Final Statement Fell Eman 092623 (1)

Thank you for the opportunity to provide the following statement regarding Order No. 2023-11, which adopts the Board of Ethics’ Findings and Conclusions re: Complaint No. 2022-01. acknowledge and accept today’s Order. I sincerely apologize to the Complainants and the Port for allowing my passion and advocacy for saving the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whale community from extinction to override the way I should conduct myself as a Commissioner. My request to observe the quarterly meetings of the Quiet Sound Leadership Committee (QSLC), which oversees efforts to reduce ship-induced underwater noise and other conflicts with the killer whales, underlies the grounds for the complaint at issue. did not intend to cause discomfort to anyone, particularly Port staff, in the course of seeking the opportunity to attend QSLC meetings. Instead, I sought to attend those meetings to help assure the success the Quiet Sound Program, which I led efforts to create as a member of the Vessel Working Group to Governor Inslee’s Orca Task Force in 2019. As the Ethics Committee’s report acknowledges, I had no financial interest in seeking to observe the QSLC meetings nor did I violate the rights of any person’s protected status. I continue to advocate for the Quiet Sound Program’s funding, which I worked to have included in state and federal legislation, despite my inability to observe the quarterly QSLC meetings. I will also continue to support the Quiet Sound Program as I have from its inception. recognize that my words and actions sometimes lack…
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