Island Health board appoints Tangaro to fill vacancy
James Tangaro has been appointed to replace Paul Maughan on the Island Health Board of Commissioners.
The retired Marathon Anacortes Refinery manager and former Island Health Foundation board president is set to be sworn in during the board’s Sept. 25 meeting as the 89-year-old Maughan steps down from the Position 3 seat he’s held since 1997.
The commissioners voted unanimously Thursday, July 24, in favor of a motion, seconded by Maughan himself, to appoint the 59-year-old Anacortes resident to finish out Maughan’s current six-year term, which ends Dec. 31, 2027.
“I’ll do my best,” Tangaro told the commissioners following the vote. “I really appreciate the faith.”
This will be Tangaro’s first time serving on a publicly elected board. To keep the seat, he’ll need to run for election in 2027.
“I’m going to think about it,” Tangaro said of running. “I’m going to let these next couple of years play out and see.”
The commissioners nominated Tangaro for the position on June 26 before accepting other nominations from registered voters within the hospital district between June 30 and July 16. The board received one other nomination.
In a statement on behalf of the board, Commissioner Warren Tessler said Tangaro is the ideal person for the position.
“He is the right candidate at the right time,” Tessler said via email. “… he is very familiar with the District and understands the challenges ahead.”
Since 2022, Tangaro has served as a community representative on the Island Health board’s finance committee, which he joined after six years on the Island Health Foundation’s board of directors, serving as its president in 2021.
Tangaro said he’d like to continue serving on the finance committee as a commissioner, but isn’t sure he’ll be able to do so right away, as two other commissioners — Tessler and Chip Bogosian — currently serve on that committee. Instead, he expects he’ll take over for Maughan on the quality management committee.
Tangaro and his wife, Michele, moved to Anacortes from Alaska in November 2014, when Tangaro took over as manager of the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery, which later became the Marathon Anacortes Refinery. He retired in November 2021.
Since January 2024, Tangaro has served as a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Skagit County. He previously served as a board member for the United Way of Skagit County as well as the Northwest Workforce Council.
Published on July 29, 2025