The state inspector general is headed to the Vineyard next week to discuss his investigation into the Steamship Authority (SSA) with Islanders.
A Tuesday press release from the office of State Sen. Julian Cyr, who represents the Vineyard, announced that Massachusetts State Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro is coming to the Vineyard to relay the findings of a December report that found the Steamship Authority wasted millions in public funds on a website project described as “doomed from the start.”
The meeting on the Island is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 13, at the lower level meeting hall of Oak Bluffs Town Hall from 1 pm to 3 pm. The event is hosted by Cyr and State Rep. Thomas Moakley, whose district includes the Vineyard.
“We expect Martha’s Vineyard and SSA officials will also be in attendance,” the release reads.
In December, Shapiro released a scathing report after a lengthy investigation that found that the new website the SSA attempted to develop had been “ill-conceived, poorly executed, and a waste of public funds.” The report described the shelved website project as a “cascade of failures” and one that shouldn’t have been pursued before a new reservation system was in place, a process that the ferry line is currently undertaking. The board was also accused of failing to conduct proper oversight of the ferry line’s spending throughout the project.
The report also listed several recommendations for the future of the SSA, including the formation of a legislative commission to review the ferry line’s enabling act and having board members take training offered through the Office of the Inspector General.
A similar meeting to the one planned for the Island already took place on Nantucket on Monday, April 6, where Cyr said the report gave feedback to state lawmakers on “how we can enhance, improve, and ensure the Steamship Authority remains a vital lifeline for the decades ahead.”
On Nantucket, Shapiro highlighted that the issues that were flagged in the investigation occurred under the leadership of Bob Davis, the former SSA general manager, and the inspector general questioned why he’s been retained as a senior advisor to the SSA board.
Alex Kryska, new general manager of the SSA, said that Davis has a wealth of knowledge from decades of working in the Steamship Authority and that he didn’t want the former general manager to leave just yet.
A recording of the Nantucket meeting can be viewed on the NCTV YouTube page.