The Port of Port Townsend commissioner race may come down to a basic election question: Maintain the status quo by re-electing the incumbent, or shake things up by electing the challenger.

The differences were made clear by both candidates at a forum Sept. 24 in Quilcene, and again at a forum Oct. 5 in Port Townsend.

Talley has been a marine trades businessperson at the Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven since 1990, and is basing her campaign on her close knowledge of the port and local marine trades industries. She is founder and past president of the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association.

"I believe I will be a strong and effective port commissioner," she said.

Tucker, who is seeking a second four-year term representing District 1 (Port Townsend) on the three-member commission, said his re-election would "keep the port commission balanced and not weighted to one stakeholder group."

Marine trades and moorage tenants are already well represented on the commission, Tucker has said, an implication that Talley represents similar interests with existing port commissioners.

District 2 Commissioner Brad Clinefelter owns and operates Mystery Bay Charters and Services, providing marine consulting and support services.

District 3 Commissioner Pete Hanke owns and operates Puget Sound Express, a passenger ferry and whale-watching vessel operation located at Point Hudson Marina, where he also leases office space. He is also a pilot who has flown out of Jefferson County International Airport since 1988.

District 1 Commissioner Tucker, a retired business owner, is described in his official port bio as an avid boater and fisherman, who through the years with Coast Guard Auxiliary, has taught courses in boating safety.

"I am not a member of any stakeholder group," Tucker said in Quilcene.

Talley said she believes she has the support of 85 percent of people who work in the marine trades, which she considers more important than having the support of current and former elected public officials who have endorsed Tucker.

"I don't see that as a detriment to my strength for this position," Talley said Oct. 5 of having the support of people who work in the marine trades.

Talley observed on Sept. 24 that it seemed coincidental that the port administration was raising issues in its newsletter, in letters to port patrons and in a letter to the editor published Sept. 16 in the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader, that dwell on subjects she and some supporters have been talking about during her campaign, which started in earnest last July. Talley questioned whether the port administration was operating as a "transparent government" and alleged that "your money has been spent to misrepresent the facts."

The port commission race is the subject of a candidate forum 7-9 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Port Townsend Yacht Club, 2503 Washington St. The forum is hosted by the yacht club and the Port Townsend Marine Trades Association. The association, which Talley founded, is not making a formal endorsement.

BOATYARD PERMIT

Marine trades form a key economic backbone in East Jefferson County, with most of the activity taking place on port property. There are about 400 jobs connected to the marine trades, according to the port.

The port boatyard, essential to the operation, is allowed to operate because it complies with a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

The required permit, a result of the Federal Clean Water Act of 1972, is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which delegates responsibility for the NPDES permit program to the state Department of Ecology. It's a general permit that covers boatyards throughout the state, including SEA Marine at Point Hudson and the Port of Port Townsend Boat Haven. The current iteration is effective from June 2011 until May 31, 2016.

Wastewater is monitored for pollutants, such as copper, before it is discharged into Port Townsend Bay.

Jim Maroncelli of the Department of Ecology is the primary author of the revised permit, which the PT boatyards are to begin operating under on June 1, 2016.

Port officials have emphasized that people who use the port need to follow "best management practices" to ensure permit guidelines are met.

TOXIC DUST?

There are various signs around the port urging motorists to drive slowly and not churn up dust, which can disrupt boat painting and varnishing work. But is there a problem with so-called "toxic dust," a question which has been raised at port candidate forums?

According to the Ecology's Maroncelli, the answer is, "no."

"Ecology is not aware of any specific toxic dust associated with the boatyard" in Port Townsend, Maroncelli told the Leader Oct. 5.

Asked about paving the boatyard, "there are better ideas," Maroncelli said. "Ecology's policy is to try to encourage people to ... let rainwater soak into the ground, because when it runs off, it carries [pollutants] with it."

Asked at the Quilcene candidate forum whether paving the gravel- and dirt-surfaced boatyard should be a priority, Talley said yes, Tucker said no.

Tucker said he talked to numerous officials with the Olympic Region Clear Air Agency (ORCAA) and the state Department of Ecology who said there is no "toxic dust" problem at the boatyard.

"The best available science is that pervious surfaces are the best way to maintain a boatyard," Tucker said, meaning gravel is better than asphalt. "Paving a parking lot is not a panacea."

Environmental education has been a focus for Tucker, he said, and the port is well aware of conditions required to fulfill permit requirements.

Talley, with her business Taku Marine located at the boatyard, said that environmental permits are the key to the port's viability.

"The main issue is cleaning up the yard," Talley said Sept. 24. "I happen to believe, because I work there, that there's a toxic dust problem."

Talley noted that environmental concerns at the port are "ongoing and continuous," and she favors looking at how to finance a hard surface for the ground where boats are stored and worked upon.

"It is not a priority because the reality is the port does not have the money," Talley said of paving the boatyard. "However, that doesn't mean there isn't a problem."

Leveling and paving the yards could cost $10 million, Tucker said, based on an engineer's estimate.

FUNDING

Tucker took office in 2012 when many of the capital projects on the port's ledger were in place. He takes credit for supporting the new dock for the port's smaller mobile boat hoist, and construction of an administration building at Boat Haven, which allowed the port to lease its administration space at Point Hudson to state and federal agencies. He said the shift brought 30 new jobs and covers the Point Hudson project's debt service.

Talley is critical of choices port commissions have made regarding spending priorities, especially regarding the administrative office projects.

Both agree the port is unable to tackle major capital projects due to prior funding commitments.

Tucker noted that over the last nine years, the port has invested $16 million in capital projects, listing the new A/B Dock and a new dock for the port's smaller mobile boat hoist.

"This issue [budgeting] is why I am running," Talley said, "The port has not had a capital maintenance plan in place." She noted that of the $16 million spent by the port, "17 percent of that went to building two separate administration buildings, which to me is not prioritizing vital infrastructure."

(Leader Staff Writer Robin Dudley contributed to this story.)