The harbor board voted three in favor of and two opposed to changing bookkeeper Sandy Moreno’s contract to become a paid employee of the harbor. Moreno is currently an independent contractor, keeping the books for the harbor, a position she asked for board approval to keep moving forward. The vote came due to some board members seeking to retain Moreno as an employee.Prior to the vote, Moreno presented her case to the board.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');“Some folks like to work in chaos. I don’t,” she said. “I appreciate working with astute people.” Moreno asked for 100 percent support, but commissioners Dan Schmidt and Annie Nehmer oppose the contract stating it would be better if Moreno was an employee of the harbor. “Moreno’s position takes a job away from the harbor,” Nehmer said at the meeting. With the board’s 3-2 vote, Moreno will continue as a contracted bookkeeper, earning $75 per hour typically working 18 hours per month on the harbor’s finances. Commissioners heard a call for unity from the public, even as the harbor works to recover from last month’s tsunami. A member of the audience reminded the board the community is depending on them to row in the same direction.“I had hoped the five of you commissioners would work to move forward to make this harbor a success,” said an audience member. “My observation is, this isn’t happening. You need to figure out what you want to do and need to get with it.” In other business: Recent updates of the July 29-30 tsunami inflicted an estimated $1million in damage, according to Harbormaster Mike Rademaker. This figure pales in comparison to the $50 million disaster of 2011, when the entire docks were ripped apart, vessels destroyed, and the harbor left crippled for months.“By contrast, the current damage, though serious, is also more manageable,” Rademaker continued. “We have multiple teams of world-renowned engineers coming forward, donating their time and expertise to help us develop solutions.”Coastal engineers and tsunami researchers, including those who advised the district after the 2011 disaster, have begun advising commissioners. Among them is Dr. Patrick Lynett, Professor of Coastal Engineering at the University of Southern California, a nationally recognized authority on tsunamis and coastal dynamics.Also on board is Rob Sloop Vice President and Coastal Engineer at Moffatt & Nichol, a firm with deep experience in marine and coastal infrastructure. Sloop has been on the ground offering technical advice on both immediate recovery and long-term structural improvements.Rademaker exclaimed, “Unity is essential in the face of shared challenges. The Harbor District now has an opportunity to turn a disaster into a model of resilience.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });