Zita and Barner are best choices for Olympia port

I have attended Olympia Port Commission meetings as an ordinary citizen in the public interest for 18 months. In that time I have come to believe the port does not conduct business in the best interest of all Thurston County citizens – that the port benefits only a privileged minority. Every Thurston property owner is involuntarily taxed to subsidize our port.

I believe the port has tremendous unrealized potential to work for the good of all Thurston citizens, but good works will require dramatic changes in the ways and kinds of business our port does and some genuine transparency, too.

I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically support E.J. Zita for port commissioner from the third district to replace reformer Sue Gunn. Gunn acted as a positive change agent and worked to bring new transparency to port processes.

Zita is Gunn’s chosen successor: a brilliant visionary scientist and educator who already has 10 years experience working with the port in an advisory capacity. Zita is also a farmer and expert on solar.

My experience of Commissioner George Barner is that he listens and votes based on the will of all county voters. George was the deciding swing vote that came out against oil trains and the unnecessary second warehouse. Recently he actively assisted to enact better port SEPA rules that give citizens legal options to protect our environment from polluting port businesses. Barner deserves to be reelected.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Zita and Barner are best choices for Olympia port."