John McCarthy to run for Port of Tacoma Commission
McCarthy enters race ready to make crucial decisions that will set the course for the future.

 

TACOMA, Wash. – March 28, 2017 – Former Superior Court Judge John McCarthy announced today that he is running for the Port of Tacoma Commission, Position #1. The position will be vacated by Connie Bacon when her term expires at the end of the year. McCarthy previously served as a Port of Tacoma Commissioner from 1983-1992.

 

“I am passionate about the Port of Tacoma. Our Public Port will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2018 and members of my family have worked there for more than 75 years. The Port is at a critical point in decisions about its future use and development. I want to be part of making the decisions that will set the course for the next 100 years for our children and grandchildren.”

 

Citing a number of issues facing the Port, McCarthy stated that experienced leadership and innovative solutions have never been more important.

 

“The Port is an economic workhorse. It has been a working waterfront providing high wage jobs and can continue to do so. We also need to make decisions which ensure the safety of the people who live and work in and near the Port, and we must remain true to our values of environmental protection and conservation.”

 

“Competition among ports has never been more intense,” continued McCarthy. “The alliance with the Port of Seattle puts us on a more level playing field with large ports in California and Canada. However, Tacoma must be well positioned to make crucial decisions for our community.”

 

McCarthy worked as a casual longshore worker for 10 years, paying his way through college and law school. He returned to the Port in 1983 as a Commissioner and helped lead the Port through a period of its largest container growth, and development as a world class port, while ensuring Port investment in environmental mitigation, habitat conservation and fisheries enhancement and protection and setting the stage for decades of environmental cleanup. As a Commissioner, John was instrumental in developing the Port from a small Port, handling 150,000 containers in 1982 to well over 1,000,000 containers within six years. During a decade of record growth, the Port developed one of the first on-dock intermodal yards in the United States.

 

McCarthy was a Port leader during the negotiations and settlement of the Puyallup Indian Land Claims from 1985-1990 and served as president of the Washington Public Ports Association before becoming a judge for more than 22 years, retiring in late 2014.

 

Retiring Commissioner Connie Bacon said, “John has a unique depth of knowledge about the Port stretching from his time working here to his service on the Commission. He was a leader during a time of substantial growth. He has also demonstrated a noteworthy ability to study issues and make difficult decisions while serving as a judge for more than two decades.”

 

Local Environmental Advocate Ryan Dicks said, “John led the way to clean up the Port in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. John’s experience and worldview will ensure clean air and clean water for our community, while advancing an innovative Port that grows good jobs.”

 

John and his wife, Pat McCarthy, former Pierce County Executive, have four children and eleven grandchildren. They live in northeast Tacoma.

 

Find McCarthy’s campaign on Facebook @electjohnmccarthy, or his website electjohnmccarthy.com.

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