Consultant’s report proves his point

To the Editor:

Does the board have the required courage to have itself reviewed? That’s something I posted on August 11 on Save our Steamship Authority (SOSA Facebook page): And now it’s confirmed.

Without change at the top, the SSA will continue to churn the waters, but fail to move forward.

Let’s remember that this SSA board, except Marc Hanover, originally voted to support general manager Robert Davis’ request to review and “fix” internally. Ouch! The wisdom of inexperienced leadership!

And this board hired the current leadership without interviewing outside candidates who could have offered the business management expertise required to lead a company doing over $100 million.

So the question is, What qualifications/experience do current board members offer to ensure that oversight and necessary direction are in place? I’ve asked, and still can’t find the bios of board members. This information is commonly available on any corporate website. Also an organizational chart would be helpful.

There needs to be an independent review by consultants who offer this service and could also provide insight on what a typical board of an enterprise of this size should look like — along with suggestions of the makeup and roles of the required “subcommittees.”

Is this to be done at this time by HMS Consulting? If not, the churn will continue.

But then does this board have the confidence and courage to have itself reviewed?

Fred Condon
Edgartown