Bottiger to Lead Port of Tacoma

R. Ted Bottiger was appointed President of the Port of Tacoma Commission by fellow commissioners at the Commission's first meeting of 2005, held Thursday, January 7.

Positions among commissioners rotate yearly, based on procedures approved by the Port Commission in 1999. Bottiger replaces Port Commissioner Clare Petrich as Commission President. Petrich will serve as Assistant Secretary in 2005.

Bottiger was appointed Port Commissioner in March 1997, elected in November 1997, and re-elected in November 2001. Before serving as a Port Commissioner, he served four years as an Assistant Attorney General for Washington State and spent 23 years in private legal practice. Bottiger also served 23 years in the Washington State Legislature, the last five years as Senate Majority Leader.

In 1987, former Washington Sate Governor Booth Gardner appointed Bottiger as Washington's representative on the Northwest Conservation and Power Planning Council, where he served until 1995.

In addition to his current duties as Port of Tacoma Commission President, Bottiger has served as a Pierce Conservation District Supervisor.

Bottiger graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1956 with a degree in public administration, and from the University of Washington School of Law in 1960. He and his wife, Darlene, will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in 2005.

Port of Tacoma Commissioners serve four-year terms. The five-member Commission is the governing body of the Port, setting policy and authorizing major expenditures. Commission meetings, which are open to the public, are generally held at 4 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month. These meetings take place at the Port Business Center at 3600 Port of Tacoma Road.