Longtime Edmonds resident David Preston announced Monday that he is running for a spot on the Edmonds Port Commission.

Preston said he has been an Edmonds resident since 1966 and was a port tenant — first with a sailboat and then a power boat — for nearly 20 years, giving him a unique perspective on the Edmonds waterfront as well as the Port.

“We have one of the best marinas in the country and we can keep it that way by continuing to be good stewards financially and environmentally,” Preston said.

The port’s most important role is to keep the waterfront a vibrant centerpiece for the Edmonds and Woodway communities, Preston said, which requires carefully evaluating new opportunities to get maximum value from the port’s budget.

Preston, who has owned a small insurance agency for almost 30 years, cites his experience working with small business owners as well as unions and municipalities on employee benefit issues. Preston is also a past president of the NW Washington Association of Health Underwriters.

Preston said that as someone who grew up in Edmonds and is now, along with his wife Tammy, raising his family here, he believes in public service and community involvement. He has also coached at Pacific Little League and taught skiing as a Level 3 instructor.