HOUSTON, June 22, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- By a unanimous vote, the Harris County Mayors' and Councils' Association re-appointed Jimmy A. Burke to the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) for another two years. Initially appointed to the PHA commission in August 1999, Burke also is a member of the board of Pilot Commissioners. PHA commissioners serve two-year terms without pay.
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://media.globenewswire.com/poha/pages/exec.html
"Commissioner Burke is a valuable member of our team," said PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds. "And we welcome his return. The 26 Harris County cities that he serves hold him in high regard. The port and his constituents greatly appreciate his dedication, and we all look forward to continuing our work with Commissioner Burke."
Burke serves on the Pension Committee. He is the immediate past chair of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region, and for the past four years, he has chaired the Houston Port Region Annual Coffee Symposium.
Among small city mayors commenting on Burke's re-appointment, Mayor Bobby Barrett of Galena Park applauded Burke's dedication to the communities along the Houston Ship Channel: "Jimmy Burke is a good friend and does a tremendous job," Barrett said. "Being an ex-mayor, he understands how important it is to stay in contact with and keep our small cities along the ship channel informed. He regularly attends all our meetings and is always only a phone call away."
City of Morgan's Point Mayor Patricia Grimes said: "Commissioner Burke has been a great representative for the Port of Houston Authority and a wonderful friend to the City of Morgan's Point. We look forward to a continuation of this relationship and of Commissioner Burke's constructive work representing this area."
Fellow Deer Park resident and mayor of the city, Wayne Riddle said: "We are very pleased to have Jimmy Burke re-appointed as commissioner. He has been very supportive of and responsive to the surrounding cities. We are proud that he is from the City of Deer Park; he has represented us well."
"I feel privileged to serve as a commissioner of one of the largest ports in the world, along with my fellow commissioners who are also dedicated to making significant contributions to the port and thus benefiting the entire Houston area," Burke said. "I love my community and I support development activities that are on point with the Port of Houston Authority. Enhancing opportunities for small businesses in our community will continue to be my top priority."
Background
A Deer Park resident since 1954, Burke retired from Shell Oil Co.'s manufacturing complex following 35 years of service. Burke also has been active in the Deer Park community in both civic and governmental activities for more than 40 years. His achievements include serving nine terms as mayor from 1981 to 1999, as well as serving on city council from 1969 to 1981. One of the proudest achievements in Burke's career was serving as president of the Texas Municipal League (1997-98) which represents 1,012 cities.
Burke has an extensive background in governmental involvement and has served on numerous committees and boards, including Texas Municipal League Group Benefits Risk Pool Board (1993-1999); Texas Municipal League, board of directors president (1997-1999); Texas Municipal League, board of directors member (1992-1999); National League of Cities, board of directors (1992-1999); and Small Cities Council, steering committee, board of directors, chairman (1991-1992). He also is a life member of the Deer Park Jaycees and has served on various youth sports leagues.
Burke received a bachelor's degree in electronics from the University of Houston. He and his wife Peggy have four sons and one daughter.
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, there are more than 8,000 vessel calls at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. The port authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. The second recertification of those facilities in 2009 included an extension for the state-of-the-art Bayport Container Terminal. PHA is the first port authority in the world to receive ISO 28000:2007 certification for Port Police and the perimeter security operations at both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Terminals. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
To access the port's Web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
