KINGSTON — Mary McClure was sworn in as Port of Kingston commissioner Dec. 23. McClure succeeds Pete DeBoer, who did not seek re-election. DeBoer was elected to the commission in 2004.
McClure ran unopposed in the November election.
McClure was the director of the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council, which secures funding for transportation in Kitsap County, for 16 years. She has 40 years’ experience in consulting businesses.
Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Bremerton, administered McClure’s oath of office. He called her “an amazing leader” with a knack for building consensus.
“It takes real leadership to get people in the boat and rowing in the same direction,” Kilmer said of McClure.
Doing so often requires convincing people from opposing sides to see the positive aspects of an issue or item.
“Building consensus is not just a question of making everybody feel good,” McClure said. “It requires you put down the oar and you start asking what it would be like if you thought it would all be great.”
McClure speaks to the audience following her oath of office. Port Commissioners Walt Elliott and Pete DeBoer sit behind her.
About 30 people attended the ceremony. McClure passed out a nine-point “2016 to-do list.”
Among them was resolving lawsuits and improving transparency. The port is being sued by Beth Brewster, owner of Kingston Adventures, and another resident, Tania Issa.
“This port is the heart of this town and I want it to feel good again,” McClure said. “It hasn’t for a while now.”
Brewster is suing to overturn the port’s eviction of her business from the marina, and for alleged violations of the Public Records Act. Issa is suing for alleged violations of the Public Records Act.
Brewster and Issa claim the port has acted in a discriminatory manner, and have filed numerous requests for public records in order to prove their claims. However, the port’s alleged failure to respond adequately to those requests have spawned more lawsuits from the two.
Also on McClure’s “to-do list”:
• Management recruiting and staff transitions
• Operate marina
• Construction in marina
• Toll booth park development
• Negotiate leases with Kingston Yacht Club and Sail Kingston
• Site-specific master planning for the Port’s properties
• Expand role in community planning for economic development
McClure’s first day in office is Jan. 1.
