Commissioners for the Port of Coupeville appointed Mike Diamanti May 8 to fill a vacancy left by Laura Blankenship when she announced her resignation last month.
Diamanti ran for the post in November 2011; however Blankenship garnered more than 59 percent of the vote.
He said the new position is an opportunity “to drill down and be more deeply involved with all aspects of the port.” He will be sworn in during the commissioners June meeting.
The Port of Coupeville oversees operations of the Greenbank Farm and the Coupeville Wharf. He said he wants to help with the day-to-day operations and tackle the maintenance of the port’s facilities, which is an issue he admits isn’t glamorous, but it’s an issue that needs to be done.
He has been active with the Port of Coupeville for Several years. Diamanti from 2005-2007 volunteered on the Port of Coupeville’s Comprehensive Plan Committee. He also served as chairman of the committee that conducted a review in 2010 of the plan. Also in 2010, he compiled a fuel sales and moorage report. The information Diamanti compiled prompted the commissioners to implement new policies in respect to fuel sales and moorage fees.
Diamanti was the only person to apply for the vacancy.
Diamanti has had several positions since he moved to Whidbey Island in 1988. He has served as executive director for the Central Whidbey Youth Coalition, was recently the manager at the Inn at Penn Cove and he is currently an occupational medicine technician for a company in Anacortes.
In addition to his service to the Port of Coupeville, he has volunteered for the Impaired Driving Impact Panel of Island County, South Whidbey Hearts and Hammers, and the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce.
Blankenship was a little more than a year into her six-year term when she resigned. Even though Diamanti was appointed to her seat, he will have to run for election this November. He said in his application letter that he intends to run for the seat this year. If elected he will serve out the remaining two years on Blankenship’s term.
Her seat isn’t the only one up for election this year. Weber can’t and doesn’t want to run for a third term, leaving a vacancy on the board this fall.
People interested in running for elected office can still file their candidacy with the Island County Auditor’s Office in Coupeville. Deadline to file for public office is 4 p.m. Friday.
