Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman was selected to be the Port of Bremerton’s new Chief Executive Officer, its Board of Commissioners announced Tuesday morning.
“I’m looking forward to this challenge and I accept this position with humility,” said Bozeman as he addressed the commissioners. “We have done a good job of working together so far, and we have to continue to fulfill our mission of bringing new jobs, new development and new opportunities to the area.”
Bozeman said he would be submitting his letter of resignation to the city of Bremerton this week, though being mayor there had been “the best seven and a half years of my life.”
Board President Cheryl Kincer said the board began looking for its new CEO soon after former CEO Ken Attebery announced he was stepping down in December.
“We received 51 applications from all over the country, including one from Pakistan and one from the United Kingdom,” she said, explaining that the 11 people the board selected to interview were “all from the Puget Sound region, with half from Kitsap County.”
Commissioner Larry Stokes said deciding on a new CEO was “the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” and that as far as he was concerned, “Mr. Bozeman’s record speaks for itself.”
“(Bozeman) has a tremendous set of skills that will help us go into the future, and these skills will be well-utilized by our port,” said Commissioner Bill Mahan.
Kincer said her goal during the CEO search was to gather the “strongest, most dynamic team possible, and with (Bozeman), together with (our current staff), I believe we have done just that. I am very, very proud to present this team to our community.”
Cecil McConnell, president of the Bremerton City Council, then addressed the commissioners, describing Bozeman’s move as “your gain and our loss.”
The port commissioners then voted unanimously to approve the selection of Bozeman as the port’s new CEO.
Kincer said his salary will be $120,000 a year.
Bozeman said McConnell will serve as interim mayor until an election is held in November, and that after submitting his letter of resignation, he will be “available for employment June 8.”
