Posted on July 26, 2021
Port of Olympia and Thurston County commissioners came together late last week to discuss their differences of opinion about when each of the two bodies should expand the number of commissioners on their governing boards.
All six members of both commissions — Port Commissioners Joe Downing, Bill McGregor, and EJ Zita, and County Commissioners Carolina Mejia, Tye Menser and Gary Edwards — agree that expanding both boards from three to five members is the best thing for a representative democracy.
But when to do it was a different matter.
The county has planned to wait until the county population grows to 300,000, which is expected in spring 2022, while port commissioners Downing and McGregor were ready to ask voters this November to approve expanding the port commission. In order to do that, they were prepared to vote on a resolution this Monday, July 26.
Port commissioner Zita had opposed the port plan and has urged that they work with the county.
Some clarifying information was presented. A ballot measure doesn’t have to come before voters during a general election; it also could happen during a special election. Port Commissioner Downing suggested the port could vote on a resolution in December, followed by a special election in April.
But if the county population doesn’t reach 300,000 until next spring, that would mean the county’s effort to expand its commission wouldn’t come before voters until later in the year. That didn’t sit well with County Commissioner Mejia.
All three county commissioners believe that working together with the port on expansion and districting is the best approach for voter understanding and education and to minimize voter confusion.
“If you ask voters the difference between the port and county commission, they will look at you blankly,” she said.
Mejia asked Hall whether two ballot measures coming before voters at different times of the year could lead to confusion. Hall acknowledged it could because voters might think “we already voted on this,” she said.
Commissioner Edwards said it all comes down to public trust.
“If we should rush into this and the port loses, then it’s going to be hard for the county commission right after that,” he said.
It was Edwards who finally suggested the joint resolution of intent. “A joint resolution passed with all of our signatures would carry some weight,” he said.
Downing, who originally proposed that the port march ahead and expand its commission before the county took that step, defended his position repeatedly.
Rather than wait for the population to reach 300,000, the county could pursue a ballot measure via a petition, collecting signatures of 10 percent of those who voted in the last general election, he said. Downing estimated that 7,000 signatures would have to be collected.
However, Hall said nearly 170,000 people voted in the last major election, so 17,000 signatures would have to be collected.
“Maybe we should just cool our jets and just wait for those darn census figures to come out,” Downing finally said. “There will be a little egg on our face if the county doesn’t make it to 300,000. I want to focus on the positives, but we need to see that number.”
The county remains confident that the population will reach 300,000 by next spring.
“If the county doesn’t get there, it’s all you,” said County Manager Ramiro Chavez, meaning the port could pursue its expanded commission on its own.
The resolution to expand the Port’s commission is still on its agenda Monday, but there likely will be a motion to table it or otherwise postpone it, Port Executive Director Sam Gibboney said.
