Port incumbents survive

Seattle Port Commission incumbents survived tough primary battles but will face strong challengers in the Nov. 6 election.

Commissioner Bob Edwards was trailing University of Washington official Gael Tarleton in Tuesday night's returns. But Edwards held a solid lead over four other challengers and was headed toward a general-election showdown with Tarleton.

Incumbent Alec Fisken will square off in November against international-trade lobbyist Bill Bryant, who led two other challengers by a comfortable margin.

In previous elections, contests for the Port Commission tended to be sleepy races involving few candidates, modest campaign contributions and little media attention.

But that changed in 2005, when incumbent Lawrence Molloy was ousted, incumbent Pat Davis fended off a strong challenge and several impressive candidates battled for an open seat.

This year's interest in Port races — and a field of 10 candidates vying for two seats — was heightened by recent controversies over a proposed $340,000 severance package for former Port CEO Mic Dinsmore and over Port police's sending of sexually explicit e-mails.

Candidates have also complained about the Port's secretive culture and frequent use of closed-door meetings. Bryant, Fisken and Tarleton all campaigned as reformers.

"I think King County voters very much want to change the way the Port does business," said Tarleton, who enjoyed a slight lead over two-term incumbent Edwards in Tuesday's returns.

Fisken agreed, saying "it's pretty clear there's a call for reform."

Edwards said he looked forward to a "real horse race" against Tarleton. He previewed part of his strategy by criticizing Tarleton's sizable amount of out-of-state contributions.

Edwards blamed a crowded field for returns that showed an overwhelming majority of primary voters favored challengers in his race.

The Port of Seattle is a countywide agency that runs Sea-Tac and owns the cargo terminals on Elliott Bay.

The five Port commissioners serve four-year terms and are paid $6,000 a year to oversee policy and hire a chief executive. Two seats are up for election.

In a field of six seeking Edwards' seat, Tarleton raised the most campaign contributions, more than double what Edwards collected. Tarleton, who hasn't run before, works in the UW's Office of Global Affairs.

Bryant, chairman of a company that helps farmers sell their products overseas, raised twice as much in contributions as Fisken, a policy analyst for the city of Seattle. Fisken had a healthy lead over Bryant.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com