by Joan Pringle
It may come down to a real horse race — or three — in the Port of Anacortes commissioners election with each of the three incumbents facing their own challenger.
Roger Born, a former computer systems engineer and American Sailing Association certified sailing and navigation instructor, is running for the District 1 commissioner seat against incumbent Ray Niver. Niver is in his second term of serving on the board.
John Prosser, a real estate broker, filed for port commissioner District 2. He will be running against Bill Short, who is serving his second term on the board.
J. Michael McAdams of Decatur Island also filed for the District 2 seat, but said Monday he will be withdrawing from the election due to personal projects.
Guy Davidson, real estate broker and co-owner of the Majestic Inn & Spa, filed to run against Commission President Keith Rubin in his District 5 seat. Rubin is serving his first term in office.
The new candidates along with the incumbents officially entered the races during filing week (June 1-5) for the Nov. 3 general election. Since each position has only two candidates, no runoffs will be necessary in the Aug. 18 primary.
• Born, a four-year Anacortes resident, said he has attended port meetings for various reasons and felt it was something he could do well. With a financial background, he would be able to understand what is going on, he said.
Born worked as a system engineer, manager and consultant in the computer industry for large companies and the government, including Texas Instruments and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Today Born is semi-retired and works as a fleet captain for Anacortes Yacht Charters.
He is a member of the Skyline Beach Club architecture committee, Anacortes Yacht Club, will serve as assistant treasurer for the Anacortes Kiwanis Noon Club starting in October and has taught a navigation class for the Anacortes Community Maritime Center.
He volunteered as a ski patrol member for 20 years and as an assistant director for the Laguna Seca Race Track, a charitable, nonprofit auto track in Monterey.
“With that kind of background, I want to get involved,” Born said.
• Prosser “intends to bring a fresh face and a future vision” to the port, according to a June 5 press release.
“I believe the Port of Anacortes should be run like a business and the best approach for doing that is to work with the other commissioners and port staff in viewing issues with an open mind and implementing policies and goals that are good for the community as a whole,” he said.
An Anacortes resident for 31 years, Prosser said he “has long served the community of Anacortes in different capacities.”
He has worked in the real estate business in Anacortes for 30 years, starting Windermere Real Estate/Anacortes Properties in 1988. He sold the business in 2001 but continues to be an associate broker for Windermere.
He has been a member of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce since 1982 and served two terms as president. He currently chairs the chamber’s economic development committee.
Prosser has also been a member of the Anacortes Rotary Club since 1984 and was elected president in 1991, and serves on the Island Hospital Foundation Board.
In the past, he has been a member of the Skagit Valley College Foundation and Anacortes/San Juan chapter of the American Red Cross boards.
• Davidson has lived in Anacortes for five years after moving here from Chicago. He worked for Windermere Real Estate for three years before starting Coastal Realty in January.
“I think Anacortes needs someone to take the comprehensive plan and the Anacortes Futures Project and implement them,” Davidson said. “I think I can bring energy, leadership and development ideas to make it happen.”
Davidson said he is active in his church, Christ Episcopal, and was instrumental in bringing the adult day care facility to Anacortes. As chairman of the capital campaign, he helped raise the money to buy the house for the facility.
Residents in all five port districts will vote in the final three representatives for four-year terms. District 1 includes the west end of Anacortes. District 2 is the northeast portion of the city and also includes Guemes and Cypress islands. District 5 is South Fidalgo Island.
