At the League of Women Voters meeting here on Lopez last Thursday eve, Bob’s opponent listed the many improvements made at the airport during his lengthy tenure.

Unfortunately, what wasn’t acknowledged was that:

Most of these improvements were accomplished because of Bob Porter’s actions during his time as a Port commissioner;

The Port is in good financial condition because Bob Porter, alone, negotiated with the Flyer’s Association for the purchase of land, hangers and storage units which now bring in substantial revenues to the Port;

It was Bob Porter, alone, who negotiated an easement across property owned by the Clure’s, at the sound. Once completed, this ecological project alleviated significant problems for neighboring properties;

Bob, alone, negotiated with the property owner at the north end of the airport for the Port to manage trees for flight safety at that time;

It was Bob Porter who was the primary contact for the runway overlay and landing lighting project;

And most importantly Bob Porter worked closely with the FAA to obtain financial support which  paid the majority of the expenses associated with these improvements.

These are some of the things Bob Porter has quietly performed on behalf of the Lopez Community and for the Port of Lopez.

Lopezians need to know that these things happened because of Bob’s involvement and foresight. He was the leader who spent hundreds of hours on these projects, and because of this the Port is able to operate effectively today. Certainly these activities wouldn’t have happened without the vote and back-up of at least another Commissioner.

However I know how much effort Bob Porter spent to make things happen. I know, because I was there.

Larry Hendel

Former Port of Lopez Commissioner