Ahrenius elected to F.H. Port Commission

Mike Ahrenius, whose father-in-law Nourdine Jensen was elected to the first Friday Harbor Port Commission 50 years ago, won a six-year term on the commission Tuesday.

At 9:45 p.m. with all precincts reporting, Ahrenius won the District 1 seat with 1,474 votes. Lee Anderson received 654.

As many as 1,700 countywide absentee ballots have not been returned. It was uncertain how many of those ballots were from within the Friday Harbor Port District.

Commissioners set the budget and policies for the port district, which owns the Port of Friday Harbor Marina, a seaplane base, Friday Harbor Airport, Jackson’s Beach, and a public boat ramp. The port district also owns the waterfront in Friday Harbor from Spring Street to the yacht club, and owns Fairweather Park adjacent to the marina.

Commissioners receive $200 a month and $70 a meeting. They are also eligible to receive health insurance benefits paid by the port district. Ahrenius is manager of Albert Jensen & Son Shipyard.

"I think the Port of Friday Harbor is the crown jewel of public entities in the San Juans," Ahrenius said in an earlier interview. "My goal, if elected, is to help build on the great job the port has done to date.”

His concerns: Environmental issues, the rights of live-aboards, possible contamination from stormwater runoff into local waters, and getting more public involvement in port issues.

"One thing that is very much on my mind is getting more people to come to port meetings. If you have an opinion on something, you need to get involved and make your voice heard. Public bodies should not operate in a vacuum, devoid of input from the people they serve. It isn’t healthy.”

Anderson, a retired businessman, founded San Juan Island Dollars for Scholars. He believed the port district should decrease its debt before pursuing economic development projects. He suggested the port take a pro-active role in whale education and research, perhaps donating a small percent of revenue to education and to help organizations like Soundwatch.

"The port exists to serve the people, not the other way around,” Anderson said during the campaign. “They should maintain, not seek to grow, the island’s economy. If they do a good job, growth will take care of itself."

Port Director Steve Simpson said the commission’s big challenge of 2002 will be developing a plan to help the district rebound after a tough 2001.

“We live in an uncertain world,” Simpson said. “Look what’s happened in the last month — air travel has dropped to practically nothing, and we have no idea whether people will engage in recreational boating as they did before ... The main goal is economic stability, which is going to be harder to come by.”

Simpson said new commissioners go through a learning period, but contribute from Day 1.

“They provide a new perspective. We get a whole new look at what the port looks like and what is doing. It’s a valuable experience.”

For statewide results visit State Election Results site.

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