Washblog || Lucky Us! House Call from Alec Fisken, Port of Seattle Commissioner

Lucky Us! House Call from Alec Fisken, Port of Seattle Commissioner

By noemie maxwell
Sun Jul 29, 2007 at 05:52:12 PM PST
Section: King County Topic: Ports

Port of Seattle Commissioner Alec Fisken is running for re-election. Yesterday, I emailed his campaign to ask for a yard sign and literature to hand out to neighbors. Today he called. I'm in the neighborhood, he said, would you like me to drop off a sign?

Fisken is a friend of the people, a true-blue public servant who responded to the scandal, secrecy, and mismanagement plaguing the Port by entering the political arena and putting his expertise in maritime and financial management -- as well as his good-governance beliefs -- to work. Over the years, Port blunders, some appearing to involve ethical lapses, have led to financial losses, diminished market share, the sale of valuable public property to private interests way below market rate, poor environmental practices, excess taxation on homeowners, and losses of good jobs. Fisken been a plainspoken and steadfast voice and vote for the public interest above special interests. He's one of the elected officials I most admire. It was a real treat for my husband and me to meet him at our home -- even for just a 5-minute visit.

Alec Fisken kindly consented to pose in our yard for the picture above.

Fisken, a strategic policy advisor for the City of Seattle and a financial analyst with specific background in maritime issues, has consistently held that the property tax the Port collects on King County homes is unnecessary. He is endorsed by a wide range of environmental, labor, and Democratic organizations, including Washington Conservation Voters and the Cascade Chapter of the Sierra Club. Recently, until Commissioner Bob Edwards changed his vote, he was the lone vote on the Port Commission to oppose the demolition of 162 units of high-quality affordable housing on the Port's property in Burien (Interfaith Clergy Hold Service of Lamentation at Lora Lake Apts).

Do you have a quote for me for Washblog, I asked. The Port has been moving in a good direction lately, Fisken answered. Media coverage of the Port's disastrous management has been helpful. There is a lot of potential to make this a good Port, he said. Any thoughts on the campaign, I asked, how people can help? There is a concern that people will respond to the media coverage of the Port mismanagement by voting against both current commissioners, he said. Email messages sent out to networks of friends may really be the best way to get the message out across the entire county. Do you have, like, a mneumonic device for people to remember that you're the one they want to vote for, I asked? Fisken means "fish" in Norweigan, he said. Hey, good one!

Postscript here: I interviewed Fisken's most serious challenger a couple of months ago and I thought he was not honest with me: Port candidate: $25,000 to GOP, $0 to Dems ... but he's not partisan. Please send out those emails to friends!

< " You wouldn't shoot first and ask questions later .... would you?" | Fund the Wounded, Not the War! >

Lucky Us! House Call from Alec Fisken, Port of Seattle Commissioner | 0 comments ( topical)

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