Steamship Authority Weathers Changes Through Long Year

By JAMES KINSELLA

As 2004 got under way at the Steamship Authority, there was some
question about whether there would be a Steamship Authority in the
future.

In mid-January Nantucket governor Grace Grossman confirmed that she
had been exploring since the previous summer whether that island should
secede from the boat line, an entity created by the state in 1960 to
ensure reliable, affordable ferry travel between Martha's
Vineyard, Nantucket and the mainland.

In early February, a public meeting on Nantucket about the issue
drew more than 450 people, who expressed their unanimous support for
Mrs. Grossman's investigation. Splitting the SSA in two was
discussed throughout the region.

Other matters would buffet the boat line over the course of the
year, including the deaths of its two Island representatives -
Mrs. Grossman and Kathryn A. Roessel - the resignation of its
first chief executive officer, Fred C. Raskin, and controversies over
new security measures.

But as 2005 dawns, stability is the new watchword at the boat line,
with longtime employee Wayne Lamson taking over as general manager, and
a new spirit of cooperation apparent between Nantucket and the Vineyard.
The two Islands control 70 per cent of the weighted vote on the boat
line board.

The symbolic conclusion to the year came at the November meeting in
Woods Hole, when SSA governors voted 5-0 to approve the construction of
a $30.5 million ferry to replace the 50-year-old Islander, and again
voted without dissent to give the vessel a name proposed by the late Ms.
Roessel: the Island Home.

The unanimous appointment earlier this month of Mr. Lamson -
with his emphasis on improving customer service, the reservation system
and the cleanliness of the ferries and terminals - pointed to a
boat line looking to get back to the basics.

Mr. Lamson's nuts-and-bolts approach comes at a good time for
the SSA, which has experienced a drop in passenger and automobile
traffic over the past several years. The SSA has compensated by raising
fares in general and tourist rates in particular, leading some observers
to question whether the boat line is creating its own downward spiral.

Earlier this year the SSA decided against running one of its more
profitable vessels, the fast ferry Flying Cloud, for the coming winter
on the Hyannis-Nantucket route. The privately owned Hy-Line will operate
the only fast ferry for the season between Hyannis and the Island.
Hy-Line now has proposed running a fast ferry between Oak Bluffs and
Hyannis, linking two mostly unconnected markets and threatening to skim
even more passengers from the boat line that is the lifeline to the two
Islands.

The question of labor costs also continues to dog the boat line,
coming against a backdrop of falling traffic. But the SSA did duck what
could have been the most dangerous bullet - Nantucket's
lively interest in carving the boat line in two.

Just how far the plan could have gone is open to dispute, given the
state Legislature's hesitancy to reimmerse itself in boat line
affairs following the long, painful debate over New Bedford's
inclusion in the SSA. On the other hand, Mrs. Grossman had high-placed
connections in the legislature.

But even the suggestion of secession distressed Vineyarders and boat
line officials, who believed a split would only result in significantly
higher fares and operational constraints.

Mrs. Grossman's health deteriorated this past spring and
summer, however. When she died on July 22, the driving force behind the
move faded, even though a private Nantucket-based committee continues to
explore the issue.

Chief executive officer Mr. Raskin resigned from the job this year
after a fractious two-year stint. Aside from his difficult relationship
with Mrs. Grossman - a key ingredient in her interest in pulling
Nantucket out of the boat line - Mr. Raskin repeatedly found
himself at loggerheads with the rest of the board. He had difficulty
advancing management initiatives such as barring passengers from ferry
freight decks when vessels were under way and pursuing an in-float
magazine to boost advertising revenues.

SSA governors, however, were ready to change or veto Mr.
Raskin's proposals.

The plan to eliminate the practice of allowing drivers and
passengers to remain inside their vehicles on the freight decks -
a matter he saw as a safety and security issue within his management
purview - drew a storm of protest from people on both Islands,
especially Vineyard residents and officials. In a subsequent board vote,
the late Ms. Roessel, often a supporter of Mr. Raskin, broke with him
and joined other board members in reversing his plan.

Governors also objected to Mr. Raskin's plan to supplement
basic boat line revenues with advertising, and to install security
cameras on the ferries and at the terminals.

Mr. Raskin - who endured a four-to-five hour daily commute
from his Andover home rather than move to the area - also cost
himself with his relative lack of face time on the Islands, an
especially sore point on Nantucket.

Well before the flap over the freight decks, Mr. Raskin and the
board had been negotiating his respective level of freedom and power,
along with an option for him to leave the job before the end of his
contract.

To fill Mr. Raskin's shoes on an interim basis, the SSA turned
- as it had done four times over the past two decades - to
longtime treasurer Wayne Lamson.

But this time Mr. Lamson was interested in a permanent appointment
to the top post. He immediately launched steps to improve customer
service, especially the telephone reservation system. He also reached
out to residents and officials on both Islands.

The governors embraced Mr. Lamson but also launched a national
search for a new top staffer, changing the title from chief executive
officer back to general manager. Ms. Roessel wanted to name a new
general manager by the end of the year, before her three-year term
expired. But others, including Nantucket's new governor, Flint
Ranney, opted for a process that would extend into the following spring.

Ms. Roessel applied for reappointment as the Vineyard member on the
boat line, although she doubted she had enough votes to win the
appointment from the Dukes County Commission. At the November boat line
meeting she announced that she would remain as a candidate but would not
participate in scheduled interviews. Still, she seemed in good spirits
at the meeting, citing a quote from the Lone Ranger: "My work here
is done."

The following Saturday Islanders and SSA officials alike were
shocked to learn that Ms. Roessel had been found dead outside her
Vineyard Haven home. She was 53 and apparently in good health. At press
time, the autopsy investigation had yet to be completed.

Ms. Roessel's unexpected death cast a pall over the interview
process to name the next Vineyard governor, and interviews were
postponed for a week.

Later the county commission voted to appoint Oak Bluffs businessman
Marc Hanover as the new Vineyard governor.

Two days later, Mr. Hanover took the Vineyard seat at his inaugural
SSA meeting, where there was also unanimous agreement to name Mr. Lamson
the permanent general manager.

While SSA governors and the audience greeted the decision with
applause, the move also drew criticism.

Arthur Flathers, a Vineyard Haven resident who closely follows SSA
affairs, said the episode reinforces the perception held in some
quarters that the Steamship Authority is an amateur operation.

But governors said they believed Mr. Lamson was the best choice.

"We're not dealing with an entry-level general manager
here," Falmouth member Robert Marshall said, noting that Mr.
Lamson has spent more time running the SSA as interim general manager
than any recent permanent manager. Mr. Marshall said the SSA was
fortunate to have its most experienced general manager as a candidate.