Port of Olympia Commissioner Bill McGregor says he will run for fourth term

Bill McGregor has decided to run for a fourth term on the Port of Olympia commission.

McGregor, 68, a Lacey resident, has served on the port commission since 2006, representing District 2 of Thurston County.

“I love what I do,” he said Thursday. “I have a passion for serving my community, and this is one of the ways I feel I can serve it, in addition to the other ways.”

Bill and his wife Barbara have been foster parents for more than 35 years. He said he has had a hand in raising hundreds of children.

“Some spend weekends with us, and one has spent 14 years in our home,” he said.

After serving four years in the Coast Guard, most of which were spent in a supply center in Brooklyn, New York, McGregor landed a job during the Vietnam War at the Port of Tacoma, where he put his military documentation skills to work in the marine terminal operations department.

After 16 years at the Port of Tacoma, he spent eight years at the Port of Olympia as director of operations, then moved on to the Port of Grays Harbor as director of port operations. He later worked as director of facilities at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.

McGregor said he wants the port to continue to clean up various port properties for future economic development. He also wants to encourage further collaboration with the county’s cities and towns.

“I want to see us have a positive impact in our community through jobs and economic development,” McGregor said.

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Port of Olympia Commissioner Bill McGregor says he will run for fourth term."