To the Editor:
Isn’t it convenient to blame the people you serve, as you are about to announce what most would call a failed search? I am, of course, referring to comments from a few members of the Steamship Authority search committee for a new SSA general manager. While it is true that citizens of Falmouth and Martha’s Vineyard care deeply about the management of the Steamship Authority, that is to be expected. It is a lifeline service with a significant impact on the port towns and the ridership.
Perhaps there are other reasons why the search, despite offering a generous salary, has been unable to attract the brightest and best?
Let’s consider the following: Many of the current SSA governors have acted to create deplorable relations with the community. The former general manager will be watching and working over the shoulder of the new incumbent with a soft-landing consulting contract for at least 18 months. The Steamship Authority’s Enabling Act does not have term limits for the governors, and an outsider would be walking into a political quagmire. Just look at the departure of the prior COO. The IT infrastructure remains outdated and vulnerable to attack, and a future reservation system is significantly more expensive than initially planned, and years late. The SSA is reaching record levels of debt due to excessive spending on a larger-than-needed facility in Woods Hole. Three recently acquired used ships have proven to be significantly more expensive than originally planned, and are proving more costly to operate than initially anticipated. And through all of this, little attention has been paid to the SSA workforce that is the backbone of the operation. Let’s not forget the ever-increasing costs to riders, and the increased number of cancellations over the past few years.
Perhaps, with the wind and tide stacked against future success, the finalist applicants who dropped out did so due to an Enabling Act and governance structure that serves the interests of a few long-entrenched insiders, but fails to establish the conditions such that a true leader could drive transformation and success. The current Enabling Act all but guarantees that unless an insider is selected, the person is set up to fail.
Rather than casting allegations at caring citizens, it is time for a new Enabling Act and term limits for the SSA Port Council and board of governors. The SSA needs a massive reboot. It is time for Beacon Hill to act.
Stephen Laster
Falmouth
