Above: Aerial of the Port of Olympia marine property and the Olympia Farmer's Market, which sits on Port property, as seen here in December 2014. Under the blue tarps is a shipment of ceramic proppants, used in hydraulic fracturing operations in the North Dakota Bakken Oil Formation. This is just one issue that greets an incoming port commissioner who will replace Commissioner Sue Gunn. Last March, Gunn cast the lone dissenting vote against seeking bids for construction of a warehouse for the shipments.
By Janine Unsoeld
www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com
In a letter to the community on March 13, Port of
Olympia Commissioner Sue Gunn resigned for health reasons. Her full letter is
reprinted, below, in its entirety.
Little
Hollywood reached out to Commissioner Gunn twice since late
February and wishes her a full recovery.
Questions from Little
Hollywood to Port of Olympia staff on February 18 about Gunn’s absence such
as, “Should a replacement be appointed until she (Gunn) comes back?” and “What
would be the process for this?” never received a response.
Paul Pickett, 58, Olympia, an environmental engineer
who works for the State of Washington and teaches classes at The Evergreen State
College, was considering a run for the Port against Commissioner George Barner,
but recently decided against it, due to the recent, unexpected resignation of
Commissioner Sue Gunn.
“Members of the community had approached me about
running for the Port against George Barner and now Joe Downing. Their goal was
to have another Commissioner with a vision of the Port similar to Sue Gunn’s. I saw this potential race as a contest between
“business as usual” and a different vision of a Port planning for a 21st
century where our community and world is rapidly changing.
“Unfortunately, Sue’s health forced her resignation.
That leaves our community in limbo regarding what happens next. Without the
certainty that I would be working with Sue should I be so fortunate as to win
the seat, I’ve decided to end my planning for a possible campaign.
“The community should monitor the next steps
closely. Many questions remain. Who will step up to apply for the vacant
position? Will George Barner and Bill McGregor agree on the candidate to fill
the seat? If they don’t, who would the County Commissioners pick? And who will
file in May to run for election to fill the final two years of that position?
“There are discussions roaring through community
networks about this situation. We shall see how it shakes out,” says Pickett.
Petition
to Port
One person who decided to make her voice known is
Sherri Goulet, who is circulating an informal petition requesting that Port
Commissioners George Barner and Bill McGregor appoint someone who shares the
values and vision of Gunn and her supporters.
“We have about 10 days to gather as many signers as
possible. I am beyond sad to lose Commissioner Gunn at the Port,” says petition
organizer Sherri Goulet, Olympia.
“Since we don’t have a Move On type petition vehicle
online and since we have a very short time frame, we’re doing it the old
fashioned way. If people email me that
they wish to be included on the list of signatories, then they are
included. It’s not a formal petition
that will be used in a legal fashion; it’s a statement of the facts, expressing
support for Commissioner Gunn with a request that voters be included in the
selection process for her replacement. The petition was created with a group
process. We did our best to convey the
facts with perhaps a little editorializing included. Signatures will be solicited
through Friday, March 20, and will be presented at the Port meeting on March 23,”
says Goulet.
Those who would like to be added to the petition can
email her at shardon@comcast.net.
“Send me an email saying that you wish your name to
be on the petition and pass this petition on to those you know who care about
the environment, transparency in government and judicious use of taxpayer funds,
and be thinking about a replacement for Sue—someone in District 3 who would be
willing to run for her position,” says Goulet.
The petition reads:
Port
Commissioner Sue Gunn was elected by the voters of Thurston County in November,
2013, beginning her term in January, 2014.
She’s been a strong advocate for an environmentally responsible port and
has worked diligently to improve the Port’s relationship with the public,
increase transparency, make the budget more comprehensible to all, apply Port
funds more equitably across the county, support the Farmers Market and
agriculture in Thurston County and see that a thorough analysis accompanies any
decisions. These are the issues she
campaigned and won on, and she has been doing what she promised.
Currently
Commissioner Gunn is recovering from open heart surgery. In what appeared to many to be an effort to
remove Sue Gunn from the Port Commission, Commissioner McGregor refused to
excuse her from the February 27, 2015 Port meeting, saying she’d been absent
“long enough.” The failure to excuse a
Commissioner from a meeting is a procedural maneuver that started a clock on a
presumed 60-day deadline for Sue Gunn to return or be eliminated from the
Commission.
Commissioner
McGregor’s action was surprising, as there had been no direct communication
with her from the Port. In addition,
this procedure was not invoked with the extended absence of Commissioner Barner
several years ago. This unprecedented
maneuver occurred just when Commissioner Gunn had begun to recover from a
series of health events following her surgery.
We denounce this act as not only lacking compassion, but also as
undoubtedly causing increased stress to Commissioner Gunn.
The
idea that one Commissioner attempted to undo the results of a democratic
election is appalling. Commissioner
McGregor’s action undermines the voters’ will.
Although Commissioner Gunn has now announced her resignation, a personal
choice driven by her health, Commissioner McGregor’s action remains
unacceptable to us.
We
strongly request that Commissioners Barner and McGregor involve the supporters
of Sue Gunn in choosing an appointee who represents the views and values of the
voters who put Commissioner Gunn in office.
Gunn’s
Letter to the Community
Port Commissioner Gunn’s full statement, in her open
letter to the voters of Thurston County distributed on Friday, March 13, is as
follows:
Thank you for electing me over a year ago to the
Commission of the Port of Olympia.
During that time, I have tried to serve your interests by working to
make the Port an economic engine for all of Thurston County and to improve the
transparency of Port operations and finances.
I have also worked to uncover faulty logic that has
supported fiscally unwise decisions that would require taxpayers to subsidize
expensive projects. One example is the
proposed construction of a fuel dock that would negatively impact existing
local businesses that sell fuel, such as Boston Harbor Marina and Zittles
without a return on investment for the taxpayers.
Environmental sustainability has been a high
priority for me. Importing fracking sand
headed for the infamous Bakken oil field has been a primary concern. With your help, we were able to force the
Port to do the appropriate environmental studies prior to attempting to expand
that operation and run more rail cars through Olympia.
In an effort to have your voices heard, I have been
a strong proponent of strategic planning with extensive outreach into the
community. This type of outreach has not
been done since 1996 and is long overdue at this public institution. Strategic planning is the path to new
economic development endeavors by the Port, such as supporting
agriculture. I have also endeavored to
create new oversight committees, one for the Marine Terminal and one for the
Airport, to improve relationships between these enterprises and the community.
I regret to inform you that I have decided to resign
from my position on the Commission effective April 1, 2015, to allow myself the
time I need to heal from recent heart surgery and associated
complications. There has been
considerable pressure on me from the Port, and from one of the Commissioners,
to return rapidly, which is not conducive to the extensive healing needed. It’s necessary to take the time required to
recover from this complex medical event.If these ideas resonate with you, my hope is that you, the voters, will continue to articulate these priorities to the Port and insist that thorough analysis and accurate reporting accompany all Port decisions and that the Port find new, sustainable economic opportunities in the county.
Thank you for your past support and for all the good wishes I have received since undergoing my surgery.
Sincerely,
Sue Gunn
For
more information about the Port of Olympia and the absence of Commissioner
Gunn, go to Little Hollywood, www.janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com
and view Port of Olympia meetings, particularly March 9, at: http://portofolympia.tctv.net/
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