Gary Morrison unopposed for fourth port commission term

Gary Morrison is running unopposed for his fourth term on the port commission. He is seeking reelection so that he can support ongoing harbor projects and, he admits, "because no one else is doing it."

During his tenure as a commissioner, the borough completed the Shoemaker Bay Harbor project and made improvements to the community's many harbor floats.

His priorities for the upcoming term include the installation of the security system cameras at the harbors and the corrosion-inhibiting anode project at Heritage Harbor.

For the security system, "we have the money for it, it's being designed and we'd like to see that getting in place," he said.

As for the anode project, "for some reason, there were no zincs put on the pilings when they developed Heritage Harbor," he said. "They're looking at getting a design and contract out. ... I want to see that done." The borough went out to bid on the project this week.

He'd also support some form of insurance requirement for boats that use the community's harbors. "It's really not fair for the rest of us," he said, if the borough - and by extension, the taxpayer - has to foot the bill for retrieval and cleanup when uninsured boats sink.

Morrison's 38 years of experience in leadership roles with the U.S. Forest Service taught him to "(come) to consensus on things and (look) at plans and (get) things done," he said. As a frequent harbor user, he is also familiar with issues affecting the Port and Harbors Department.

Though it isn't an ongoing project, he would also like to see a second launch ramp installed at Heritage Harbor to mitigate crowding. "Oftentimes, there are a lot of boats waiting to get out," he said. "It would be nice if we had two ramps."

The project would require grant funding that the borough does not currently have, so Morrison plans to "just keep looking for an opportunity to do that."