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Late Port of C-W commissioner’s devotion praised

By Aaron Corvin, Columbian Port & Economy Reporter
Published: August 5, 2015, 5:00pm

The death of Port of Camas-Washougal Commissioner Mark Lampton has triggered a process to appoint his successor within 90 days. The process launches as the port’s executive director on Wednesday spoke of Lampton as a boss, friend and champion of economic development.

Lampton, 69, who died of cancer Monday morning, was a mentor, said David Ripp, the port’s executive director. “I’m going to miss him dearly.”

The port said in a news release that it will celebrate and honor Lampton’s life during a gathering to be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at one of his favorite parks: Chinook Plaza in Parker’s Landing Historical Park, 24 S. A St. in Washougal.

Lampton was serving a second, four-year term as the District 1 representative on the port’s three-member board. The port expects to appoint a successor using a process that will include advertising the District 1 vacancy, receiving and reviewing applications from potential appointees, and interviewing finalists.

Commissioners Bill Ward and Bill Macrae-Smith, representing District 2 and District 3, respectively, would then vote to appoint a successor. The successor would serve the rest of Lampton’s term, through 2017, but would have to campaign for the office for an opportunity to serve beyond that timeline.

In its news release, the port said, “Mark always saw the best in people and was excited to be involved in the growth and development of the community he loved and called home.”

Ripp said Wednesday that Lampton — who’d worked as a sales representative for television stations and as a Realtor in Camas — “had a great sense of business, understood business, understood marketing,” which “was very beneficial to the port.”

Lampton served on the board of the Vancouver-based Columbia River Economic Development Council, the longtime nonprofit jobs promoter and business recruiter. Ripp said Lampton also was instrumental, in 2011, in helping the port, and the cities of Camas and Washougal, to establish the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association. The nonprofit’s mission is to help existing businesses grow, and to bring new companies and businesses to the area.

While Lampton was serious about economic development, he also knew his way around a quick one-liner. When something needed to be addressed at the port, Ripp said, “Mark’s quote to me was, ‘Fix it, Ripp.’ “

Lampton ran for the port’s District 1 seat in 2009. His top priorities were more public input and more open discussions, aggressive efforts to recruit businesses and maintenance of the port’s assets. Those assets include an industrial park, Grove Field Airport and a pleasure-boat marina.

At the time Lampton ran for port commission in 2009, he worked as a Realtor with Windermere Crest Realty in Camas. In that year’s general election, Lampton garnered 51.10 percent of the vote, defeating Gary Perman, who received 48.34 percent of the vote.

Lampton ran unopposed in 2013, winning re-election to a second, four-year term.

In March, Lampton told The Columbian he was excited about the port’s upcoming spate of park and economic-development projects. Those projects included construction of a 5.73-acre park and 0.7-mile trail at a waterfront property west of Washougal’s downtown.

Rejuvenation of the waterfront parcel “means a lot for the community,” Lampton told the newspaper. The site “was gone to the community a few years ago, and we got it back.”

Lampton was born May 1, 1946. Arrangements are pending. A complete obituary will be published in next week’s Camas-Washougal Post-Record. Straub’s Funeral Home & Columbia River Cremation in Camas is in charge of arrangements.

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Columbian Port & Economy Reporter