Port of Coupeville commissioners should be choosing a new executive director next month.

The port received four applications for the position and plans to interview the candidates during the next regular meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Coupeville Library.

After interviewing the candidates publicly, the board will convene in executive session to discuss whom to choose, Commissioner Marshal Bronson said.

Current executive director, Tim McDonald, was hired in December 2013. He submitted his resignation this summer for personal reasons and said he’d stay until the end of the year.

Of the four candidates, two are familiar with the port.

Damon Stadler, current handyman for the port, submitted his application. In his cover letter, Stadler suggested combining his current position and the executive director position.

Citing his field experience and current relationships with suppliers and officials, Stadler suggested it would be a good fit.

“I believe with the proper adjustments this could aid in the port’s needs,” he said.

Current port volunteer David Day also applied for the position.

Day has currently been working on an application for the National Heritage Preservation Grant for the port.

He has also been volunteering and shadowing McDonald on various projects including the fuel float replacement project, drafting the request for proposals for Greenbank Farm management and other various port operations.

In his various efforts, Day says he has gained an understanding of how the port operates with its mission, vision and goals.

Day has been involved previously in the community, serving on the Town of Coupeville’s Planning Commission, the Ebey’s Forever Fund Board, and the Friends of Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, serving as board president.

“I feel that the position of executive director for the Port of Coupeville offers challenging and meaningful work,” Day wrote. “I believe I could do justice to the reputation that has been established by the previous holder of the position and continue to help the board of commissioners achieve the goals, extend the mission and uphold the values of the Port of Coupeville for voters and visitors whom it serves.”

Current Island County Assessor’s Office employee Douglas “Bernie” Upchurch also applied for the position, saying he has extensive ties to Coupeville.

He previously coached Coupeville Middle School basketball and track, owned a small inspection business in town and lived here in the early 1990s.

He currently works as a staff appraiser.

“It has been a very interesting position and I do enjoy the work, but I think my leadership and management experience may be better fit with the port,” he wrote.

The last applicant is Oak Harbor resident John Koutouzos, who says he brings 15-plus years of business management experience including seven years in marine services.

He said he felt he would be an asset and excellent fit for the position.

Koutouzos owned Skagit Towing and Rocky Point Towing in Mount Vernon and Klamath Falls, Ore., both of which he sold this summer.

He worked in marine specialties as an operations manager from 1998 to 2006.