King County Local Voters Pamphlet

As a Port Commissioner for six years I have worked for every King County resident to create family wage jobs and economic opportunity.

Because I'm committed to our economic vitality, I have the endorsement of many business leaders and labor groups such as the Port of Seattle police and firefighters, elected officials including King County Executive Ron Sims, former Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, Bellevue Mayor Connie Marshall and the Alki Foundation.

My record includes extensive business experience and 20 years of community involvement, including the Bellevue Schools Foundation and chairmanship of the Washington Technology Center at the UW. I have a clear agenda for fostering economic vitality in our community: . Creating thousands of new jobs through airport redevelopment, expansion of our shipping terminals and the cruise business. At the airport I advocated the successful partnership with labor and construction companies to resolve conflicts and minimize delays. . Maintaining Seattle's leading role in airport and seaport security to keep the public safe and commerce flowing. . Ensuring top-quality management of the Port's $2 billion construction program so that the public's money is spent wisely. . Protecting the environment. The Port has won numerous awards for environmental management, we've built the region's first public compressed-natural gas fueling station and we're active in local efforts to restore salmon runs. . Keeping Seattle and the Northwest competitive in the global marketplace.

I want this community to grow and prosper to have jobs for our children and grandchildren. The Port must continue to invest so that King County continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family. Together we can build that future.

The Port of Seattle has lost its traditional mission. And it will cost us jobs and taxpayer dollars until we chart a new course.

Last fall, the port commissioners passed a huge raise in the property tax levy - to $58 million per year - without any vote by the public. The incumbent voted in favor of the tax hike. That amount of money could support hundreds of new teachers, or thousands of hours of transit service. But instead, that $58 million is subsidizing hundreds of acres of empty docks.

The Port of Seattle needs a new direction: 1) Other large ports manage public resources efficiently and effectively to make money for the communities they serve - Seattle should too. 2) The Port of Seattle needs to go back to being the advocate for trade and for the maritime and industrial jobs that are so crucial to the economic diversity of our region. 3) The Port of Seattle should be at the table with labor, industry, and the other West Coast ports that are finding solutions to air quality and ballast water problems that threaten our environment.

Alec Fisken can move the Port in a new direction. He knows the Port's finances, knows the Port's customers, and knows how other West Coast ports operate. A former investment banker, he has arranged financing for various ports, including the Port of Seattle. He spent ten years as the publisher of Marine Digest & Transportation News, and eight years editing the Marine Regulatory Bulletin - a newsletter covering maritime environmental issues.

Alec Fisken has an undergraduate degree from Yale University, and a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

Alec Fisken - an advocate for more jobs and lower taxes.