Lucky for us, Julianna Marler at the Port of Vancouver doesn’t need mentoring, because not one of our commissioners is capable of providing much wisdom. Tuesday’s workshop on the port’s audit process is indicative of her open leadership style. Not only was staff available, but an entire team from the state auditor’s office attended.
The workshop went longer than anticipated because they stayed to answer every question that the citizens asked. And, at the end, an increased comfort level was the outcome. This adventure highlighted for one citizen that the current “crisis of confidence” at the port sits directly in the lap of the commissioners.
To ensure that our elected officials move past glad-handing, we need:
• A detailed commissioner job description;
• Required additional training of commissioners after election;
• A citizenry which is willing to poke and prod our commissioners more deeply;
• Commissioners with a level of “intellectual curiosity” so that the most cogent questions don’t need to come from the audience.
We learned that the Tesoro-Savage oil terminal is not a requirement for the port’s financial viability. The terminal projections are not included in any of our ratings from S&P or Moody’s.
Let’s get the commissioners we deserve.
