PORT OF FRIDAY HARBOR

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Ahrenius seeks port seat

posted 06/28/01
"My life and business is on the water," said Mike Ahrenius. If he gets his wish, his interests will expand to include the air. Ahrenius is seeking election to the Friday Harbor Port Commission. He will run for the seat held by Charlie Nash who in May announced his intention to step down.

The three port commissioners are in charge of the Port of Friday Harbor which includes the marina and the airport. Commissioners are elected to six year terms. Each commissioner represents a different district. While the commissioners must live in the district they represent, voters can vote for any commissioner.

Ahrenius and his family run Jensen's Shipyard and Marina south of Friday Harbor. The Jensen family has had the shipyard since 1910. "We plan on keeping and maintaining it as a whole," he said. Nourdine Jensen, Ahrenius' father-in-law, was one of the original Port of Friday Harbor Commissioners.

Ahrenius' was trained in forestry and spent time building and managing apartments in Bellevue. He is certified as a property manager. He and his wife Jeri returned to San Juan Island to raise their three children -- Alisa, Jensen and Dan.

Ahrenius spent Tuesday evening at the Mullis Center participating in Department of Natural Resources discussions about liveaboards. Wednesday afternoon he sat in on the Port of Friday Harbor Commissioners' regular meeting which covered among other things, runway grooving, Sunday afternoon music series, and environmental policy development. If he wins in November, this week's meetings will just be the first of many.