TNT Endorsement: Our choices in two races for Port of Tacoma commissioners

Yahoo

18-07-2025

Pierce County voters have a choice in two different races for port commissioner this summer, with Port of Tacoma Commissioner Pos. 1 and Pos. 4 on the primary election ballot. We sat down for group interviews with the candidates, one panel for each race, and talked through issues that reverberate from the port to the entire community.
The port is an economic engine for the region, with an impact on jobs, local businesses and the quality of our environment. As the federal government puts forward a vacillating trade policy and reverses national environmental goals, the editorial board wanted to know how candidates would lead the port through the shifting currents of our times.
Position 1
For Port Commissioner Pos. 1, the board endorses Tim Payne, a challenger to the incumbent who brings local government experience and an impressive knowledge of the port's history as well as its current projects and challenges. Among other things, he emphasized the importance of pressing on with the port's efforts to transition to electric on-shore power and remediating contaminated sites.
Payne, 62, has a fitting background for the port commission. He's currently executive vice president at EMA Inc., which consults local governments on water and wastewater management. He told of how he spent his early adulthood working a union job in the maritime industry to put himself through college and law school.
After earning his law degree, he said he worked in environmental remediation, often working on oil spill clean-ups. He also served three terms on Gig Harbor City Council.
In 2021, this paper endorsed incumbent John McCarthy for another term based on his vast years of experience and clear leadership skills. McCarthy, 75, first sat on the Port Commission starting in the 1980s, before serving as a Pierce County judge for 22 years. He rejoined the port commission in 2018 and is now finishing up his second term in a row.
McCarthy currently serves as president of the port commission and co-chairs the Northwest Seaport Alliance, the body that runs the marine terminals at the ports of Seattle and Tacoma. He also worked on a deal with the Puyallup Tribe of Indians to clear the way for a new terminal that will do business in the break-bulk side of shipping.
McCarthy spoke convincingly on the issues during our interview. The board has no doubt he would use the immense knowledge and relationships he's built up over the years to keep the port on a steady course if he's elected.
So why are we endorsing Payne? Four years ago, the editorial board said McCarthy shouldn't run again in 2025, in order to keep new ideas flowing into the port commission. We stand by that now. With a candidate like Payne on the ballot, who shows a mastery of the issues and history of leadership, it's a chance to add a strong new voice to the commission. That chance doesn't come every election.
The third candidate in this primary race, Randy Wilson, showed a passion for the challenges facing the port and through it the county as a whole. But the knowledge that Wilson, 61, displayed on the issues was not deep enough to merit an endorsement with candidates like Payne and McCarthy on the ballot.
Position 4
In the other seat slated for the primary election, Port Commissioner Pos. 4, the board endorses JT Wilcox. Current port commissioner Don Meyer is stepping down at the end of his term, making this an open seat. Wilcox, 62, is one of three contenders, and he pairs a familiarity with the port with his long history of relationship building in the Washington state legislature.
As a Republican, Wilcox was the state House Minority Leader for part of his tenure at the statehouse. He retired in January. Wilcox has built his name on bipartisanship. He sees the port as a connection from local farms to the rest of the world, and a source of high-wage jobs for the region. He also stresses his commitment to environmental and conservation causes.
He lists endorsements from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Democrat and former governor Christine Gregoire, Republican and former attorney general Rob McKenna, and the Northwest Marine Trade Association. He also touts the endorsement of two unions: locals of the IUPAT and the BAC, which represents builders like masons.
Candidate Dan Knox lacks the experience in government that would make him a good fit as commissioner. However, he showed a detailed knowledge of the policy tools available to make needed changes at the port. The board felt that Knox, 30, could be a valuable resource working inside a government agency, whether that's supporting the port commission or elsewhere.
The final candidate, Cyrus Donato has an impressive background in the maritime industry. He works as the Puget Sound-based inspector for the International Transport Workers Federation, a union. Donato, 38, has participated in investigations into violations of foreign workers' rights at sea.
Given his background, the board was surprised at the lack of a clear vision in many of his answers to our questions.
A third port commissioner race is heading directly to the general election this November, because only two candidates are running for the role. That will be Port of Tacoma Commissioner Pos. 2.
The News Tribune Editorial Board is: Laura Hautala, opinion editor; Stephanie Pedersen, TNT president and editor; Jim Walton, community representative; Justin Evans, community representative; Bart Hayes, community representative. Hayes recused himself from the endorsement process for Port Commissioner Pos. 1 due to a personal relationship.