Commissioner Alec Fisken was elected by the people of King County to the Port of Seattle Commission in November of 2003. He unseated a long-time incumbent and at that time, the Seattle PI said, "Fisken brings a supportive skepticism to third-runway costs and a dogged insistence on the port's creating more maritime-industry jobs. He is also more likely to drive for continued openness on the commission." They added, "Challenger Alec Fisken, a highly educated and experienced expert in financing is a solid candidate who would improve the 'mix' on the commission." (Seattle PI, October 29, 2003)

Fisken believes that for too long, the port has quietly operated in a vacuum -- in isolation, without the necessary public scrutiny of its financial operations. He is proud that in the last three and a half years, he's been able to forge majorities on the Port Commission to:

• Keep Terminal 46 as an active (and rapidly growing) container terminal that supports working wage jobs instead of a speculative condo development for millionaires;
• Stop the proposed waste of taxpayer dollars on the Meydenbauer Convention Center; and
• Protect the unique piece of property in Interbay, served by both main line rail and deepwater docks, for critical maritime and industrial uses.

Fisken has also taken strong principled stands to protect the interest of King County taxpayers.

• He opposed a ridiculous pay increase for the highest paid Port CEO in America ($340k+) who planned to retire six months later.
• He refuses to spend valuable taxpayer dollars on junkets and trade missions around the globe.
• He has opposed and will continue to fight the Ports property tax on King County residents. The Port should be financially self-sufficient and not be subsidizing its operations with taxpayer dollars.

Over the last three and a half years, Fisken has shined the light on the Port of Seattle to help raise the level of public awareness and heighten the degree of accountability from the agency. He started a blog to keep County residents informed about the workings at the Port of Seattle which led The Stranger to say, "The mysterious Port of Seattle (which relies on an annual $60 million tax levy, while other major West-coast ports manage to operate at a profit w/out public subsidies) has avoided public scrutiny for years. That all changes with Seattle's best local blog. Three cheers for dissident Port Commissioner (and blogger) Alec Fisken who's recent posts like "Port for Sale" are shining a harsh spotlight on his complacent colleagues." (The Stranger, August 18, 2005)

This fall, you will have the opportunity to return Commissioner Fisken to the Port of Seattle. Your support would be greatly appreciated.