Corbitt takes Port of Lewiston’s top spot

Port of Lewiston Commissioners selected an economic development specialist to serve as the new general manager of Idaho’s only seaport.

At a special meeting Thursday, commissioners voted unanimously to hire Scott Corbitt to replace current General Manager David Doeringsfeld. Corbitt, the president and CEO of Valley Vision, will start in August and work alongside Doeringsfeld until he retires in January. Corbitt will be paid $125,000 a year.

Commission chairman Mike Thomason said Corbitt’s degree in oceanography from the University of Washington will help him negotiate the complicated science surrounding dams and their impacts on salmon and steelhead and his experience as a navigator is a plus when it comes to the shipping industry.

“I liked the fact that he’s been in the (Lewiston-Clarkston) Valley for a while and knows quite a few of the people that he’ll be working with,” Thomason said. “He has a good network. He has been very involved with the United Way, the (Lewis Clark Valley) Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club and of course, Valley Vision, and has just as a real commitment to see the community succeed.”

Corbitt will take over at a time when the region is in the midst of a tense battle over how to recover threatened and endangered Snake River salmon and steelhead. Many fisheries scientists blame the dams for low survival rates and a push for dam removal picked up steam last year when Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson unveiled a $33.5 billion concept that would breach the dams and mitigate affected communities and industries. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray, both Democrats, are expected to soon release a draft plan exploring how to replace the services provided by the dams.

Corbitt was one of three finalists for the job. The others were Rep. Caroline Troy, of Genesee, and Greg A. Morrison, of Temecula, Calif.

“We had a real high-quality group of people, in my estimation, applying for this and it was a tough decision,” said commissioner Jerry Klemm. “They were all good, it just turned out that Scott was just a little better than the rest.”

Thomason said replacing Doeringsfeld will be tough.

“He’s got a network in three states with port managers and economic development specialists and both fish and dam advocates and people across the board speak very highly of David,” said Thomason. “And, you know, he’s so involved with all these different committees and commissions that are making big decisions about what happens on the river and he’s valuable. People trust him to be not only kind, but thoughtful and, you know, he’s got his beliefs and he represents that well.”

Doeringsfeld said he plans to enjoy his retirement spending time in the great outdoors.

“I’ve got about 30 years of camping and fishing to catch up on.”

Corbitt was not at the meeting and did not return calls seeking comment.

Barker may be contacted at ebarker@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273. Follow him on Twitter @ezebarker.