Port in a storm

The Port of Seattle Commission is in an uproar over a severance package awarded to retired CEO Mic Dinsmore, as reported in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Wednesday, April 18. Three of the five commissioners told the P-I they didn't know about a $339,841 salary and benefits extension that would take place after Dinsmore's official retirement last month. Commissioner Pat Davis signed the deal in October. So now we have a royal mess. The newly arrived CEO, Tay Yoshitani, has to sort through an arrangement that, at worst, could be illegal or, maybe, simply expose faulty memories or sloppy procedures by the commission, which is in charge of our harbor and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Oddly, port staff members are lining up to defend the arrangement, saying the matter was discussed by all five commissioners during a closed-door meeting. But that contradicts commissioners who are calling it "inappropriate" or "outrageous." Commission President John Creighton says the deal did not comply with state legal requirements. Welcome to Seattle, Mr. Yoshitani.