County to fill vacant port commission seat

Wahkiakum County commissioners will try to fill a vacancy on the board of commissioners of Port District No. 2.

Port 2 Commissioner Kayrene Gilbertsen notified the county board Tuesday that she and fellow Port Commissioner Carlton Appelo have been unable to find a replacement for Kyle Gribskov, who didn't week re-election in 2007. They advertised and sought candidates throughout 2008, she said, and state law allows county commissions to fill vacancies when port commissions are unable to do so.

She suggested the county commission support a suggestion to change Port commission representation from set district to at-large districts.

Gribskov represented the Skamokawa district, which runs from the Elochoman Valley to eastern Grays River Valley. No candidates have emerged from that area, but people living in other districts have expressed interest in the position, hence the idea of going to at-large districts.

County Commissioners Dan Cothren, Blair Brady and Lisa Marsyla said they wanted to try to fill the position from the Skamokawa district before going to at-large districts.

"I'd like to try to find somebody from the Skamokawa district," Brady said.

Marsyla expressed concern that after the port had gone to at-large districts, residents of the Skamokawa district might someday want to have representation from their district, not by-at large commissioners.

Gilbertsen felt the port commissioner districts would be rewritten again, but she didn't know legal details.

Marsyla and Brady suggested Gilbertsen talk to the port's attorney for more detail on filling the position and changing the district representations.

"Give me a couple of weeks," Cothren said.