Olympia, WA – With only a few ballots left to count, it appears voters approved Port of Olympia Proposition 1 to increase the number of Port commissioners from three to five in the November 8, 2022 election. Since commissioners are currently elected from three Thurston County districts, new district boundaries will need to be approved for the five new commissioner districts. The proposed district map is available at on the Port’s website and a public hearing regarding the proposed commissioner district boundaries will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 5:30 pm.
Since the Commission’s formation nearly one hundred years ago, the county population has grown substantially. The Port Commission determined that expanding the commission is necessary for effective and responsive representation of the people of Thurston County, to increase diversity of perspectives when Port decisions are made, and to allow each commissioner increased ability to respond to the needs of the people served by the Port.
“We are grateful to the voters of Thurston County for recognizing the importance of increasing the number of Port commissioners from three to five,” said Port Commissioner Joe Downing. “In addition to keeping up with county growth, an expanded commission provides more continuity, which is important because many Port issues are multi-year in nature.”
A similar measure to expand the Thurston County Commission also appears to have been approved by voters. The Port and Thurston County Commissions approved a joint resolution to coordinate election and redistricting efforts and to align their districts to gain efficiencies, minimize confusion, and share costs. The five proposed district boundaries for both the County Commissioners and the Port Commissioners coincide. A joint Redistricting Committee comprised of the chair of each commission and the Thurston County Auditor met this summer to consider the proposed new districts. Both the Port Commission and the County Commission agreed to the proposed boundaries. More information about the redistricting process can be found here.
If both measures are approved, the Port and County will approve their districts by January 1, 2023. Voters will choose the two additional Port Commissioners in the 2023 general election.
Information about the November 29 public hearing, including a link to the proposed redistricting map and a Zoom link for those who wish to attend online, can be found on the Port’s homepage: www.portolympia.com. Learn more about Port of Olympia Proposition 1 at portolympia.com/commission/port-of-olympia-proposition-no-1. For questions, please email inquiries@portolympia.com.
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Media Contacts:
Joy Johnston, Port of Olympia Communications
portnews@portolympia.com, cell: 360-995-2492
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