Steamship clarifies record on hiring process

To the Editor:

Two recent letters recently published here have misstated facts and injected supposition to support a false narrative. Let me provide accurate information and clarification for the many points addressed in the letters that are simply wrong and/or misinterpreted.

• The two finalists for the general manager’s position have been selected from more than 130 applicants. Suggesting there was only one external candidate is blatantly incorrect. The search committee did its job, which was to conduct preliminary interviews and advance at least two well-qualified candidates to the board for consideration.
• The board is appointed by public bodies, whom constituents vote for at the ballot box. Accountability comes through the SSA’s twice-monthly public meetings and addressing the elected officials who appoint the board and Port Council. 
• To infer there’s “little to no oversight” of the Authority’s general manager is egregiously false. The letter authors have misread and misinterpreted meeting minutes on several issues, including long, studied debates on the Woods Hole Terminal Reconstruction Project, the new freight vessels, and the forthcoming reservation system. 
• The Authority’s mechanical and crewing cancellation rates have been halved from 2024. Reliability has never been better, and it will continue to improve. Authority leadership –– and our dedicated employees –– are proud of this achievement, and it’s a shame they are continually dragged through the mud by individuals who are a vocal minority of the 2.9 million passengers we serve each year.
• The new reservation system is being implemented by the end of 2026, less than 18 months after the contract to E-Dea was awarded. The project is, thus far, on budget and on schedule. And the Authority’s IT infrastructure is robust, and continues to improve, with $4.5 million planned to be spent in 2026, triple the investment from just five years ago.
• Investment by the Authority in its personnel is similarly robust following contract negotiations with our unionized personnel that resulted in the most lucrative pay increases in the Authority’s history. Further investments can be seen in the training budget, which will top $1.6 million next year as we cultivate the next generation of leadership. 

Facts matter. Let me be perfectly clear: Citizens always have a right to speak out and address concerns, as they are welcome to do at our public meetings. But it’s important that the public discourse be civil and fact-based, and not filled with innuendo, deceptive statements, and thinly veiled personal attacks.

Sean Driscoll, communications director

Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority