.”
“Economic development isn’t about attracting everybody,” she said.
“We need to invest in community infrastructure that is compatible with what we already have and give people the information they need to make good business decisions.”
Englin said the port faces extreme economic challenges.
“Funding gets pulled out from under you, whether it’s from a [Tim] Eyman initiative or a loss in sales tax revenue,” he said.
“All these changes are going to require compromise on the part of everybody here, who will need to champion going forward.”
Other changes
The executive director position is not the only high-level management change at the port: Last month, Deputy Director Jim Pivarnik left to become executive director at the Port of Kingston.
This indicates a new direction for the port, according to Bertram Levy of Port Townsend.
“These candidates are all outstanding,” Levy said.
“It’s a new beginning for the port with the replacement of the whole administrative level,” he said.
“Previously, it’s been a top-down management without responsiveness to the needs of the stakeholder.”
Levy has been critical of port management but now says he “will be 100 percent behind” whoever is chosen.
The public was not allowed to directly question the candidates during the meeting, a format that streamlined the process, according to Herzog.
“Too many times, we have a free-for-all forum including the audience that makes it disjointed and difficult,” she said.
The absence of public input fed the desire to collect direct comments.
Port Commissioners Henke, Brad Clinefelter and Steve Tucker invite people with impressions of the candidates to contact them directly.
Those who wish to supply feedback can contact Tucker at 360-385-0447 or steve@portofpt.com; Clinefelter at 360-531-1303 or bclinefelter@portofpt.com; or Henke at 360-301-2033 or phenke@portofpt.com.
For more information, see www.portofpt.com.
________
Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
