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Legislature should oversee the Port Zack Hudgins February 22, 2007 The Port of Seattle has become synonymous with scandal in recent years. Bureaucratic problems abound, ranging from waterfront rights to airport mismanagement that nearly cost millions in airline contracts. An embarrassing saga implicating dozens of port police officers in a pornographic Web ring, some questionable land deals, along with a recent 43 percent tax increase, fueled the ensuing outrage over a massive salary boost for the port's executive director after he announced he was leaving his position. Any reasonable person can see why citizens would demand action by the Legislature. No state legislator wants to run the port from Olympia. We just want it to run better. Whether it's airplanes or apples, we rely on our ports to keep our economic engine humming along smoothly. According to a study of the port's economic impact completed in 2003, it supported nearly 200,000 jobs in the Puget Sound region and generated more than $12 billion in business revenue and $626 million in state and local taxes. No wonder our constituents have asked us to take action amid the scandal. Besides the occasional lapse in holiday-decorating judgment, one can appreciate the effort the Port of Seattle makes in moving people and cargo, as well as its commitment as a good neighbor. For instance, when the federal government balked on its promise to clean up a Duwamish River superfund site -- a former industrial asphalt plant that leached toxins into the water and soil -- the port stepped in and provided funding. For years lawmakers have proposed legislation to increase accountability in government at all levels. The Port of Seattle should be no exception. While the port oversees a large piece of our economy, the Legislature should oversee the port. This year we've introduced a package of bills that will address accountability at the Port of Seattle. The port should be limited in its ability to raise taxes dramatically after years with no increase. This practice, called "banking," allowed the port to increase taxes by 43 percent in 2002. Currently, the port has banked enough ability to ask taxpayers to fork over another $55 million all at once. Business owners know they can't raise prices by 43 percent. If they must raise prices, they do so incrementally with minimal detriment to their consumer base. The port should do the same. When the executive director of the Port of Seattle, Mic Dinsmore, became the highest-paid port boss in the nation, it prompted further action on our part. We have many important jobs paid for with tax dollars, such as teachers, firefighters and health care workers. Dinsmore's pay now exceeds that of the governor's by more than $100,000. It raises the question: Should the port director receive an exorbitant amount of pay from a publicly subsidized port to compete against such ports as Long Beach, Calif., which, in contrast, completely funds its operations without tax dollars? No one will deny fair compensation to the executive director of one of the busiest ports in the nation. What we will require, however, is some semblance of perspective and sensitivity to the economic well-being of our state's taxpayers by holding public hearings on the salary increases. In addition, we believe in electing Seattle port commissioners in the same manner as every other port commissioner in the state, as well as using a public commission for assessing their salaries. To attract more competent commissioners who will do more than rubber-stamp overpaid bureaucrats, a public commission should assess and recognize their work. The Port of Seattle is a premier economic engine for our region that is unfortunately heading toward political infamy through mismanagement and scandal. We cannot allow that engine to stall; by increasing accountability, we can keep the port running smoothly. If you're concerned about the handling of the port, contact your port commissioner at: 206-728-3000. If you'd also like to share your thoughts with your legislators, please call: 1-800-562-6000.
State Representative Zack Hudgins, 11th Legislative District State Representative Bob Hasegawa, 11th Legislative District State Representative Shay Schual-Berke, 33rd Legislative District State Representative Dave Upthegrove, 33rd Legislative District State Representative Joe McDermott, 34th Legislative District ### For more information: James Paribello, (360) 786-7843 Radio and TV News Directors: To obtain broadcast-quality audio on this issue, or to arrange for TV or radio interviews, please contact Caucus Broadcast Coordinator Dan Frizzell at frizzell_da@leg.wa.gov or (360) 786-7208. Rep. Hudgins’ Print-quality photo:
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