Comment: Vote yes to bring power of Everett port across county

By Karen Guzak and Eric ffitch / For The Herald

Snohomish County has an exciting chance to vote for economic growth this summer, when voters decide on a proposed enlargement of the Port of Everett boundaries during the Aug. 6 primary election.

This presents a unique opportunity to leverage the port’s proven capacity to create jobs, fund critical infrastructure projects, and facilitate environmental cleanup work to benefit the 85 percent of county residents not currently represented by a port district.

We urge voters to vote “yes” on the Port of Everett Proposition 1 this year; to bring the power of the port to all Snohomish County!

The Port’s current boundaries were drawn in 1918 when the county’s population was much smaller and concentrated in areas surrounding Everett and parts of Mukilteo. Today, the Port of Everett encompasses a scant 10 percent of Snohomish County’s total geography. This is a missed opportunity, as countywide port districts in King, Pierce and Whatcom counties demonstrate how much a port can do when it can take a regional and even county-wide approach to its economic development mission.

A Port’s unique ability to leverage dedicated federal and state funds to support local economic development projects is limited only by its own resources, which are tied directly to the area the port district encompasses. The Port of Everett’s boundaries were defined over 100 years ago, to address the needs of a very different community. Snohomish County now has an expanded set of needs and priorities, and a “yes” vote on Prop. 1 would allow the port to do more to address countywide needs moving forward.

Even within its current constraints, the Port of Everett has made significant investments in major transportation projects, supported transformative environmental cleanup work, and facilitated workforce development opportunities to the benefit of the whole community.

The Port supports nearly 40,000 local jobs at its marina and international seaport; serving as a marine cargo hub that connects local businesses to global customers through a gateway that’s right at their front doorstep. Each job that the Port of Everett creates directly supports four more jobs in adjacent industries. Every dollar the Port invests yields an additional $7.50 of local economic output. Port boundary expansion would broaden this impact to include both public and private sector partners across Snohomish County.

In addition, the Port has removed thousands of tons of contaminated soil from historic industrial sites and facilitated a robust derelict vessel removal program to aid shoreline restoration within its existing jurisdiction. The removal of the defunct Tank Farm in Mukilteo is a prime example of how Port authorities can leverage a unique collection of resources to achieve significant improvements to county waterways. The completion of this removal project renewed waterfront accessibility for the city while restoring vital habitat and improving transportation options for the whole region. Should the Port’s boundaries expand, it would open over 100,000 miles of saltwater shoreline to additional restoration opportunities throughout the county.

Right now, Snohomish County has approximately 7,500 unemployed construction workers. Unique financing tools give the Port of Everett the ability to develop new public works projects to put people back to work with the family-wage jobs they deserve. These investments would also increase apprenticeship utilization and help the next generation of maritime, building and construction workers earn good wages while they learn new trades; must-have occupations to secure the county’s future.

Job-creating investments would positively impact our regional transportation networks also. As the fastest growing and most trade dependent region in the state, Snohomish County has a vested interest in deploying every tool at its disposal to reduce commute times and improve freight mobility to support local businesses. Local manufacturing centers will benefit from improved regional transportation infrastructure investments to enhance the flow of goods and services between industries and out to waiting customers the world over.

As ballots arrive in the mail for the Aug. 6 primary election, voters will have an opportunity to broaden the Port of Everett’s capacity to make direct investments across a wider range of communities that will make Snohomish County a better place to live, work and raise a family.

We urge an enthusiastic “yes” vote on Prop. 1 to move us toward a more prosperous and vibrant future; together!

Karen Guzak is a city councilmember and has served as mayor of the city of Snohomish. Eric ffitch is the executive director of the Washington Public Ports Association, a nonprofit trade association representing the state’s 75 public port districts.