Here's what people told the port about hiring a new CEO

The public on Wednesday had a lot to say about how a new port CEO should be appointed. Over the course of more than an hour, a line of area residents and officials at the commission’s meeting largely demanded more transparency and engagement in the appointment process.

Sean Strawbridge, former chief executive officer for the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, resigned in May.

The special meeting, in part, included public comment specific to the hiring process.

Some community members and several local government officials have said the commission has rushed the process and disregarded the input of area agencies, environmental advocates and residents who are significantly affected by port activities, including several from San Patricio County.

San Patricio County has been at the focus of new, largescale industrial development in recent years . The process in which it has been developed, and where it has been developed, has been criticized by some as heavy-handed and dismissive of area residents.

Addressing port commissioners, San Patricio County Commission Tom Yardley described the hiring process of the port’s new CEO as having been a missed opportunity to “start repairing those relationships and rebuilding the trust in the port that has been so severely eroded,” but there remained time to “change that path.”

It’s not an issue of being anti-growth or anti-port, he said, adding that it was well-recognized that the port plays a chief role in the economy and tax base.

“What I do have issues with is the methods the port has used – and specifically, how the port interacts with its neighboring governmental bodies,” Yardley said.

Environmental considerations have also been an issue. Several speakers sought inclusion for representatives from several area environmental advocacy groups, some of whom have said the port’s projects have endangered the health of area ecology and people.

Jennifer Hilliard, a member of the Ingleside on the Bay Coastal Watch, described some of the port’s projects as having the potential to “impact people and environmental resources for generations to come.”

“Many projects the port is now pursuing have the power to destroy communities that have been in existence for 80 years and impacts environments that sustain hundreds of thousands of commercial fisherman and recreational anglers,” she said.

It was not immediately clear early Wednesday afternoon the exact timeframe commissioners are seeking to fill the CEO position, or the finalists being considered.

Kent Britton, the port’s chief financial officer, has been serving as the interim CEO, pending a permanent hire for the position.

More: Port of Corpus Christi CEO Sean Strawbridge to resign

More: Port of Corpus Christi taps interim CEO in unanimous vote

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Public, local leaders criticize port's hiring process for new CEO