In recent years the Port of Walla Walla has done a good job maintaining a balance of the different types of properties to have available for local and outside parties to utilize for creating new and expanding businesses, which creates jobs. Much of this is due to the six years Mike Fredrickson has served as a member of the commission and his current presidency of the board. Much of the maintaining of an inventory of diverse properties is something private investors cannot and do not do.

Examples of this are having a site available for Columbia REA, acquiring the old Birdseye plant property for the outstanding juice plant now housed there, the building for Railex in western Walla Walla County, which is a major supplier of produce from the western United States to the East Coast, the building for the expansion of Key Technology and the five wine incubator buildings at the Walla Walla Airport.

The Port District has been a leader in the coalition to complete Highway 12 from Walla Walla to Pasco and the Washington State Penitentiary Task Force.

Yet, all of the above have been accomplished with the port assessing less than the state authorized tax rate. This, and the fact that the port's tenants have done well in recent years, speaks well of the port district's activities in the challenging economic times of the last three years.

A few have raised the question of the transparency of port activities. Two regular board meetings are held each month and periodically special meetings are held upon notice being given. Minutes of the meetings are published. Sometimes port officials cannot reveal work being done to acquire or retain existing clients because of requests from the client, which must be honored or the client could be lost.

The Port's recent selection as "Port of the Year" and the selection of Mike to the governor's "Connecting Washington Task Force," attest to the port's and Mike's performance. Mike's being involved in many community activities gives him a great background for the position. Please join me in supporting Mike for election as the port commissioner.

John M. Reese Walla Walla