SOUTH WHIDBEY: Port may reconsider candidate for director position
Kira Erickson reports from the Port of South Whidbey board meeting on Tue., June 10, 2025 for the South Whidbey Record. Read the whole story.
Concerns voiced by Port of South Whidbey employees and other members of the public may have waylaid plans to hire a candidate for the port’s executive director position.
A special meeting to discuss the hiring of an executive director was scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, June 13 after the South Whidbey Record went to press.
During the port’s regular meeting on Tuesday, three people spoke in opposition of Blaine Oborn, Oak Harbor’s former city administrator who interviewed for the top position. Port commissioners voted last week to extend the job offer to Oborn after negotiations reportedly broke down with their first choice, Randy Mueller.
Port Commissioners Curt Gordon and Greg Easton agreed to continue pursuing negotiations with Oborn and another candidate, Jan-Marc Jouas, a retired Air Force lieutenant general who did not originally apply for the role but previously served as the interim executive director for both the Port of South Whidbey and the Port of Coupeville.
They Said It
Patricia Rose, Oborn’s attorney, said he has been made aware that several members of the public have now repeated general concerns about his character based on “wholly unsubstantiated allegations stemming from many years ago” that were “unfortunately” republished by the “local media.”
“He has never had a history of mistreatment of women or other disparaging behavior towards employees in his career as a public employee or in his career specifically with the City of Oak Harbor as its City Administrator,” she said.
In a statement to the South Whidbey Record, Oborn said he is proud of his record of public service to a variety of cities throughout the U.S. and has never been found to have engaged in any inappropriate behavior or demeaning conduct towards his employees and/or women particularly.
“Unfortunately, I have learned that a necessary part of management is taking corrective action against employees at times,” he said. “That often leads to pushback if not outright untruths coming from the disciplined employee.”
He added that he would like “the Oak Harbor media” to issue a formal correction indicating that “the allegations … published in the past have not been substantiated in any forum.”
On the Ballot in November 2025
| PORT OF SOUTH WHIDBEY |
|---|
| Commissioner, Position 3 Curt Gordon, the incumbent |
