To the Editor:
I’m writing in response to the Jan. 27 MV Times article, “Barnstable misses first ferry run to Nantucket.”
I’m not writing to comment on the fact that this freight boat cost the SSA $4.7 million more than budgeted, or took more than two years to overhaul. I’m not writing about the fanfare at the Barnstable’s commissioning ceremony in Hyannis, just last month. Projects going over-budget are a regular occurrence for the SSA these days. That is part of the reason why public trust in the SSA has eroded to a new low.
I’m writing because of the lack of honesty, transparency, and information from the SSA administration and the board of governors. The only response the public gets in this article is from SSA Communications Director Sean Driscoll: “There is no timeline as to when the Barnstable repairs will be completed.” I’m writing to ask why Bob Davis, general manager, didn’t take this opportunity to say “the buck stops here,” and here’s what we know, what we don’t know, and that we’re working hard to figure out the problem. The lack of honesty, transparency, and factual information, and the inability to take clear responsibility and accountability, is why the SSA has lost credibility with its constituents. We demand better, from the SSA leadership and from the SSA board of governors.
Amy Cody, Margaret Hannemann, Alan Brigish
Steering Committee, SSA Citizens’ Action Group