Port of Bellingham Port Commission District 1 Candidates: Dan Robbins, Michael Shepard Why are you running for office? (Dan Robbins) I want to continue the great work that I have accomplished in the last 4 years as your Port Commissioner that includes: Job creation, ongoing development in the Waterfront District, expansion of the marine trades, and more activity at the Shipping Terminal. I feel strongly that now, more than ever, we need continued leadership at the Port that understands that a solid financial footing allows the Port to accomplish great things like preserving marine industry and cleaning up historic contamination. (Michael Shepard) I’m running for the Port because we all know Whatcom County is a great place to live to, but an increasingly hard place to afford. The Port is the only municipality specifically charged with countywide economic development and job creation. We have lots of opportunity and work to do here. My other main reasons for running are wanting to see more progress on the GP Waterfront Redevelopment project and having our Port take regional environmental sustainability leadership. What is the one thing you will accomplish in this elected term of office? (Dan Robbins) Over the next four years we will see exciting progress in the Waterfront District. Through economic development I will create more jobs along with continuing the cleanup of contaminated sites. (Michael Shepard) I expect to accomplish many things once elected, however one specific area of work will be around comprehensive, countywide economic development. The County has many great business opportunities and the Port is mandated to specifically handle economic development. To accomplish this well, the Port needs to work with City, County and private partners. We need to work to support efficacy of existing industry, attract new business and incubate the employers of tomorrow. What do you see as your biggest challenge if elected? (Dan Robbins) The biggest challenge for me will be getting enough grant money from the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) fund to continue the important cleanup of toxic sites. If we don’t get the funding, we must continue to make progress in this area of work. We can do this with sound financial management. (Michael Shepard) One of the biggest challenges I see, if elected, is to guarantee that the GP re-development site project gets done in a timely manner. There is much to do on the site, and I want to ensure that the project is steadily moving forward, so that the people of Whatcom County have access to the site and can benefit from its development. Bellingham is a waterfront town that often does not feel like one. There is limited public access to beaches and locations to launch a kayak or SUP. I pledge to work toward public access to this public resource. What is your greatest professional or philanthropic accomplishment and when was that? (Dan Robbins) Four years ago I would've answered this question by saying it was being president or vice president of seven successful companies and employing over 150 people during my professional business career. If you look at it by how many mouths you have fed, then I would have to say being elected Port Commissioner. We have created over 500 living wage jobs while at the same time cleaned up an environmental toxic site at a cost of over 30 million dollars to help create even more jobs in the future. Many of those accomplishments were done with 2 to 1 votes and if I had voted the other way most of that would not have happened. One could argue that none of this successful work would have happened if I hadn't had the experience in working in those seven different businesses. (Michael Shepard) It is always challenging to pick only one example. A professional accomplishment is becoming the first eLearning Director at Whatcom Community College. I managed a staff, a $1.7 million budget and helped write/implement over $4.5 million in grants. We expanded educational opportunities for thousands of students, particularly in high-demand professional technical fields, like nursing, computer security and physical therapy assisting. A philanthropic achievement is the current partnership that Kulshan Community Land Trust has with Habitat for Humanity. We are currently building 75 affordable homes in Bellingham. I bought my first home through Kulshan and have served on their Board of Trustees for the past two years. What will you do to ensure Bellingham International Airport remains competitive with Paine Field in 2 years? (Dan Robbins) Through good financial management and continued economical growth our community will continue growing and, in turn, help support our fine airport. I will work to secure east-west flights for BLI that will help increase traffic. We must continue to market to our airline partners, provide competitive parking rates and provide an excellent customer experience. Keep in mind that our growth comes from increased Canadian passenger traffic so Paine Field is unlikely to impact that market segment. (Michael Shepard) To ensure Bellingham International Airport remains competitive with Paine Field, I will strive to continue to make Whatcom County a thriving place for business and tourism. One industry that can see substantial expansion is the outdoor recreation industry. Annually $705 million is spent on outdoor recreation in Whatcom County. I would like to see that number rise as we become the outdoor recreation capital of the Pacific Northwest. This type of tourism could fuel substantial growth in flights at BLI that is not dependent on the rise and fall of the Canadian dollar. I would also like to see the Port actively seeking ways for the airport to expand direct international flight destinations. How do you see economics and environmental stewardship working together at the Waterfront? (Dan Robbins) Our economy and our environment can and must co-exist. Waterfront economic development and environmental stewardship are linked because those considering new investment in our waterfront are interested in environmental stewardship and waterfront investment. This provides the economic driver to continue to clean up the environment. The Waterfront District is a good example of this interdependent relationship. (Michael Shepard) I would like to see economic and environmental stewardship working together at the waterfront by building and supporting new business, that increase environmental sustainability, while also promoting positive economic development. I want the Port to be a partner in ensuring the clean-up of Port properties and waterways, using sustainable development technologies and methods to develop and re- develop Port properties and businesses, and also overseeing the restoration of salmon habitat. District energy is one solution to environmental sustainability at the Waterfront. I would also like the Port to set an ambitious goal of net-zero energy consumption. As an elected official, what will you specifically do to encourage job growth at Port properties and throughout the County? (Dan Robbins) The Port encourages job growth by: (1) cleaning up historic contamination and installing infrastructure on port property so that it is ready for development and use; (2) supporting the marine trades in Bellingham and Blaine by reserving property for marine trades at fair and reasonable prices; and (3) by continuing to support our airport to make the County an attractive place for new development. (Michael Shepard) I will encourage job growth at Port properties by supporting the Waterfront Redevelopment project, and by attracting new, sustainable business at the Port. Whatcom County has many great heritage industries and businesses and I think it important to maintain and grow those businesses in order to increase economic development. In terms of economic development, I would like the Port for strategically focus on a core set of industries. These should include marine trades, high tech, outdoor recreation and value-added agriculture. For example, the Port has many opportunities to expand our agriculture industry in the County, which will create more jobs. The Port of Skagit, has invested in their agricultural economy with fantastic results – creating jobs, revenue and tourism. I also see opportunity in supporting environmental sustainability and job creation at the same time. When the Port invests in projects like salmon habitat restoration, de-armoring shorelines and alternative energy production – we are supporting our local economy. Did you agree with an emergency shelter being located in the proposed location? If yes, why was this the best solution? If no, what solution would you offer to aid those facing homelessness in our community? (Dan Robbins) No, I did not agree. The marine trade property should remain for marine trade industries and jobs. The Port just paid the City $750,000 that can be used to address this homeless problem and, in addition to this the Port has airport property that could be part of the solution. Homeless shelters do not need coveted waterfront property. (Michael Shepard) I agree that a shelter needs to be built for the homeless in Bellingham. There is little value debating best use for the property that the Port from the City of Bellingham. We need to work on finding a shelter location that works best for all stakeholders. Bellingham clearly has a homelessness crisis that needs additional aid and resources. I support the Port working to help find a shelter site. I also support working towards long-terms solutions for the homeless,