Dewatto on verge of filling commission vacancy

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 28, 20230

Sept. 13 marked the date when the Port of Dewatto’s remaining two commissioners were able to conduct their first regularly scheduled meeting since July 12.

Port of Dewatto Manager Jeana Crosby told the Herald the port has found a “person of interest” to fill the port’s District 2 commissioner position, which was left vacant by the death of commissioner Ray Mow on April 8.

Crosby said the potential commissioner has not been sworn in, but she did say Sept. 15 she expects that Wilson Sapp, a lieutenant in the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, would be sworn in within the next two weeks. She said she has recommended to the Mason County Board of Commissioners that they contact him about the vacant position at the port.

Sapp is a registered voter in the Lake Christine area, and Crosby said she became acquainted with him through Crosby Days (no relation) on Aug. 12 in Seabeck.

Crosby had a vendor booth at that event, where she made contact with a customer who lives in the Collins Lake area, and informed her of the vacancy on the Dewatto board.

“The next day, she contacted me about Mr. Sapp,” Crosby said. “I proceeded to interview him when he stopped by the port’s offices on the following day.”

Sapp expressed his interest in the position, so both he and Crosby contacted Mason County Commission vice chair Randy Neatherlin, representing the county’s District 1, which includes Dewatto and Allyn, Belfair, Grapeview and Tahuya.

“We then went through the proper channels at Mason County for the appointment,” Crosby said.

Crosby noted Sapp met all the requirements for the position, and touted his work in law enforcement and the number of other ways he’s active in the community.

“I am so excited, because I believe Mr. Sapp will be a great addition to our board of commissioners, along with allowing our meetings to get back to normal, hopefully,” Crosby said. “Not only do we need someone to round out our board, but I feel Mr. Sapp in particular will be a valuable asset to the port.”

If and when he’s sworn in as the port’s third commissioner, Sapp will represent the port’s District 2, which covers the areas around Haven and Wooten lakes.

Crosby was able to post Sept. 13 the overdue minutes for the port’s July 12 regular meeting and Aug. 11 special meeting at portofdewatto.com – those minutes required approval by a quorum of both of the port’s remaining commissioners.

Sapp’s appointment would mark the culmination of the back-to-back 90-day candidate search periods conducted by the Port of Dewatto and Mason County, which would have otherwise been turned over to the Governor’s Office after elapsing.