2 Port candidates weigh in on military shipments, the airport, and marine terminal
Port of Olympia District 2 candidates Bob Iyall and Jessie Simmons made a campaign stop Wednesday morning to field questions from members of Gateway Rotary near Lacey.
Iyall and Simmons are competing to fill the seat being vacated by longtime District 2 Commissioner Bill McGregor.
Former Olympia Mayor Doug Mah, a club member, moderated the event, giving each candidate a chance to introduce themselves before asking them questions that were submitted in advance by Rotary members.
Iyall is the chief executive of the Nisqually Tribe’s Medicine Creek Enterprises Corp., which manages and operates the tribe’s for-profit businesses. Simmons is an enrollment coordinator at Tacoma-based Palmer Scholars, an organization that mentors students of color to help them get into college or enter the trades.
Two questions were easily answered by the candidates: Both said they had been vaccinated for COVID-19 and both support a plan to eventually expand the Port Commission to five members from three.
Here are some other questions they were asked.
Do you support military shipments through the port?
Simmons: “The vast majority of those deployed around the world in the military are on peacekeeping missions and support missions and they need supplies, shelter or food,” said Simmons, who served in the Army. “I don’t see why we wouldn’t support something like that. It doesn’t have to be weapons of war,” he said about the shipments. “That’s something we absolutely should look at.”
Iyall: “Education is key, communicating with the community and making sure everybody knows exactly what’s being shipped and why and what it supports. Again, a key to this is educating and making sure everyone understands the benefit of those shipments through the port.”
Do you support cruise ships at the port?
Iyall: Before answering the question, Iyall reflected on a time he took a cruise, saying the “ship was huge.” “I would lean more toward passenger, commuter-type (ship) transportation in and out of the port. We saw what happened when the Amtrak train derailed a few years ago and shut down I-5 and put the Olympia area on an Island. Commuter service (out of the port) might be worth looking at.”
Simmons: “I think we look at it,” said Simmons, adding the environmental impact would have to be considered. “I’m not opposed to it, and I think we figure out how to do it if that’s the ultimate choice and if that’s what the community wants.”
Do you support commuter air service at Olympia Regional Airport?
Simmons: “I would like to see it at the airport. It would get cars off I-5 and it would allow easier transportation to other smaller airports in Eastern Washington, Oregon and California. Yes, I would like to look at a viable plan to bring commuter service to the airport.”
Iyall: “I’m not against it, but studies have been done before that made it seem like it would not be feasible,” said Iyall, who added that he would need a lot more information before making an objective decision about it. “I defer to the folks who do the studies.”
The last questions were asked by the candidates.
Simmons alleged that Iyall has previously given two different answers about whether he supports the marine terminal, so Simmons asked: Would you shut down the marine terminal and why?
In response, Iyall wanted to clarify an answer he gave at a previous public appearance, saying he was asked the following: If operations at the marine terminal continue to lose money for the port, what are we going to do with it?
“Any good business person understands that not every business is going to succeed,” he said. “And if there’s no future, you have to plan for de-escalation and maybe dissolution. I’m not against closing the marine terminal, but there’s way too much happening there now. But we do have to look at the future. I live by two rules: Everything is subject to change and, because of that, we have to be prepared.”
Iyall did not ask Simmons the same question (he asked Simmons a question related to the port’s budget), so The Olympian asked Simmons whether he supports the marine terminal.
“I am entirely for preserving the marine terminal and bringing in more lines of business and creating a diversity of business,” he said.
Simmons added that keeping the marine terminal is important in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake. It may be one of the only ways to get resources to people, he said.
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
