Time to close the port’s marine terminal

I voted for EJ Zita because she promised to close the Port of Olympia’s Marine Terminal if it didn’t pay for itself.   The port still relies on $2 million dollars of taxpayer money each year to keep the port operating.

I support Zita’s efforts to close this money-losing operation, but I disagree with her manner of doing so.   Encouring protests and sit-in’s is not the way to make good public policy.   That’s done by educating the taxpayers and then getting their support for changes.

The Marine Terminal is a money-losing proposition for the Port of Olympia.   Taxpayers still pay a property tax for port operations, and the marine terminal provides very few LOCAL jobs.   Most of the longshoremen who work at the port, are dispatched out of the Tacoma office.   While a handful live in Thurston County, most of them don’t.  The logging truck drivers come from all over Western Washington.   Local residents pay property tax to provide jobs for non-county residents.

I don’t care what cargo the port handles – – be it fracking sand, military cargo, cattle or logs.  Those activities must pay for themselves at the least, and should – at best –  make a profit for the taxpayers.

If not, then close down the Marine Terminal operations.