Davis elected President of Port of Seattle Commission

Patricia Davis was elected President of the Port of Seattle Commission by her fellow Commissioners at the Port's regular meeting today. Other officers for 2006 are: Lloyd Hara, Vice President; Alec Fisken, Secretary; John Creighton, Assistant Secretary and Bob Edwards, Commissioner.

Davis succeeds Edwards, who was President in 2005.

"We faced a lot of challenges in 2005," Edwards said. "But looking back I think we had many significant accomplishments, including the opening of the new Central Terminal at Sea-Tac, bringing shore power to the Princess Cruise ships at Terminal 30, setting new records for passengers at the airport and the cruise terminals, and setting a new record for cargo volumes at the Seaport."

Other highlights of 2005 include receiving a 'AAA' bond rating from Standard & Poor's and ongoing work for the new runway at Sea-Tac.

Davis, a Port Commissioner since 1986, was re-elected in November. This will be her sixth term as Commission President. She was President of the Washington Council on International Trade from 1994 to 2001 and is currently a member of the Council's Board of Directors. She serves on the Board of Governors for the National Center for APEC and a number of other trade and development related organizations.

"My goal in 2006 is to improve public understanding of what the Port does and the benefits it brings to the community," Davis said. "That is a big challenge for the Commission and the staff and its one we have to take on with renewed energy."

Environmental initiatives, such as the plan to convert the Seaport division's fleet of maintenance vehicles to biodiesel, will be a key component of public outreach efforts, Davis said.

Both Edwards and Davis said the Port should conduct an internal audit of its performance in 2006.

Vice President Lloyd Hara was elected to the Commission in November 2005. His public service career included key positions with Metro Transit, the staff roles in the state legislature and governor's office, King County Auditor and Seattle City Treasurer.

Secretary Alec Fisken was elected in November 2003. He is a strategic policy advisor for the City of Seattle. Fisken has worked as a bank executive and publisher and served on the boards of a number of civic organizations.

Assistant Secretary John Creighton, was elected in November 2005. He has worked as an attorney and a financial analyst. Creighton is a past co-president of the Seattle World Trade Club and has served on the boards of the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the Chief Seattle Council.

Commissioner Bob Edwards was elected to the Commission in 1999. Edwards is an investment analyst and a former Renton City Council member.