Port of Seattle CEO Tay Yoshitani voluntarily declined a pay increase at this afternoon's Port Commission meeting, citing "sacrifices" that have been made by other Port employees during the economic recession. As we reported in Fizz this morning, Yoshitani was up for a four-percent pay increase over his current salary of $334,000, the highest public employee salary in the state. Over the past year, the Port has eliminated 110 positions and imposed involuntary furloughs on its non-unionized employees (most unionized Port workers also agreed to take unpaid furloughs).

"Tay informed the commissioners this morning that after some reflection, he had decided he would refuse any pay increase," says Port corporate communications director Charla Skaggs. "He said that while the Port did very well in 2009, considering, and is doing exceptionally well in 2010 ... there are signs that we should still be cautious going forward." Yoshitani's pay increase has been permanently pulled from the commission's agenda, rather than merely tabled, Skaggs says.