Port of Seattle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Port of Seattle is a port district that runs Seattle's seaport and airport. Its creation was approved by the voters of King County, Washington, on September 5, 1911, authorized by the Port District Act. It is run by a five-member commission. The commissioners' terms run four years. In 2005, the Port of Seattle was the 5th busiest port in North America by TEUs of container traffic[1] and the 46th busiest in the world.
Among its facilities are the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in SeaTac, Washington; the Shilshole Bay Marina; the Maritime Industrial Center and Fishermen's Terminal on Salmon Bay; cargo terminals and a grain elevator on Smith Cove; and numerous cargo terminals on Elliott Bay, Harbor Island, and the Duwamish Waterway. The Port of Seattle also controls recreational and commercial moorage facilities and two cruise ship terminals.
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[edit] History
From the first Commission Report for 1912: The Port of Seattle came into existence on September 5, 1911, by a vote of the people of the Port District held on that date in accordance with the Port District Act of March 14, 1911. The work of the commission for the first six months was confined almost entirely to the preparation of projects which were duly approved by the people at a special election held on March 5, 1912. The program embraced six distinct projects...
[edit] Current issues
Although the Port has done considerable good work, it has not been without controversy. Perhaps the longest-running battle was over the third runway for Sea-Tac, which is now nearing completion and expected to become operational next year.
There has been a surge in scandals and criticism during the past year or so. Among them are a quarter-million dollar severance package offered to the Port's former chief executive Mic Dinsmore, lax accounting practices found by state audits, and the discovery of pornographic and racist e-mails being exchanged by about a third of the Port's police force.
In addition, the Port has been involved in a complex and widely opposed proposal for a three-way trade in which it would purchase the Woodinville Subdivision, a railroad in Seattle's eastern suburbs, from BNSF Railway, its current owner, and then transfer it to King County who would remove the tracks and replace them with a bicycle trail. King County would then transfer its airport, Boeing Field, to the Port.
Thus, reform of the Port has become a major focal point of the platforms of some of the candidates competing for the two Port Commissioner positions in the coming November election. Among the reform proposals that are being advocated are increased transparency of operations and the gradual elimination of the property tax subsidy to the Port.
[edit] Port management
[edit] List of Port Commissioners
This list comes from a book published in 1976. Research ongoing for the rest of the names and terms.
- Hiram M. Chittenden - 1912-15
- C.E. Remsberg - 1912-19
- Robert Bridges - 1912-19
- Dr. Carl A. Ewald - 1915-19
- T.S. Lippy - 1918-21
- W.D. Lincoln - 1919-32
- Dr. W.T. Christensen - 1919-22
- George B. Lamping - 1921-33
- George F. Cotterill - 1922-34
- Smith M. Wilson - 1932-42
- Horace P. Chapman - 1933-47
- J.A. Earley - 1934-51
- E.H. Savage - 1942-58
- A.B. Terry - 1947-48
- Gordon Rowe - 1949-54
- C.H. Carlander - 1951-62
- M.J. Weber - 1954-60
- Capt. Tom McManus - 1958-64
- John M. Haydon - 1960-69
- Gordon Newell - 1960-63
- Frank R. Kitchell - 1961-73
- Miner H. Baker - 1963-69
- Robert W. Norquist - 1963-69
- Merle D. Adlum - 1964-
- J. Knox Woodruff - 1969-73
- Fenton Radford - 1969-70
- Paul S. Friedlander - 1970-
- Henry L. Kotkins - 1970-
- Jack S. Block - 1974-
- Henry T. Simonson - 1974-
[edit] General Managers
- J.R. West - 1933-1935
- Col. W.C. Bickford - 1935-1945
- Col. Warren D. Lamport - 1946-1951
- George T. Tredwell - 1951-1953
- Howard M. Burke - 1953-1964
- J. Eldon Opheim - 1964-
[edit] External links
- Port of Seattle homepage
