Port of Bellingham officials have been informed that Larry Williams, one of the five finalists being considered for the port's executive director position, is no longer interested.
In a letter to the port, Williams alerted port commissioners that he is removing his name from contention, "in order to pursue opportunities that are more in line with my personal and professional goals," according to the Bellingham Herald.
Williams, who currently serves as the assistant director for international trade and economic development at the Washington State Department of Commerce, was named as a finalist last week along with four others by the port governing board. More than 100 candidates applied for the $125,000 to $135,000-a-year position, which has been vacant since executive director Jim Darling left the port in June 2009 for a position in the private sector.
The remaining finalists are: Jeffrey Bishop, executive director for the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay; John Carter, City of Bellingham finance director; Dwight Rives, Port of Seattle director of port construction services; and, Mark Watson, former city administrator of Yuma, Ariz.
Port commissioners plan to interview the remaining finalists in early July, hold a public meeting the next week to introduce the finalists to the public, and make a final selection by the end of the month.