Two out of four commissioner candidates for District Five participated in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters (LVW) of Thurston County in collaboration with Thurston Community Media.
Present at the forum held on Thursday, June 29, were Troy Kirby and Sarah Tonge. Martin McElliott did not respond to LVW’s invitations, while Nick Adams has suspended his campaign, according to LVW.
Candidates were asked how they would balance economic development with environmental protection, and their opinions on the Port’s finances. The candidates also talked about the Panatonni lease option, the Deschutes Estuary restoration, and the modernization of Olympia Aiport.
Kirby spoke about the capacity of the Port to set the tone of Thurston County through the policies the Port Commission puts in place and specifically by providing good living-wage union jobs.
“ set the tone for the entire county; it’s over a billion and a half dollars of economic value each year. The thing about the Port is we set the tone. So we set the tone in several ways whether it's rising sea level, whether it's economic development, [or] through a lot of great living wage union jobs,” he said.
“That is one of the things that gets missed as we talk in the abstract is that not only longshoremen but also with the Swire Coca-Cola deal, you're going to see living wage union jobs.”
In terms of the Port’s finances, Kirby talked about depreciation cost for maintenance equipment being the reason for the marine operations’ seeming unprofitability. He said that criticisms against the marine terminal are really about the Port accepting equipment that residents believe the Port doesn’t need.
Kirby supported the restoration of Deschutes Estuary, saying that the project sets the tone for how the Port handles rising sea levels. He also supported the modernization of Olympia Airport but highlighted the need for the Port to find new talent as the current staff and management prepare for several retirements.
Kirby is a full-time instructor at Saint Martin's University. He has served as a commissioner in Lacey’s Parks, Culture, and Recreation Board for seven years and owns a small business in the county.
Tonge said that she wants the Port to move away from the logging business in support of industries that are not harmful to the environment. She also noted the importance of Vision 2050 for attaining a sustainable waterfront.
She said that to balance economic development and environmental protection, the Port would need to study what is causing the Port to spend so much towards the environment.
“What industries are causing that? And what can we do to still keep those jobs and create more union jobs, but stop some of the industries like hauling larger logs and switch to maybe things like breakbulk products or technology industries, things that are not so harmful for the environment,” Tonge said.
In terms of the Panatonni lease option, Tonge said that the Port would have to prioritize the needs of the community and the environment as negotiations proceed. She also supported the restoration of the Deschutes Estuary and sustainability initiatives for Olympia Airport.
Tonge has 11 years’ experience in information technology working for private organizations and leading IT teams. She is currently the technical support supervisor for HungerRush. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in information technology from Western Governors University in 2018.
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Southsoundguy
Here’s an idea: abolish the Port.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Report this
TonyW33
Southsoundguy,
Abolishing the Port of Olympia isn't likely to occur in the short term. Let's instead choose wisely in this election and begin to reign in the excesses that the Port continues to push. Fire the current Director and scale back the tax subsidies for starters.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Report this
Southsoundguy
Obviously, but I’m still going to say it. Abolish the Port. I’ll also add, abolish zoning laws.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Report this
OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive
I'm fine with the port as long as it is self-sustaining. A candidate above and another jolt commenter made the statement to the effect that depreciation makes the port seem unprofitable. It's pretty obvious the port is unprofitable if it needs even a nickel of taxpayer dollars. Let's scale the taxpayer subsidies to zero. No more corporate welfare to Weyerhaeuser. If the port can't survive without taxpayer subsidy, then shut it down - it is a liability to the community rather than an asset.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023 Report this
Yeti1981
OlympiaUsedToBeANicePlaceToLive - Do the police make a profit? Firefighters? The port is a public entity. Not meant to make a profit, but a to spur economic development. Depreciation does impact the perception of the port, but reality is that the port is bringing in business and should expand and diversify its lines of business. It also is there as an emergency management tool in case of a disaster. Without the port, we would likely be cut off from supplies and help in such a time of need. The truth is that the #endtheport crowd lacks vision to see beyond their own desires. We have a really wonderful asset in the Marine Terminal and the port in general, and we would do better for the future of this community to improve port operations, not end them.
Tuesday, July 18, 2023 Report this