About the Port of Ridgefield

District #1

Commissioner Bruce R. Wiseman has been serving on the Port of Ridgefield’s Commission since 1998. As an active Ridgefield resident for over 40 years, the commissioner gives back to the community by volunteering his time with the Ridgefield School District, Little League, Ridgefield 4th of July Committee, Ridgefield Lions and Boosters Clubs, Chamber of Commerce, and the Vancouver Lake Watershed Partnership. And many of the Christmas trees from his family farm, The Tree Wisemans, have stood in Ridgefield living rooms over the holidays.

Prior to serving on the port commission, Wiseman was the project leader (refuge manager) for the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, overseeing projects for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He continues to be keenly interested in environmental issues in and around Ridgefield. 

“I am committed to protecting and enhancing our natural setting while making sure that we encourage businesses that will help Ridgefield grow. In my time, we’ve accomplished a major cleanup and literally built bridges for safe access to the water. Now we are working to put our mark on the waterfront and downtown—we have an opportunity to make our town more of a destination for visitors to the Refuge.”

Commissioner Wiseman was most recently reelected in 2023, and his current term expires in 2029.

District #2

Commissioner Scott Hughes was first elected to the Port Commission in 2009. For more than three decades he has made Ridgefield his home and, in 1999, he purchased Ridgefield Hardware, where he now serves as the owner/operator.

Commissioner Hughes believes in getting involved. As part of his earlier career in the insurance industry, he was active with the Ridgefield Business Association and served three years on the Ridgefield Planning Commission, including a term as commission chair. Even before becoming a commissioner, Hughes attended port public meetings, offering input and feedback, and volunteered regularly at numerous Port events. Commissioner Hughes is dedicated to making sure that Ridgefield remains a vibrant place where people can enjoy the many benefits of our waterfront and natural surroundings and find a place to call home.

“Our aim is to construct an economy within our port district for 21st-century jobs and industries. Quality is our goal, not quantity. Our priorities are for the betterment for our citizens, a quality place where we desire to live and work and do it with environmental stewardship of our land.” 

Commissioner Hughes was most recently reelected in 2019, and his current term expires in 2025.

District #3

Commissioner Melroy was first elected to the Port Commission in 1997. In 1968, Commissioner Melroy chose Ridgefield as his home, where he has since gone on to establish his business, Onsite Roll Forming an architectural sheet metal company, and raise his family here.

Commissioner Melroy gives back to the community through volunteering with organizations such as the Spudder Boosters Club, Ridgefield 4th of July Committee, Little League Baseball, Chamber of Commerce, and the Ridgefield Business Association. He has been a member of the Ridgefield Lions Club for the past 35 years, having served as chair, and served on the Ridgefield Planning Commission. He is a strong advocate that Ridgefield retain its neighborly culture while providing for community needs such as family-wage jobs and investments in key public assets. And he is dedicated to building strong relationships with the community to get there.

“Through productive communication and building quality relationships, I’ve worked to make Ridgefield a community in which we can raise our families and have them be able to find good, family-wage jobs. Our job at the Port is to see into the future and imagine how to make Ridgefield better. I want someone 50 years from now to say, ‘They got it right."

Commissioner Melroy was most recently reelected in 2021, and his current term expires in 2027.