Newcomer defeating longtime Port of Benton commissioner
A winery owner was defeating a 26-year veteran for a spot on the Port of Benton commission.
Lori Stevens, the co-owner of Prosser’s Airfield Estates, is leading long-time Commissioner Jane Hagarty after the first round of votes were counted Tuesday.
Stevens had 4,218 votes, or 62%, while Hagarty had 2,583 votes, or 38%. The position has a six-year term on the three-person board.
Stevens and her brother, Marcus Miller, are fourth-generation operators of the Airport Ranch in the Yakima Valley. It is one of the state’s largest vineyards at 830 acres, according to an article in Great Northwest Wine.
Stevens campaigned on wanting to see the port use its resources more to generate tourism and business opportunities. She criticized the port for seeming too focused on making a profit.
The port covers two-thirds of Benton County stretching from north Richland to Prosser. This includes airports in both Richland and Prosser.
In 2006, Stevens and her family purchased land from the port to built Airfield Estates’ first tasting room in Prosser.
“I appreciate the support that the Port of Benton provided my business when it was getting started,” she said in her campaign statement in the voter’s pamphlet. “Port district properties are some of the most sought after and visible in our area.”
Stevens will be one of two new members on the commission. Longtime Commissioner Robert Larson announced his retirement from the board late last month.
A commissioner will be appointed to replace him.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 1:22 PM.