PORT ANGELES — Steve Burke has a new hat to wear: Port of Port Angeles commissioner.
Burke, part-time executive director of William Shore Memorial Pool and treasurer of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, was appointed to the position vacated by Jim Hallett at a special meeting Friday by Commissioners Colleen McAleer and Connie Beauvais.
Hallett resigned
Hallett, 60, resigned effective Feb. 1 from the elected position that represents the Port Angeles area.
Burke was selected from six applicants.
“I’m pleasantly surprised, but I felt there were a lot of good candidates,” Burke, 51, of Port Angeles said Friday.
Burke will be sworn in at Monday’s port commission meeting, which begins at 1 p.m. at the port administrative building meeting room, 338 W. First St.
He said he expects to undergo “a steep learning curve” after stepping into the position.
“My specific priority is in learning enough to know what the priorities should be,” said Burke, a native of Palm Springs, Calif.
Burke said he intends to run for the six-year position when it comes up for election in November 2017.
Before appointing him Friday, McAleer, the board president, and Beauvais first met in executive, or closed, session for 75 minutes to review the qualifications of the candidates.
McAleer said commissioners also wanted to discuss conflict-of-interest issues posed by five of them “and understand the full ramifications of that.”
During the 10-minute open session that followed, Beauvais and McAleer made brief statements.
Beauvais made the motion to appoint Burke, saying he “stands at the top” of the list.
Conflicts of interest
McAleer said five of the candidates had business conflict-of-interest issues that would make it difficult for them to serve as a port commissioner.
In an earlier interview, she had said they were or are tenants at the port’s Boat Haven or had business relationships with the port or port tenants.
She seconded Beauvais’ motion “in an effort to show the public we are operating in a matter that is as transparent as possible,” she said.
Appropriate
Beauvais said in an interview Friday, after Burke was selected, that it was appropriate for the board to meet behind closed doors to discuss the candidates’ qualifications.
State law gives the port commission the option of evaluating the qualifications of candidates for appointment to elective office in closed session and to not disclose the applications for public employment
“We are talking about human beings. We are talking about members of our community, and I would not want to have anything said in open session that might disparage them in any way,” Beauvais said.
“Sometimes, an innocent statement can be taken as disparaging.”
Applying for the position were:
■ Jim Haguewood, owner of ONE Group Consulting and former executive director of what was then called the Clallam County Economic Development Council, now the Economic Development Corp.
■ Randy Johnson, president of the timberland and wood products company Green Crow Corp., who also is board chairman of the Economic Development Corp.
■ Mel Rudin, a retired CEO and campaign manager for the late Port Commissioner Len Beil.
■ Thomas Pope, a marine surveyor.
■ David Sellars, who has written a weekly maritime column for the Peninsula Daily News.
Marine surveyor Brent Berry withdrew his application March 5.
The port has refused a Peninsula Daily News state public records request to release their full applications, citing privacy concerns and state law that allows nondisclosure of applications for public employment.
The exemption protects applicants from retribution from employers while they are seeking new jobs.
The position pays up to $13,992 annually and offers medical, dental, vision, long-term disability and life insurance coverage.
Nancy Krier, state assistant attorney general for open government, said in an earlier interview that she urges government entities to make applications for vacant elected positions public.
Private information such as Social Security and phone numbers can be redacted, leaving other information of public interest.
“The application process is the functional equivalent of a campaign,” she said.
“Once they take the position, they are in the same shoes as other elected officials.”
Hallett’s resignation
Hallett was the port commission president when he announced in late January he would resign over concerns that McAleer and Beauvais had not followed the state Open Public Meetings Act.
He said Beauvais and McAleer had met before Beauvais, elected in November, was sworn in Jan. 12 and that this violated at least the spirit of the state Open Public Meetings Act and appearance-of-fairness doctrine.
McAleer and Beauvais both said they had done nothing improper.
McAleer and Beauvais held an informal gathering at Olympic Bagel Co. in December. The meeting was announced and the public was invited to join the two.
Hallett said they also met privately.
Beauvais said she had met with McAleer but that any discussions she had had with her prior to being sworn in would not constitute a quorum and not be illegal.
Beauvais had a confidentiality agreement with the port before she took office that allowed her to attend executive sessions before she took her seat if she did not disclose what had been discussed.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
