Editor:

I've known Richard Marks for more than 20 years. I know him as a dedicated husband and father, basketball coach, softball organizer, competent machine operator, responsible union representative and harbor commissioner. He currently serves on multiple boards, and in the past was on the Samoa Peninsula Fire District and the Humboldt Domestic Violence Services boards.

I have captained both a commercial fishing vessel and a tour boat on Humboldt Bay for a number of years and I'm very familiar with the history and politics of this important part of our community.

During the last decade, I've watched Richard with the Harbor District board and their staff take his harbor from bust to boom in a way I would only describe as truly brilliant. Shipping and commerce have rebounded with millions of dollars invested in infrastructure, many jobs have returned to the peninsula and it is more vibrant than in many years.

Chuck De-Witt, Fairhaven