The Port of Coupeville is one of those small governmental entities that most people probably don’t dwell on.
The public agency owns such iconic Whidbey Island destinations as the Coupeville Wharf and the Greenbank Farm, but it’s run by a three-person board of elected commissioners and a director. It has limited resources. The public doesn’t exactly wait in line to get into board meetings.
So it may not seem like a big deal if the three-person board and the director sometimes don’t do things strictly by the book or cut corners when it comes to public involvement.
But transparency and openness are vital at all levels of government. Perhaps more so in local governments, which aren’t run by political professionals but by normal people trying their best. The public needs to know how tax dollars are being spent.
While we applaud John Carr for volunteering to be on the port board, the manner of his appointment was concerning for a number of reasons.
Commissioner Bill Larsen submitted his resignation in December effective Jan. 31, yet came to the Jan. 14 meeting prepared to resign immediately.
The board already had approached and courted Carr for the position. He was sworn in immediately after Larsen’s resignation.
The vacant position was not advertised to the public and the public was not included in the selection process.
Commissioner Marshall Bronson, who serves as the board president, said he specifically picked Carr because he felt the board would benefit from his real estate background.
In previous cases where a board member resigned, the board advertised the opening and made the selection in a public meeting.
After the meeting, Bronson told an Examiner reporter the public didn’t have to be involved each time.
The fact that the port had everything lined up to appoint a new commissioner without even discussing in a public meeting is concerning.
Nancy Krier, assistant attorney general for open government, said the situation raises the concern the commissioners are conducting business outside a public meeting.
Commissioner Mike Diamanti said its common for the executive director to contact commissioners individually about an issue of concern in between the board’s monthly meetings.
He used the example of an additional $400 expenditure on a project arising and the executive director getting authorization to spend the money.
According to Krier, state law prohibits these kinds of actions, referring to it as polling.
Decisions have to be made in a public meeting.
The Port of Coupeville is a public agency, funded by public dollars, operating publicly-owned property.
The key word being PUBLIC.
