Dow CONSTANTINE
Metropolitan King County Council
District Eight

King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue, Room 1200
Seattle. WA 98104-3272
dow.constantine@metrokc.gov         Port Commission
Meeting of

July 7, 2009

Port of Seattle Commission
PO. Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98111

Dear Commissioners:

I am writing to thank the Port of Seattle and each of you personally for hosting and
sponsoring the 2009 Maritime and Port Security Summit on May 28 and 29.

King County is a maritime county and Puget Sound comprises its entire western
boundary. Our state and our region are very trade-dependent and our ports play a major
role in our local, regional and state economies.

King County is also the regional leader in planning for emergencies and disasters. Our
role is to foster communication and coordination between all jurisdictions and agencies in
times of emergency or disaster.

Many times, effective disaster response is made easier because good interpersonal
relationships have already been established between jurisdictions and
organizations. Events such as the 2009 Maritime and Port Security Summit help to
establish and nurture these relationships.

I also had the privilege of participating in a panel discussion at the summit with
Commissioner Gael Tarleton. I learned a great deal about the perspectives of and the
challenges faced by other jurisdictions. I think events such as this will help our entire
region to work together to improve security at our ports.

Thank you again for your support of this event.

Sincerely,


Dow Constantine
Chair, King County Council
District Eight


(206) 296-1008 TTYfTDD (206) 296-1024 FAX (206) 205-5610
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