Port approves another raise

Before any of its commissioners could benefit from a pay raise approved last year, the Port of Bremerton board approved a new salary hike this week that will give its members an extra $100 each month for the next several years.

According to Commissioner Bill Mahan, the resolution was necessary to not only raise the board’s compensation to a level appropriate for its responsibilities, but also to ensure that each commissioner — at least eventually — receives the same amount.

“We all do the same work. We should all be compensated at the same level,” Mahan said.

The resolution passed Tuesday states that: “The duties and responsibilities of the (commissioners) have grown steadily during the past several years, and the (commissioners) believe it is appropriate to establish a compensation schedule that is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of a port commissioner.”

Once passed, the resolution rescinded the board’s last pay raise of $300 a month and instituted a new pay schedule that will raise the commissioners’ base salary by $1,200 each year for the next few years, effectively doubling the compensation over five years.

However, state law prohibits sitting commissioners from benefiting from a pay raise they voted on, so each commissioner will have to be re-elected before receiving the higher salary.

The first up for re-election is Mahan, whose term ends this year. If he is back in office in 2006, he will begin receiving $6,000 a year, along with an annual raise of $1,200.

If Mary Ann Huntington is re-elected

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