For the next few months, the Port of South Whidbey will rely on a combination of temporary executive directors and a consultant to get by with day-to-day business.

After an unsuccessful search for a permanent executive director to replace Angi Mozer, whose last day was Monday, port commissioners decided to go in a different direction and hire an interim director to take the lead. Last month, negotiations broke down with the top choice for the job and the port decided to stop pursuing the alternative candidate.

In a previous meeting, the commissioners agreed to hire Jan-Marc Jouas for the first two weeks of July. But after that he goes on vacation, leaving a gap in coverage.

This week, the commissioners convened a special meeting to discuss more candidates for the interim position. Commissioner Curt Gordon has been connecting with former executive directors of other port districts in the state about who should take on the temporary role on South Whidbey.

The commissioners agreed to enter negotiations with Rich Huebner, the former city administrator for Selah, Washington, who was chosen to serve for a period of approximately three months. At the same time, Jim Pivarnik, former executive director for both the Port Townsend and Kingston port districts, will come on as a consultant. This will give the commissioners time to line up someone for the full-time position.