"Agitators" & "Slander" Prompt Candidates For Steamship General Manager To Drop Out

As the search committee for the Steamship Authority's new general manager announced that it had two finalists for the job, its members decried what they described as "agitators" and "slander," which had prompted some candidates to withdraw from consideration.

The comments came during Thursday morning's public meeting of the Steamship Authority's General Manager Search Committee, which has been working for nearly a year to find the successor to the SSA's current general manager Bob Davis, who is stepping down this year.

"While the board and the management and this working group appreciate constructive input and suggestions, the evolution of a group of concerned people from helpful observers to constant critics and agitators has had a negative impact on the ability of the appointed representatives who serve the interests of Martha's Vineyard and the islands," said Steamship Authority Board of Governors member James Malkin, who represents Martha's Vineyard, in a prepared statement. "Specifically, the year-long attacks on the Board, the Port Council, and staff negatively impacted our search for our new general manager. The weekly streams of Freedom of Information (Act) requests from several island residents and a Woods Hole resident for years of correspondence, for copies of all communication on SSA projects and decisions has turned candidates away. The solicited campaign of letters to island newspapers and social media slander has made the general manager job undesirable for some very qualified people."

While he didn't specifically name anyone, Malkin was likely referring to a group of Martha's Vineyard and Woods Hole residents who formed the SSA Citizens’ Action Group earlier this year to call for changes at the Steamship Authority and have criticized certain aspects of its management.

"The ability of the board, the Port Council, the Steamship Authority staff to move forward and focus is hindered and even jeopardized by the constant attacks from backseat drivers," Malkin continued. "The loss of a number of qualified candidates for the general manager position has not served anyone well. It's unfortunate, it's frustrating, and it's not helpful for island or port community residents."

Malkin declined to name any of the candidates who allegedly dropped out, but his comments were echoed by his fellow board members and Port Council members who serve on the General Manager Search Committee, including Nantucket Port Council representative Nat Lowell.

"It's unbelievable how thorough this has been," Lowell said, referring to the search committee's process. "I'm honored to have been part of it, but at the same time, there's got to be some respect, okay? And all these letters and all this stuff that gets put out there is, I mean, if I was a candidate, and reading all this? Because they did their homework, the candidates. They didn't just say, 'Oh, I've got to go work at the Steamship.' This was like running for Senate or something really big. They did all their research and reading some of the things that are said, and the confusion, led to some resignations...We've got to be one island."

Jonathan Pearse, the head of executive search for the British firm Faststream Recruitment Group, which the Steamship Authority tapped to lead the general manager search process, also touched on candidates who withdrew from consideration during Thursday's meeting.

"We did receive some candidate concerns during the process, and that did actually lead one or two, or at least a small group, to withdraw from the process after doing their due diligence, and their concerns were really around the level of public scrutiny, especially the media or online coverage, that the authority receives and/or its leadership," Pearse said. "Specifically, there was a perception that this is a politically charged environment, and for some, they found that was maybe a step too far for a next move. From their side, we did receive comments along the lines of, 'not for the faint-hearted'."

Beth O'Connor, a Martha's Vineyard resident and member of the SSA Citizens' Action Group, responded during the public comment portion of the meeting.

"I'm part of that, I don't know, what do you call us, Mr. Lowell? The mob? Is that what you call us? Anyway, I would be very keen to get some examples from Mr. Malkin," O'Connor said. "So I'm requesting, officially, these slander comments. So, I need specific examples, times, places, dates, in writing, to support your comment of publicly calling us out for slander. So that's an official request. I need it in writing, and I like it by the end of the week."

In a follow-up message to the Current, O'Connor shared a prepared statement from the SSA Citizens' Action Group:

"It is unfortunate that the lack of attraction to this position is being attributed to the efforts of residents raising valid concerns about the Steamship Authority," the group stated. "Perhaps the fact that the current GM has an indefinite employment/consulting agreement granted by the Steamship Authority Board could have been mentioned as a possible deterrent? Any strong candidate would be doing their homework before accepting a position and would not be deterred by citizens raising valid issues. Candidates need to understand the problems facing the Authority and be willing to embrace the challenge. The GM Search Committee Chair went as far as to accuse reform advocates of slander. We await a response to our request for the foundation of such an accusation. We stand by our efforts to bring reform to the Steamship Authority."

Beyond the disclosure that the committee had narrowed its search down to two finalists, Port Council member Robert Munier revealed that one of them is an internal candidate. Munier said he feared that would lead to public perception that the internal candidate will be the preferred finalist by the Steamship Authority's management.

"The immediate assumption is going to be that that's the candidate that we really want," Munier said. "I anticipate blowback."

The names of the two finalists are expected to be revealed at a future meeting of the Steamship Authority's Board of Governors later this month.

Davis, who has worked at the Steamship Authority since 1986, including the last seven as general manager, announced last year that he will be stepping down as head of the boat line in October 2025 and will transition into an advisory role.