Time flies when you “stand up and fix” what needs to be fixed.
“It was 12 years ago I raised my hand,” said Port of Vancouver Commissioner Nancy Baker during her final meeting as a port commissioner Tuesday.
It didn’t take that long for her supporters to raise their hands in applause for Baker’s relentless work for the community.
“You have added so much in your own modest way to what we do at this port,” fellow Commissioner Brian Wolfe said.
Elected in 2003 as the first woman on the port commission, Baker also worked for the port for 14 years. She declined to seek a third term this year.
Her accomplishments will outlive her time in office, however. Port officials and community members commended Baker for her service that led to growth at the port, especially through the cranes Baker liked to call “beautiful.”
“You are a role model for a lot of young women who look to you and say, ‘Wow, this is how you do it. This is how you create change in a real way,’ ” said Vancouver City Councilor Jack Burkman.
Southwest Washington’s Congressional delegation also sent their thanks for Baker’s service.
Columbia River Economic Development Council President Mike Bomar brought his six-year-old daughter — who sat quietly through an especially long meeting — “to see one of the community’s greatest leaders.”
Baker’s successor, Eric LaBrant, will be sworn as the port’s new commissioner at 4 p.m. Dec. 28 in the former Red Lion building at Terminal One, 100 Columbia St. The public is welcome.
