NEW BEDFORD — Kristin Decas, executive director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, is leaving her post to run a California port — a move that will just about double her salary.
Decas, a 42-year-old Wareham resident who has held her post since 2007, plans to become the executive director of the Oxnard Harbor District, which includes the Port of Hueneme and is located about an hour north of Los Angeles. The post pays around $180,000. Currently, running the New Bedford port, Decas makes more than $91,000.
In New Bedford, the HDC governs the port.
In her role, Decas spearheads the economic development of the port and oversees the maintenance and improvement of waterfront infrastructure. She manages 21 commercial properties along the waterfront, five municipal fish piers, 1,600 linear feet of fish unloading dock, the Whale's Tooth parking lot and its ferry shuttle service and a 198-slip marina. Decas also assigns the harbor's 500 moorings and enforces the rules and regulations regarding the use of piers, wharves, parking areas and waterways. She handles a $2.5 million annual operational budget and has been an advocate for the city's fishing fleet.
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