Joe Radisich takes the oath of office as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.

With city council members singing his praise and a hundred longshore workers looking on, Joe Radisich became only the second ILWU longshore worker to win confirmation as a member of the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners on Sept. 6.

Council members acted quickly to approve Radisich’s nomination, brushing aside concerns aired last month by opponents over where Radisich calls home.

"It’s very clear that Joe Radisich will be the local boy, the community boy on this commission," said Harbor Area councilwoman Janice Hahn.

Councilman Tony Cardenas, who met with Radisich for committee hearings on the nomination, told council members that the issue had been tackled head on.

"It is on the record," said Cardenas, "and it’s in accordance" with city rules governing appointments, Cardenas told the council.

With Radisich replacing another longshoreman—clerks Local 63 member Thomas Warren—on the commission, council members went out of their way to say that it’s a good thing for the commission to have a dockworker on board.

Councilmembers Wendy Gruel and Tom LaBonge praised the selection of a worker for the board.

"It’s great that we have a longshoreman on the commission," said Gruel.

"I think the mayor has chosen wisely," said Hahn, who urged the nominee to lay out why it is a good thing for a longshore worker to be on the commission.

"I think it is very important because we know what’s going on in the port," answered Radisich. "We know what’s happening with port security. We’re on the front lines in terms of exposure to emissions. We’re stuck in the traffic every day that this influx of international trade has brought."

Radisich spoke of his desire to bring about infrastructure improvements that can handle the tripling of cargo expected to flow across the docks in the next 20 years.

"The infrastructure problems in the port, we’ve done a lot of good work on that," said Radisich. "We can improve the roads, the highways, the rails."

After a 13-to-0 vote confirming his appointment, Radisich and scores of longshore brothers and sisters marched to the brightly-lit office of the City Clerk where he took the oath of office in front of his parents, family and friends.