Port of Port Angeles appoints Kidwell to vacant seat

Published 2:40 am Tuesday, June 23, 2026

PORT ANGELES — Port of Port Angeles commissioners unanimously voted to appoint Kelly Kidwell over four other candidates to fill the vacant District 2 seat.

Kidwell, an entrepreneur whose business career has spanned wealth management as the founder of Pacific Advisors to aviation as the founder and CEO of Port Angeles-based Citizen Air, said Tuesday this would be his first public role.

“Every opportunity starts with what your vision is — what should we be in 10 years and what is great for the community,” he said. “We don’t wait for them, we want to bring them here.”

Port commissioner Colleen McAleer praised Kidwell’s dedication to the area.

“His network and his commitment — not just deciding to move here, but also his commitment to put his investment, his time, his wealth, his treasure into this community is something I really respect and appreciate,” she said.

Port commissioner Connie Beauvais said she was impressed by Kidwell’s ability to see challenges as potential.

“That’s big for me,” she said. “I really think that’s where we are and the things that we’re trying to do, being clean and green and doing new, innovative things.”

Also applying for the position were Marc Abshire, Johanna Bartee, Pamela Swartz and Tom Swanson.

Kidwell will be sworn into office during a special meeting at 9 a.m. June 30 at the port’s offices, 338 W. First St., Port Angeles.

One of his first tasks will be to help stem the nearly $800,000 in port losses through the first five months of the year, an average of roughly $160,000 per month.

Jennifer Baker, the port’s chief finance and administrative officer, presented the agency’s May financial report, which showed revenue down across multiple operations. Baker attributed high fuel prices and the economy for the dropoff in revenue at the marine trades areas and at John Wayne Marina. Barge and log yard activity has slowed due to poor market conditions, as well, she said.

McAleer said the losses are unsustainable.

“We are going to either need to see changes in the market or we are going to need to make changes for ourselves,” she said.

Beauvais agreed, pointing to the continuing downward slide of log yard revenue.

“I’m thankful for our rental properties — they’re helping to pick up that gap,” she said of the 98 percent occupancy rate.

Charging infrastructure

Meanwhile, commissioners discussed a potential application for a state Department of Transportation Sustainable Aviation Grant to fund electric aircraft charging infrastructure at William R. Fairchild International Airport.

Katharine Frazier, the port’s grants and government affairs manager, said the program does not require a match — unlike standard WSDOT airport aid programs — but offering one would increase the port’s chances of success. Other airports across the state are offering matches of up to 10 percent, she said.

The project would cost an estimated $930,000 for design, engineering, permitting and installation of one electric aircraft charging unit. The port would pay for the project in 2027.

Airport Manager James Alton said Port Angeles is in a good position to take advantage of the technology given its proximity to larger Puget Sound aviation hubs such as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Paine Field, Boeing Field and Bellingham International Airport.

“All those areas we can connect to via electric aircraft,” he said. “And even if those aircraft were based on that side of the water, they’re not going to come over here unless there’s a charging station. So it puts us on the map.”

Alton said he could not predict when electric aircraft would be widely certified and flying commercially, but he said the trend is clear.

“It’s coming down the pipes,” he said.

Commissioners directed staff to identify funding up to $139,500 — representing a 15 percent match — and return with a recommendation.

Meeting with PA

Port CEO Paul Jarkiewicz briefed commissioners on a meeting last week with the city on the Waterfront Transportation Improvement Plan along Railroad Avenue, saying the port encouraged reframing it to be able to access better federal funding opportunities.

An old railroad trestle buried on the eastern end of the track must be removed before permanent improvements can be made, he said.

Port priorities include removing the trestle, replacing bulkheads and making improvements to Terminal 2 — used by the Black Ball Coho Ferry. He said Clallam Transit and American Cruise Lines also should be brought into the planning process.

Toward the east, Marine Drive is becoming a dumping ground for abandoned vehicles, Jarkiewicz told commissioners.

“We need to address it,” he said.

Jarkiewicz said accountability matters less than results.

“I don’t know that I really care who’s responsible for it as long as we nip it in the bud because it’s a blight,” he said, adding that signage along the corridor needs to be renewed.

“People are dismantling the signs faster than they put them up, and that’s a real problem.”

Jarkiewicz said it is among the issues the port intends to take up with the city when they next meet.

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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com