To the Editor,

When will the Port of Walla Walla understand that they are a public agency and accountable to the public?

Recently the port director hired a 30-hours a week project manager for more than $60,000 a year plus full benefits. This was done without any public notice of the job opportunity and did not give qualified individuals an opportunity to apply. Circumventing fair hiring practices in this manner is outrageous and should be questioned.

Why does the Port of Walla Walla and Director Kuntz believe they can behave so differently from other public agencies? Public agencies regularly post job openings, conduct interviews and then hire the best candidate for the job. Was there an emergency to fill this new position that we don't know about? That certainly wasn't reflected in the minutes.

For a public agency whose mission is to create jobs within Walla Walla County, the port clearly failed to provide any opportunity for qualified people to compete for the one job the port finally created. Maybe it's time that the director's job was posted.

Carlan Bradshaw

Walla Walla