While talking with former Bainbridge mayor
Dwight Sutton this morning, the news broke that
Bremerton
Mayor Cary Bozeman was calling it quits.
Sutton had, only moments before, held Bozeman up as an example
of an effective and visionary city leader.
“Dwight, he just quit,” I said.
“Doesn’t surprise me,” said the two-term Bainbridge mayor, not
missing a beat.
Bozeman’s a man on the move, Sutton said, and likely has higher
ambitions than mayor of Bremerton. Bozeman’s efforts to
revitalize Bremerton’s downtown have caught
the attention of many, making Bozeman a sought-after leader in
other arenas, he said.
“Anybody that’s really good, like Cary is, that’s who they’re
going to go after,” Sutton said, speculating that executive head
hunters have been circling Bozeman’s office for a long time.
He said Bozeman’s new post as head of the Port of Bremerton is a
good fit. The port is eying an expanded airport, improving its
industrial areas, promoting its marinas and developing the SEED clean technology
site.
“The port’s emerging as an institution and is calling for
dynamic opportunities,” Sutton said. “So Cary’s a reasonable
choice, and we’ll have to keep our eyes (on the port) to see what
he does.”