Uncertainty was its own theme at a candidates forum in Astoria this week.
Candidates vying for special district seats in Oregon’s upcoming May election wrestled with variations of the question: How would they help grow and maintain stability amid uncertainty?
The forum, hosted by the Astoria branch of the American Association of University Women, included candidates in contested races for the Astoria School District Board, the Clatsop Community College board of education, the Port of Astoria Commission and the Sunset Empire Transportation District Board.
The Trump administration and its ongoing efforts to slash the federal government were not mentioned explicitly, but uncertainty tied to those actions touched on every race featured at the forum, including Port of Astoria Commission which is looking to a federal grant to repair critical infrastructure.
All of the candidates for the Port Commission races who were present on Tuesday agreed that rehabilitating the Port’s Pier 2 is among their top priorities.
The pier is home to Bornstein Seafoods and Da Yang Seafood, but a failing seawall and other issues jeopardize those operations and have the potential to impact the broader local commercial fishing industry. In 2023, the port of Astoria landed a $25 million grant from the U.S. Maritime Administration to make major repairs at the pier.
While there isn’t any indication yet that the port is in danger of losing the grant, recent federal cuts by the Trump administration have impacted other local projects and operations.
“If the Port had 20 priorities, Pier 2 would be one through 19,” said Dirk Rohne, a dairy farmer and the current Port Commissioner in the position 3 seat.
Rohne said the Port is in a better place than when he joined the commission in 2017. Besides the Pier 2 grant, the Port is also looking to redevelop a portion of the waterfront. Rohne said he is running for reelection because he wants to see these projects through.
Rohne’s challenger for the position 3 seat is Thomas Jenkins, who currently works with the Oregon Department of Emergency Management. He said the port needs to focus on developing businesses that will bring living wage jobs to the region.
“Not just in the Port, but near the port because a lot of businesses off the waterfront and away from the airport depend on what we’re doing,” he said.
But another major priority is “protecting the natural resources and the natural environment the port occupies,” he added.
Rob Seitz, a commercial fisherman and the owner of South Bay Wild in Astoria, is running for the position 5 seat. In addition to the funding for Pier 2, he calls the boatyard at Pier 3 one of the Port’s biggest successes. Demand for the boatyard is high and it has begun to bring in money for the Port.
On Tuesday, Seitz argued that, through Pier 3 and Pier 2, the port should focus on what it does best.
“Which is fishing,” he said, “both commercial and recreational, the shipyard and tourism. We are the biggest seafood port in the country. Fishing is a part of our history and culture. It’s in Astoria’s DNA.”
Seitz will run against newcomer Thaddeus Fickel, a commercial pilot.
Pier 2 is at the top of Fickel’s priority list if elected, but as a pilot, he also advocated for the Astoria Airport, property the Port owns and oversees.
“I flu all over the Western United States and this is a beautiful airport with a lot of possibility,” he said, adding, “We have the Bar Pilots, the helicopter that takes tours around in Seaside … the Coast Guard. My little flight school is there, and I believe that we have an opportunity to make the airport a more useful, front-of-mind place.”
James Campbell, the incumbent for the position 1 seat, was not able to attend because of health issues.
He and his challenger, former Astoria City Councilor Tom Brownson, have had the biggest obvious divergence in how they think about the Port’s priorities.
While both men agree Pier 2 is a huge priority, Campbell has told KMUN he believes bringing more cargo across the Port could build important revenue streams.
Brownson has pushed back at that plan, calling it unrealistic. On Tuesday, he talked about the log export business currently operating on the Port’s Pier 1.
“And if you’ve paid any attention, you’ve seen that that sort of comes and goes,” he said. “It’s not really a very sustainable use of that property.”
He advocates for looking at ways to improve the use of Pier 1.
Both Brownson and Campbell do agree more needs to be done to make the port’s East Mooring Basin farther upriver viable again. The basin is not useable to fishermen after a gangway collapsed and then had to be removed.
The other candidates also agreed the East Mooring Basin needs to be fixed.
Editor’s note: This story is a snapshot of answers and discussions that occurred at a recent candidates forum in Astoria. To listen to the entire forum and hear everything candidates for various contested races in Oregon’s upcoming May election had to say, check out KMUN’s Special Programs.