As a range of Washington and Oregon communities take a look at their port districts - there's some nibbling around in Seattle about that - they may want to cast a glance to Astoria, where the local daily is running a strong series of articles about problems at the port district there.
Much of the Astorian is behind a subscriber wall but this piece, the leadoff in the series, was not. It points out, "The Port has been accused of taking unusual risks with public dollars, its executive director, Peter Gearin, is under legal scrutiny for his role in violating a federal dredge permit, Port commissioners have been fingered for profiting from their positions, and several Port employees have left their posts without much explanation."