The King County Ferry District – which oversees the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis – has a new boss. Christine Nelson is the new district administrator, as announced by County Councilmember Joe McDermott, the West Seattleite who chairs the Ferry District Board (an alter-ego of the council). Read on for the full details from his latest e-mail newsletter:

Christine Nelson, a Vashon resident, is looking forward to putting her planning and management skills to work as the King County Ferry District’s new administrator. Christine has spent the last 20 years working in local government around the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.

Her experiences in land use planning, economic development and city management have reinforced her beliefs in the integral involvement of transportation systems in the successful growth and development of a community. She views passenger- only ferries to be a vital link in our regional transportation network — and critical to the efficient transit of people to work, services and play.

Christine will be meeting with passengers aboard the water taxis and plans to hold community meetings on both Vashon and in West Seattle in the near future to gather user feedback and suggestions. Meeting dates will be publicized when scheduled. Comments to the King County Ferry District can also be submitted on-line at info@kingcountyferries.org.

P.S. The 7-day-a-week spring/summer Water Taxi schedule starts on April 9th, a week from Monday.