PORT TOWNSEND — After almost 27 years with the organization, Mari Mullen plans to step down as executive director of the Port Townsend Main Street Program.
The Main Street Program (PTMSP) is currently accepting applications for the role, which Mullen described as fun and creative. The application can be found on PTMSP’s website. Resumes and cover letters are due by 5 p.m. April 4.
Mullen started in 1998 and Port Townsend won the National Main Street award in 2000, said PTMSP board president Casey Hannam.
“I want to say it’s the first one they ever gave out,” Hannam said. “Mari has been the lifeblood of Port Townsend Main Street.”
Mullen said she remembers traveling to Boston to receive the award with former PTMSP director Sheri Stuart, former Port Townsend mayor Geoff Masci and former City Manager David Timmons.
Memories of the PTMSP’s events precede her time working for the organization.
“I brought my 4-year-old daughter down to garden at Earth Day,” Mullen said. “We planted flowers along Water Street. We still treasure that memory.”
Another favorite memory came from a trip to Henery’s Hardware, where an employee recognized Mullen and pulled out a copy of the Peninsula Daily News previewing Concert on the Dock shows.
“He was so proud and said he was performing at one of the shows,” Mullen said.
PTMSP took over the Concert on the Dock series from the Chamber of Jefferson County in 2012, Mullen said. She named the Thursday night concert series as a favorite alongside the Uptown Street Fair, the downtown Trick or Treat event and bringing Santa to town.
For a full list of PTMSP’s events and programs, visit their website.
Mullen said she’s proud of the work the organization did while incubating the Port Townsend Creative District, which the organization transitioned to the city’s management earlier this year.
Mullen said participating in local events helps community members experience an increased sense of belonging.
Working with the resources at hand to amplify the beauty and intrigue of the historic downtown and uptown business districts of Port Townsend improves the experience of locals and visitors alike, Mullen said.
“I think what the Main Street Program does is help everyone celebrate where they live,” Mullen said. “There’s ways to do that through events, and there’s ways to do that through different projects, beautification projects. I believe that if you make your town wonderful for your residents that visitors will appreciate it too.”
Mullen said she couldn’t have hoped for a better group of people to work with. She’s also found a lot of meaning in working with the volunteers. It’s a real people-person job, Mullen said.
“She works really well through other people,” Hannam said. “She’s great at working with volunteers and really bringing not only the volunteers but the community together to do some really great things, like the downtown flower baskets, earth day.”
PTMSP played a role in overcoming challenges presented by losing the Chamber of Jefferson County, Mullen said. The organization created a role to fulfill one of the chamber’s functions, which is sharing information with visitors.
The organization hired a seasonal mobile downtown greeter to share information and recommendations with visitors to the downtown core. This season, the organization is expanding that solution and hiring a second greeter, Mullen said.
Details about the executive director role and mobile greeter position can be found at https://ptmainstreet.org/pt-main-street-is-hiring.
The Port Townsend Main Street Program will celebrate 40 years in the community in May, Mullen said.
“May 31st, we’re going to do the family town photo in front of the post office. That will be my last event,” Mullen said. “It’s just a happy coincidence really.”
When the event wraps, Mullen said, she’s looking forward to something she’s been too busy to fully experience for some time.
She said she will enjoy a summer in beautiful Port Townsend.
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@sequimgazette.com.
