Fred Felleman

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Fred Felleman

Port of Seattle Commission Position 5

Tenure

Present officeholder

Term ends

2027

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 7, 2023

Fred Felleman is a member of the Port of Seattle Commission in Washington, representing Position 5. Felleman's current term ends on December 31, 2027.

Felleman ran for re-election to the Port of Seattle Commission to represent Position 5 in Washington. Felleman won in the general election on November 7, 2023.

Elections

2023

See also: Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2023)

General election

General election for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5

Incumbent Fred Felleman defeated Jesse Tam in the general election for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5 on November 7, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Felleman (Nonpartisan)	73.2	336,158
		Jesse Tam (Nonpartisan)	26.5	121,822
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,553

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 459,533
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5

Incumbent Fred Felleman and Jesse Tam defeated Todd Curtis in the primary for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5 on August 1, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Felleman (Nonpartisan)	56.5	215,148
✔		Jesse Tam (Nonpartisan)	25.6	97,548
	Submit photo	Todd Curtis (Nonpartisan)	17.3	65,935
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	2,006

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 380,637
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Felleman in this election.

2019

See also: Municipal elections in King County, Washington (2019)

General election

General election for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5

Incumbent Fred Felleman defeated Garth Jacobson in the general election for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Felleman (Nonpartisan)	71.9	380,817
	Submit photo	Garth Jacobson (Nonpartisan)	27.7	146,768
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	1,977

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 529,562
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5

Incumbent Fred Felleman and Garth Jacobson defeated Jordan Lemmon in the primary for Port of Seattle Commission Position 5 on August 6, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Fred Felleman (Nonpartisan)	72.4	284,847
✔	Submit photo	Garth Jacobson (Nonpartisan)	20.0	78,705
	Submit photo	Jordan Lemmon (Nonpartisan)	7.0	27,390
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	2,463

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 393,405
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Fred Felleman did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2019

Fred Felleman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Felleman's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

Climate Change: I’m committed to helping the Port achieve its Century Agenda goal of becoming the cleanest, greenest Port in the nation. Taking initiaties to reduce the Port’s greenhouse gas emissions is a key component of meeting this important goal.

Economic Growth: We are working to make sure that the economic prosperity generated by Port-related family-wage careers is enjoyed as widely as possible to support our communities and quality of life. As the technology sector rapidly increases the the cost of living in Seattle and King County, we must ensure that our families and workers can continue to afford to live and work here.

Social Equity: The Port needs to evaluate the success of our equity and diversity efforts in large part by the degree to which there are increased opportunities for small, minority and women-owned businesses in the workplace and that those opportunities are taken advantage of. The Port’s recent disparity study makes it clear that there is room for much improvement on this front.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm personally interested in empowering the Port's new Director of Equity, Diversity

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I'm committed to the principles of integrity, honesty, transparency and accountability in all of my public actions as an elected offical.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I’m running for re-election to increase the Port’s economic impact while reducing its carbon footprint and ensuring that acountability and social equity are integrated into all Port decision-making.

In my next term I will continue to: Reduce of the Port’s GHG emissions; Stimulate an economy that works for everyone by promote green innovations, while protecting our working waterfront and industrial lands; Expand opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses, while seeking environmental and economic justice for disproportionately impacted communities; Inspire youth to pursue Port-related jobs of-the-future, by championing innovation, apprenticeships and internships. And be accessible, inclusive and responsive to community interests.

I will continue to champion Port policies rooted in fiscal responsibility, ecological integrity and social equity.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I’m running for re-election to build on the contributions I’ve made to increase the Port’s economic impact while reducing its carbon footprint and ensuring that acountability and social equity are integrated into all Port decision-making.

I look forward to building on the progress I’ve made during my first term in office, having developed a broader understanding of the Port’s numerous operations and with new leadership at the Port, for which I’m proud to have been a significant part. We showed CEO Fick the door and hired former Coast Guard Vice Admiral Steve Metruck, who is a man of exceptional leadership and moral integrity. He hired a new Senior Legal Counsel and HR Director as well as three new staff to create an environmental center of excellence. Also, we created a new executive level position, Senior Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which I’ve championed for over a year.

We've made great progress to meet the needs of our rapidly growing region. We're reopening Terminal 5 and siting a another new cruise ship terminal. At SeaTac we're opening an international arrivals facility, as well as
expanding the North Satellite terminal, and planning for an entirely new passenger terminal. At the same time we have become engaged in the identification of the next regional airport because we are quickly eclipsing SeaTac’s capacity.

The airport is also a critical source of employment for many hardworking immigrants who drive cabs and work in the restaurants we're fortunate to have in our community. I’ve been attentive and responsive to their interests throughout my tenure and will continue to do so.

Upon arrival to the Port, I championed the creation of the Port's Energy and Sustainability Committee which I continue to co-chair. The Committee’s work has led the creation of a center for environmental excellence at the Port, installation of 2 solar arrays and a blue carbon pilot project amongst many other accomplishments.
I was appointed to the Governors Maritime Blue Task Force to advance workforce development, innovation and the decarbonizeation of the maritime industry.

I currently serve as the Vice President of the Port Commission, and work with airport communities as the co-chair of the Highline Forum and participate in a variety of other committees. I’ll continue to promote green jobs and protect a working waterfront that works for everyone and keeps our Unions strong.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I am committed to being a climate champion for current and future generations by ensuring that the Port reduces its greenhouse gas footprint, and take all available climate change actions, in the most timely manner possible. I'm also committed to ensuring that our immigrant and underserved communities share in all of the opportunities that the Port creates in the most equitable way.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I often describe the Port of Seattle as an octopus with many tentacles everywhere, because we are the major economic engine for the region and the state. We own and operate SeaTac Airport, the cruise ship terminals, grain terminals, Fishermen's Bay, Shilshole Bay Marine, and numerous other public properties, as well as serve as a co-equal partner in the Northwest Seaport Alliance that operates our cargo terminals. Given that 90% of the things we buy arrive on a ship, that we work to create family-wage careers, and most of us take a vacation or visit family through SeaTac Airport, the Port has an increasing presence in the lives of all residents of King County and beyond.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

The Port of Seattle is a complex organization, with many diverse interests and operations. I believe it is important to have a commitment to the goals of inclusive diversity, economic prosperity and environmental health that I have helped champion the past four years. Diversity is having the Port reflect the ethnic, religious, and sexual orientation of the community it serves both in its staff, especially in HR and on the Executive Leadership team. Diversity is also helping to create an inclusive economy through programs such as priority hire, internships and apprenticeships enabling communities of many backgrounds to be able to be part of this wealthy region of the country in which is getting progressively expensive to live. Economic opportunities abound at the Port in Port-related jobs and the trades in general, that are not being taken advantage of. I believe this is due in part to the way in which these jobs are portrayed in the media. Rather than presenting them as dirty and requiring brawn rather than brains, we need to highlight the innovation that pervades these fields. Every time a new vessel is launched from a shipyard should be a celebration of technology, workmanship, jobs and economic impact. I am proud to have been a part of the Port's commitment the past few years to ensuring that all of our policies and actions address the triple bottom line of social equity, environmental sustainability, and fiscal responsibility.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. I ran for office for the first time in 2015 without having served as an elected office. However, I had followed the Port for over a decade and was an active participant during that time in working to ensure that it adopted and operated under environmentally sustainable rules and standards.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by -	Port of Seattle Commission Position 5 -Present	Succeeded by -