The Port of Seattle should not put public debates behind a private paywall
I’m currently a candidate in the upcoming election for Port of Seattle Commissioner, and I’m always interested when I hear about important policy issues involving the Port. In early May, I came across a couple of opinion pieces published in the Tacoma News Tribune. These articles discussed the Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA), which is a joint partnership of the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Seattle that manages marine cargo facilities in the two ports.
The first op-ed, written by two members of the Port of Tacoma Commission named Don Meyer and John McCarthy, was published on April 27, 2023. They argued that while both ports were responsible for capital and maintenance projects at cargo terminals, the Port of Seattle was receiving more support and business compared to the Port of Tacoma. It’s important to note that their views didn’t represent the opinions of the entire Port of Tacoma or the NWSA.
The second opinion piece was published two days later and was written by the co-chairs of the NWSA. These co-chairs were also the presidents of their respective port commissions. Sam Cho represented the Port of Seattle in King County, and Deanna Keller represented the Port of Tacoma in Pierce County. They disagreed with the claims made by Meyer and McCarthy. They argued that the partnership between the two ports allowed them to avoid harmful competition, prioritize investments, and remain competitive with other ports on the west coast of the United States.
These opinion pieces highlighted a difference of opinion among the commissioners from these agencies. I believe that such disagreements should be transparent and accessible to the voters and residents of both counties. My problem wasn’t with the arguments both sides were making, my problem was that most people would find it very difficult to even read them.
The op-ed pieces were both in the Tacoma News Tribune, which requires a paid subscription for full access to its content. I managed to find links to the articles in other places online, but people should not have to go on an online treasure hunt or pay to access information that is of public interest.
This problem can be easily solved by making these opinion pieces available for free in a place where the public can easily access them. Since both articles are related to the NWSA, it would make sense to publish them on the NWSA website. Keeping these kinds of disagreements behind a paywall sends the message that the leaders of these institutions don’t want everyone to participate in public debates about policy differences, just those who can afford it.
I think it’s important to be open and transparent about disagreements between the Port of Seattle and other public agencies. It’s not right to hide these debates behind a paywall in a newspaper. If I become a Port of Seattle Commissioner, I promise to make all my public statements available online for free, so anyone can read them.
Resources
Outside link to the first op-ed by Don Meyer and John McCarthy
The spreadsheet that was included in the first article
Alternative link to the second op-ed by Deanna Keller and Sam Cho
