Port Commissioner John Creighton on Century Agenda Goals

If asked, Port Commissioner John Creighton could provide an entire speech about why he'd like to be reelected to his seat in 2013. He could site his effectiveness in office, his ability to bridge the gap between a diverse group of stakeholders, his work making sure the Port listened to and worked closely with the communities that surround the Port and his deeply held conviction that performing work in public office provides its own rewards. John Creighton might also provide one other reason for his campaign, and his hopes for reelection. The Port has put together a serious set of goals for the coming years, and John Creighton wants to ensure that they come to fruition.

According to the Port of Seattle website, the commission would like to add 100,000 jobs to the Port of Seattle, bringing the total number of jobs the Port provides to a whopping 300,000. Raising employment in this way means increasing air cargo volume, growing seaport container volume and increasing the economic value of maritime work. In addition, the commission would like to advance Seattle as a tourism destination, allowing more dollars to flow into the economy on a regular basis.

This is an ambitious agenda, and it's likely that commissioners will need to work closely together to ensure that all milestones and goals are met on a regular basis. They'll need to build strong links to the business community, and they'll need to ensure that residents of King County understand what they want to accomplish, and why it matters. Since John Creighton is well respected by both the business community and labor, the environmental community and neighborhood advocates, he is in an excellent position to handle these tasks. He also believes in the promise of Seattle, and would find it personally satisfying to see the influence of the city grow. 

Port Commissioner John Creighton on the Importance of Tourism to Seattle

It's easy to downplay the role that tourism plays in the economy of Seattle. After all, the city is best known for its bustling port, and it has achieved worldwide fame as the home of major businesses such as Amazon and Starbucks. It's not surprising that people think of Seattle as a place where companies come to set up shop, not a place where tourists spend their hard-earned money. In reality, according to Port Commissioner John Creighton, Seattle is heavily dependent on the tourism industry, and without those tourist dollars, the Port wouldn't be able to achieve the ambitious goals that it would like to meet in the coming years.

According to statistics published by the Seattle Convention and Visitor's Bureau, tourism ranks fourth in gross domestic product produced in Washington. In addition, the tourism industry supports almost 160,000 jobs, and in a tough economy, those jobs would be difficult to replicate or do without. Each tourist who comes to the city spends money on hotels, on food, on entertainment and on souvenirs. Each tourist also goes back home with stories of how amazing Seattle is and how terrific the trip was. It's easy to see why these tourists should be respected, coddled and encouraged to come back again. With each visit, these tourists have the opportunity to make Seattle's future just a bit brighter.

According to a Port of Seattle press release, the Port Commission approved a $50,000 investment in the Washington Tourism Alliance, a nonprofit established by the local tourism industry to promote Washington as the ultimate travel and vacation destination. With this investment, the Port hopes to help the Alliance to bring more tourists to the area. The funds these tourists bring with them can be used to create more jobs in Seattle, and help the city to meet its goals for sustainability and innovation. Find out more about the organization here. 

John Creighton: Port of Seattle Goals Can Be Complex and Overlapping

As Port Commissioner, John Creighton has been involved in many difficult decisions involving the Port of Seattle. At times, he's endured fire from critics who claim that the Port is losing its soul and is crumbling to the needs of gentrification and a never-ending population boom.  He’s also heard complaints from business leaders who want improved access to the port or else they will find neighboring communities who are willing to provide them with the access and government policies that they feel they need to operate. While listening to comment is part of any politician's job, John Creighton feels that these sorts of comments are particularly hard to deal with, as they point to the crux of what the Port means to Seattle, and that meaning can vary from group to group.

In Seattle, the Port is a thriving business that brings both revenue and jobs into the community. Each container that comes into the Port represents an economic opportunity for Seattle, and that's not an opportunity the region can afford to waste. According to a blog entry written by John Creighton, the state of Washington, the Port, King County, the city of Seattle and public and private interests have invested over $1 billion in infrastructure to support the industrial activities at the Port. Pushing out industry through gentrification means wasting these investments.

However, the Port provides some of the most sought-after real estate in Seattle, with stunning views of the water and amazing access to the hip and trendy parts of downtown. It's no wonder that so many people want to live in this part of Seattle, John Creighton says, and it's no wonder that businesses want to place restaurants, stadiums and other enticements there to make them stay.

The key is to make smart investments so that competing uses on the waterfront can co-exist, John Creighton says, to make good decisions on a case-by-case basis. This is what Port CommissionerJohn Creighton hopes to do in moving forward the Port’s Century Agenda, its 25-year plan to bring another 100,000 port-related jobs to the region.

John Creighton: Seattle Voters Expect Twitter Presence

As a public figure, John Creighton is expected to maintain some sort of online presence. It's the best way to ensure that he can respond to breaking news, and remind voters of his works in the months leading up to an election. There are many different sites public figures can use to reach out to the electorate, but according to John Creighton, Twitter remains the tool of choice. In fact, in Seattle, John Creighton is known as an early and an enthusiastic user of Twitter.

According to the official Twitter blog, the first tweet was sent on March 21, 2006, and it read, simply, "inviting coworkers." Since that time, tweets have grown much longer, and they've also become much more prevalent. Now, Media Bistro reports, Twitter is seeing a remarkable 400 million tweets per day, which represents an increase of almost 18 percent in less than three months. At a time when pundits are claiming that Facebook is close to death, Twitter is claiming new users on a daily basis, and the company is beginning to make money due to the extensive traffic the site generates on a daily basis.

When shopping for a method by which to stay in touch with his constituents, Twitter seemed like an obvious choice for John Creighton. Here, he could share links to press releases and blog entries that outlined his accomplishments and hopes for the future, and he could encourage his followers to read up on the topics that would make them more informed voters. He could also interact with voters, without sharing the sort of private information that commonly makes up a Facebook page. Currently, Port Commissioner John Creighton submits multiple tweets each day, and Twitter users can follow him by clicking on this link.

John Creighton: Seattle Gridlock Situation Needs Urgent Solutions

As the Port of Seattle Commission representative on the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board, John Creighton has the enviable opportunity to weigh in on the viability of projects that could improve the transportation situation in Seattle and King County. It's important work, as Seattle has become synonymous with gridlock. According to Seattle Magazine, the average Seattle resident spends 44 hours in traffic per year, and it's become a standard party pastime to trade commuting horror stories. It's the job of the Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board to come up with solutions to what has become an almost unsolvable problem.

According to John Creighton, Seattle's main issue is due to a basic overdependence on automobiles. He points to a recent survey in which 52.9 percent of Seattle residents report moving from one place to another while driving alone. Only 18.3 percent take the bus. One way to increase this number is to provide better public transportation services for the residents of Seattle and King County. John Creighton would like to see decisions on these projects made on the basis of ridership, and he'd like to see more Seattle residents take advantage of these options as they become available.

In addition, there are multiple projects available for Seattle to invest in, but the key word is "investment." Construction projects can be expensive, and as John Creighton knows, the federal funds for these projects are becoming harder and harder to obtain. Elected officials can come up with good ideas to put in front of voters, but the reality is that these solutions do come with a price tag. It's an unfortunate part of doing business in a time when state and federal budgets are so very restricted.  It is incumbent upon elected officials to make sure that only projects offering real solutions to our traffic mess are brought forward and that those project are planned and managed at the least cost to taxpayers, John Creighton says.