News - Local News

POSTED: Tuesday, Nov. 03, 2009

McAuley, Walker lead in Port of Bellingham races

BELLINGHAM - Whatcom County voters seemed to deliver a mixed message on Port of Bellingham plans for waterfront redevelopment as they voted on two of three seats on the port commission.

Doug Smith, a 16-year veteran of the port commission, was trailing political newcomer Mike McAuley, 55 percent to 45 percent, in the race for Position 2. But 18-year commission veteran Scott Walker was leading challenger John Blethen, 52 percent to 48 percent.

Many politics-watchers had picked Blethen as the most likely of the two challengers, considering his extensive civic resumé serving on city parks and Greenways boards, as well as on the Waterfront Futures Group that helped to launch a new vision for the city waterfront.

Blethen attributed Walker's edge to Walker's better-funded campaign. Blethen spent much of his war chest in the primary race, while Walker had money for newspaper, radio and television spots in the final weeks.

Walker was not immediately available for comment.

McAuley attributed his apparent win to his willingness to listen, and his youthful appeal. McAuley is 39, while Smith is 72.

If the early returns hold up, McAuley won't be in a position to push the port in a new direction. The third commissioner, Jim Jorgensen, has voted with Walker and Smith in the past.

McAuley said he's ready to work with the other two commissioners.

"At my first port meeting, I'm just going to say hello to a lot of people," McAuley said. "I want to make sure that nobody feels nervous about me. ... I have to work with the staff that's there."

But he'll also be in a position to have a say as commissioners decide on a new executive director for the port.

"Some things have to change," he said. "There's no doubt about that."

The election gave Whatcom County voters a chance to weigh in on the proposed redevelopment of 220 waterfront acres in central Bellingham, a project that put the port in the spotlight as never before.

During the years of public discussion that began even before the port took ownership of Georgia-Pacific Corp.'s industrial land in early 2005, Smith was perhaps the most blunt about the need to make sure that redevelopment was intensive enough to pay its way while generating new jobs. He often made a point of saying that too much park land would make the project economically unfeasible.

Smith said that stance probably cost him votes in Bellingham, but he has no regrets.

"If I were to do it again, I would still vote in terms of what I thought was the most economic use," Smith said. "The property is not owned by just the people in Bellingham. It is owned by all the people in Whatcom County."

A key point of contention between port incumbents and challengers was the 30-acre breakwater-enclosed lagoon that G-P had used to treat mill wastewater. Incumbent commissioners had insisted that conversion of the lagoon to a new pleasure-boat marina was the only sensible use for the lagoon.

The challengers said port officials had never considered other uses for the lagoon. While neither Blethen nor McAuley expressed outright opposition to the marina, both men said they thought the idea needed further study and public comment.