Eric LaBrant reelected to Port of Vancouver seat

Eric LaBrant appeared to have won the Port of Vancouver commission race on Tuesday with 63.19 percent of the votes, a large margin over Greg Seifert, who drew 36.81 percent of the votes.

LaBrant, 41, is the incumbent in the race for the nonpartisan position that lasts six years, as part of a three-person commission that includes Don Orange and Jack Burkman. Each collects a $9,600 annual salary.

“I’m very happy with how things are going at the port, and to me, this signals that the community is also happy with the direction that the port is headed,” LaBrant said on Tuesday. “I’m grateful to serve for the next six years. I’m excited to see where that brings us.”

Some of the biggest focal points for the position involve the Port of Vancouver’s Terminal 1 development next to The Waterfront Vancouver, increasing the record revenue at the port with and climate change.

Seifert, 67, retired president of Biggs Insurance and member of numerous Clark County boards, said he wanted to focus on developing Terminal 1 faster and offer stronger leadership on the commission, along with forming a plan for the degrading Vancouver Lake.

LaBrant wants to finish a climate action plan for the port, focus on economic development and create more jobs, he said.

Last year, the Port earned record revenues of $50.36 million, about 15 percent more than it had earned the year prior. The port collects about 27 cents of tax per $1,000 of assessed value for residents in the Port of Vancouver district.

As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, Seifert had raised $41,116.38 in donations and LaBrant had raised $21,306.20.

Seifert could not be reached by The Columbian Tuesday night.