Calkins Overtakes Creighton In Seattle Port Race

SEATTLE, WA - One of the races for Seattle Port Commissioner flipped in favor of candidate Ryan Calkins, according to the latest vote tally released Thursday afternoon. Calkins was ahead of incumbent John Creighton with 50.01 percent of the vote.

The difference between the two candidates stands at just about 100 votes. Creighton had maintained a slight lead over Calkins after returns came in Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, Creighton was ahead 51.16 percent to Calkins' 48.84 percent.

Creighton has served on the Port Commission since 2005 in the position 1 at-large seat. Calkins ran against Creighton promising to bring higher "ethical standards" to the Port, which oversees Sea-Tac.

"[T]he incoming Port Commission has a responsibility to ensure that problems of the past (ethical transgressions, wrongful termination lawsuits, opaque contracting decisions) do not continue under new leadership. The Port of Seattle is a public agency, which requires a higher level of transparency and ethical standards than private enterprise," Calkins wrote on his website.

Two other Port Commission seats were up for grabs this year, but those races are not nearly as close. Ahmed Abdi trails incumbent Stephanie Bowman 65 percent to 35 percent. Preeti Shridhar and former Seattle councilman Peter Steinbrueck were vying for the seat being vacated by Tom Albro. Shridhar is losing that race 30 percent to 60 percent.

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