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.”
