A woman of color has never been elected to Seattle Port Commission. That could change this year

Toshiko Grace Hasegawa of Beacon Hill is running for the Port Commission Position 4 seat against incumbent Peter Steinbrueck.

The battle is generational. Both Hasegawa and Steinbrueck come from liberal Seattle families long steeped in politics, but their campaigns represent the varied options of the Port's future.

The Seattle Port Commission oversees a vast transportation empire, which includes Sea-Tac airport and the working waterfront, which includes the fishing, cargo and cruise industries. The Port says it supports around 200,000 jobs that pay out around $7 billion in wages per year.

Hasegawa is currently Executive Director of the state’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs. She’s also a 4th generation Seattleite, and a mixed-race Japanese-American Millennial who lives on Beacon Hill.

“Look at who has historically been a commissioner, it has not historically represented folks from South King County, or airport cities, from communities of color, or immigrants or refugees,” she said.