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• [Updated] Crescent City Harbormaster Resigns; Petrick Steps Down After Commissioners, Public Questioned His Use of the District's Credit Card

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Crescent City Harbor commissioners are expected to ratify an employment agreement for an interim harbormaster/CEO on Tuesday.

The Harbor District’s deputy harbormaster, Mike Rademaker, has been the acting harbormaster since the former CEO, Tim Petrick, stepped down about a week ago. Rademaker confirmed on Monday that he’s being considered for the interim harbormaster role, though his contract is still under negotiation.

“I think what [commissioners] are looking at is a six-month appointment and they’ll see how it goes,” Rademaker told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “If they like the work I’m doing, then at that point they would decide on a permanent harbormaster [position].”

Commissioners aren’t currently advertising the vacant harbormaster position, Rademaker said. He said they may be considering consolidating the assistant harbormaster and harbormaster positions into a single role. If it works well, commissioners may consider that as a cost-cutting measure, Rademaker said.

Monday was Petrick’s last official day with the Harbor District. He tendered his resignation on Sept. 20 after the district released credit card statements outlining his expenditures since December 2023.

Those expenditures included the purchase in January of six packages of TaylorMade customized golf balls and 24 poker chip ball markers for a total of $362.85 from Golfballs.com.
His credit card spending also included registration fees for a California Association of Harbormasters conference and golf tournament and a stay at the Asilomar Resort in Pacific Grove, where the conference was being held.

In addition to potentially ratifying an employment agreement with an interim harbormaster on Tuesday, commissioners are expected to form an ad-hoc committee to consider the Harbor District Board’s response to the Del Norte Civil Grand Jury, which investigated credit card spending at the port.

The Harbor District Board will also take its first look at a fireworks ordinance on Tuesday. According to Rademaker, the district modeled its fireworks regulations on CalFire’s ordinance, with help from Crescent City Attorney Martha Rice.

The Board of Commissioners is expected to weigh in on designated areas where Safe & Sane fireworks would be allowed. At its meeting on Sept. 6, most commissioners called for banning all fireworks in the marina and at Whaler Island Groin.

They said Safe & Sane fireworks should be allowed within the Harbor District’s jurisdiction on South Beach. On Tuesday, they may also decide to allow Safe & Sane fireworks on the beach north of the marina, Rademaker said Monday.

The Harbor District Board of Commissioners will meet at 2 p.m. at 101 Citizens Dock in Crescent City and via Zoom at ccharbor.com.

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