Fil-Am Seattle port staffer enters race for port commissioner

Bea Querido-Rico left her position at the Seattle Port in order to join the race for port commissioner. CONTRIBUTED

SEATTLE — Filipino American Bea Querido-Rico, an engineer and business professional with over 12 years of industry experience, left her position as a staffer for the Port of Seattle to run for Port Commissioner.

Querido-Rico finished her education in business and engineering at George Washington University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Transportation and Logistics, MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program (ZLOG).

Her family immigrated to the United States from the Philippines. Querido-Rico is the first Filipino to run for a King County seat in the last 10 years.

According to one of her early supporters, Tony Olgivy, president of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest, “Bea managed to collect over 600 physical signatures of King County voters in less than a week and is the only candidate in her race that did not use money to get on the ballot. I am proud to personally endorse a real grassroots candidate that will bring true change to the Port.”

If elected, she promises to champion “social equity and inclusion, innovation and technology and government accountability and transparency.”

“I’m stepping up to repeal I-200 and that means more than a vote on Commission. I’d like to see a reduction to the tax levy. I believe we need to be more proactive in the future of transportation, specifically in space transportation development and proactively address which supply chain of the NewSpace market the community can pursue,” said Querido-Rico

“I value Bea’s engineering and Port expertise. Her focus on the future of transportation, especially in space commercialization is what our local government needs. More people should engage in Space because that’s where economic development is needed and that’s why I will vote for her,” said Jeremy Wainscott NewSpace Activist and Master of Public Administration, Science and Technology Policy from the University of Washington.

Querido-Rico volunteers and lectures at St. James Cathedral in Seattle. She has served on multiple nonprofit boards for the Asian Pacific Islander community as well as for aerospace, and transportation organizations.

“I look forward to being an independent voice on the Commission, and will represent our entire county, including our youth, our seniors, our diverse ethnic communities and neighborhoods around King County,” she said.

“As past president of FYLPRO, Bea’s leadership was instrumental to our nonprofit’s programs nationwide and across countries. Her passion to serve and tenacity to uphold strong values of efficiency, fairness, and innovation are qualities the King County will benefit from,” explained Kit Zulueta, President of the Filipino Young Leaders Program (FYLPRO).