Port of Tacoma Commissioner R. Ted Bottiger has been named by the Seattle Propeller Club this year’s Elected Official of the Year Award recipient.
The honor, bestowed annually at the Seattle Maritime Festival’s Maritime Luncheon, was presented aboard the Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas. The luncheon was co-sponsored by the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Seattle Propeller Club. The Club is a non-profit organization that promotes maritime commerce in the Puget Sound region and supports the American Merchant Marine. It also strives to foster understanding and cooperation in the public and private sectors with regard to maritime issues.
Each year, the Seattle Propeller Club recognizes a local elected official whose outstanding work or service has made a significant contribution to maritime commerce in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Bottiger has served as Tacoma’s Port Commissioner for 12 years and has distinguished himself as a leader in the maritime community as a former Washington State legislator and Senate Majority Leader. He also served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Transportation in the 1980s.
As Tacoma Port Commissioner, Bottiger has acted as an ambassador to Alaska and a persistent promoter of the key trading partnership between Puget Sound and the 49th state.
“Commissioner Bottiger is instrumental in working with Alaskan and Washington policy-makers to assure they come to appreciate the essential economic partnership between our two states. Alaska’s economic significance to the Puget Sound includes over $4 billion in earnings impact and over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs,” according to Dan Kovacich, President of the Seattle Propeller Club.
Previous recipients include U.S. Senators Slade Gorton and Patty Murray, state legislators Helen Sommers, Gary Chandler, Karen Schmidt, Mike Cooper, and Jeanette Wood and Seattle Port Commissioner Pat Davis.
Nominees are recognized for positive contributions to the Puget Sound marine community and ensuring that our region retains its traditional ties to maritime commerce.
