Sollitto ‘bothered’ by legislators’ SSA bill

Updated at 4pm

Proposed changes to the Steamship Authority’s enabling act that were announced earlier this month by State Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and State Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth, have left Oak Bluffs’ port council member Joe Sollitto concerned. Sollitto told the Oak Bluffs select board Tuesday night that he was at a loss as to why Cyr and Fernandes didn’t consult with Oak Bluffs and Tisbury, the Vineyard’s two port communities, or the Dukes County commissioners, before filing a bill that would create term limits for SSA board members and would establish a chief operating officer position (COO) at the ferry line.

“It kind of bothered me,” Sollitto said. In addition to Tisbury, Oak Bluffs, and the county, Sollitto said the SSA board and the port council should have been consulted before a bill was filed. 

Sollitto said a major concern of his is that the bill could be amended on Beacon Hill in unanticipated ways.

“Once things get up there, somebody from New Bedford, somebody from Pittsfield could file an amendment to this,” Sollitto said. 

In an interview with The Times on Feb. 23, State Sen. Susan Moran, D-Falmouth, said it was “absolutely conceivable” a bill she previously put forth could be amended onto Cyr and Fernandes’ bill. Moran’s bill sought to eliminate the super-majority vote Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket have on the SSA board. Moran said the bill “went into study,” which means it was put aside for more more consideration. Moran expressed enthusiasm for melding it into the term limit and COO bill.  

At the select board meeting, Sollitto pointed out the SSA is funded by its own farebox revenue, as opposed to taxpayer dollars. It was unclear why Sollitto brought up the SSA’s fiscal autonomy, but it was clear he wanted to emphasize it. “[W]e are self-sufficient,” he said. “We don’t rely on the state for any of our financing. It’s paid for by the people who use the Steamship.”

Sollitto suggested imposing term limits may hamper institutional knowledge on the SSA board. 

Sollitto said Jim Malkin, the Vineyard’s representative on the SSA board, previously brought up exploring a COO in conjunction with the need for a continuity and succession plan for when SSA general manager Robert Davis retires. Nantucket board member Robert Ranney has also expressed support for delving into the COO position as part of Davis succession planning. 

A COO position was “strongly recommended” in a “Comprehensive Review of the Steamship Authority’s Operations,” the landmark report by HMS Consulting and subcontractors Glosten Associates and Rigor Analytics. Put together after a meltdown of ferry operations in 2018, the report called for broad changes at the ferry line. Most of these changes have been implemented, or are in the process of being implemented. However, the adoption of a COO, which was proposed in the report alongside establishing a director of marine operations, hasn’t taken place. The director of marine operations role was filled in 2019 by Mark Amundsen, an experienced nautical professional. The report stated both a director of marine operations and a COO were “necessary to both realign departments and ensure the primary function of the SSA is properly and cohesively represented in decision-making.” The report concluded those positions would “aid the change to process-based management while alleviating some of the burden on the general manager …”

“There probably is a need for a COO,” Sollitto said. However, he noted, the SSA board has been turning over the idea, which takes time. 

Select board member Gail Barmakian asked what the status of the legislation was.

“It’s waiting now to go before committee,” Sollitto said. “It has just been filed. There has been no action taken on it. There has been no hearing yet.”

“I think it’s absolutely inappropriate to legislate term limits and even more inappropriate to legislate a chief operating officer of an authority that doesn’t even use state funds, for all intents and purposes,” Barmakian said. 

Sollitto suggested the board wait to see what Tisbury and the county do, and perhaps write a joint letter with them at some point.

At a Tisbury select board meeting on Feb. 16, town administrator Jay Grande brought the proposed legislation up as a news item, as opposed to an action item.

Select board chair Jeff Kristal used the opportunity to promote term limits in Tisbury government. “I think term limits are great,” Kristal said. “I wish the town of Tisbury would adopt them, to be totally honest with you. I have no problem at all with having somebody step up and do a warrant article for that.”

Kristal came out against the COO position, saying it “just added an extra layer of leadership” to SSA management. 

“I just think it’s already top-heavy,” he said. “But that’s my opinion.” 

Neither board took any action on the legislation. 

With the pandemic waning and with several funding opportunities on the horizon, Moran said she thought it was “a great time to really take another review of the enabling legislation.” Moran said the enabling act could use an update to address “all the concerns of everyone it governs.” She said she saw merit in setting term limits for SSA board members. However, Moran said, she would need to see some specifics on what value a COO would add to the ferry line before she could endorse such a position. 

Updated with comments from State Senator Susan Moran.