The Seattle Port Authority says it has
found no apparent conflict of interest in Port of Seattle Executive Director
Tay Yoshitani’s decision to accept a position as a director with logistics
company Expeditors Intl.
The Aug. 27 confirmation by the port
authority followed an investigation brought on by an Aug. 24 letter signed by
13 King County, Washington legislators asking the Port of Seattle Commission to
look more closely into various issues raised by Yoshitani’s acceptance of the
second job, including conflict of interest.
In the letter, the lawmakers said that
Yoshitani being on the board of Expeditors could result in the company’s
clientele gaining a competitive advantage over non-Expeditors port customers.
However the port has said that it has
carefully looked at the agreement and found that Yoshitani would not be in
violation of any port rules or regulations.
Yoshitani, who has been the port’s
executive director since March 2007, was announced as the newest member of the
company’s board of directors Aug. 9. In his new role, he stands to earn more
than $230,000 in annual compensation, on top of the nearly $367,000 a year he
makes with the port.
His current employment agreement with Seattle,
which expires in June 2014, has language stating that he can serve on the board
of a company or other private entity on his own time as long as the port deems that
the board membership doesn’t create a conflict of interest or violate the port’s
ethics code.
