PORT TOWNSEND — The Port of Port Townsend has its first female commissioner in nearly 100 years.
But Pam Petranek, who was sworn in Thursday to the District 1 position for which she successfully campaigned, doesn’t see it that way.
“It’s not a woman thing, it just hasn’t happened yet,” she said.
Petranek, 59, came prepared with three books that she took to the podium, including one titled “The Pirate Queen” about Grace O’Malley, a 16th century historical figure from Ireland.
She also highlighted “On Tyranny” by Timothy Snyder and “The Business Guide,” first copyrighted in 1886 with what Petranek called “the basics of good citizenship and good principles.”
“I have my bases covered,” she said. “I have the vision, one that looks at the future and the details of business.”
Petranek took her seat at the table with fellow commissioners Bill Putney and Pete Hanke, and Putney extended his hand to welcome her.
“It’s amazing that, in 95 years, the port has never had a woman commissioner,” Putney said. “I think she will bring a different perspective with being involved with the marine trades and the study she was an integral part of instigating.
“I have high expectations.”
Hanke, who was named president of the commission Thursday, also applauded Petranek, whom voters approved in November at a 73 percent clip over her opponent, Chuck Fauls, a port employee.
“It’s about time,” Hanke said. “I think it’s great to have a woman on the port commission because it makes for a great perspective.”
Petranek, who moved to Port Townsend in 2006, has three children in their 20s. She worked as a public and home-school teacher for 30 years, most recently in the Port Townsend School District.
Now she’s a commercial fisherman with Rick Oltman and Cape Cleare Fishery. During the summer, they take Cape Cleare, a fishing and sailing schooner, to southeast Alaska and catch wild salmon individually with hook and line, and then they flash freeze them at sea.
The fish is delivered by bicycle year-round within Port Townsend.
Petranek co-leads a port citizens advisory group and serves on the board for the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association.
She and Gwendolyn Tracy co-led the Jefferson County Maritime Trades economic study that showed, among other impacts, that the marine trades cluster within the county generated $275.7 million in sales revenue in 2017.
“We could see all of the families and all of the skills and jobs where people could choose to stay here in Port Townsend,” Petranek said. “It was important to put some real numbers behind that.”
The study was prepared by Martin Associates of Lancaster, Pa., which specializes in economic impacts for ports nationwide, Petranek said.
It brought together many small and some part-time businesses that may not have participated or known about the study if it had been done a different way, she said.
One of the main questions they tried to answer was overarching.
“Do we need to have a boatyard?” Petranek asked.
Through the study, they found the marine trades are a strength not only economically but culturally as well, she said.
“We want to keep it here for future generations,” Petranek said.
Along with her seatmates, Petranek’s first priority is to hire an executive director to replace Jim Pivarnik, who plans to retire at the end of June.
She also wants to look at how the port can implement its strategic plan, and she wants to get to work on the permitting process to replace the failing Point Hudson jetty.
Port commissioners likely will narrow a list of seven semifinalists down to as many as four by next week, Pivarnik said.
Petranek echoed one public comment Thursday when she said she wants to take her time and hire the right candidate.
“It’s important to take time so we can allow the stakeholders and the general public and the commissioners time to consider all the candidates we have,” she said.
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Jefferson County Managing Editor Brian McLean can be reached at 360-385-2335, ext. 6, or at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
