A group of Islanders upset with the direction of the Steamship Authority have banded together to call for changes at the boat line. 

The MV SSA Citizens’ Action Group, a loose coalition of Vineyarders and mainland residents, had its first meeting last week to talk about their frustrations with the ferry system that provides passage to and from the Island. More than 50 people attended the virtual meeting, including several Island public officials. 

The group was formed by Margaret Hanneman, Amy Cody and Alan Brigish after the Steamship Authority held a public forum in Vineyard Haven in November on the boat line’s recent struggles.

Ms. Hanneman, a Chilmark resident, said the action group was looking to get the public more involved and informed on several fronts, including the hiring of a new general manager, improvements with the Steamship’s website and changes to the boat line’s operations. 

“We simply want to coalesce around a set of actions that are critical and relevant, and a path to enact them,” she told the group at the onset of the first meeting. 

Ms. Hanneman urged Vineyarders to attend Steamship board meetings and push for changes at a time when the Steamship works to find a replacement for the soon to retire general manager Robert Davis and attempts to reverse crippling crew shortages. 

“We need to go to every one of those port council and board meetings, come with issues and come to ask questions and let them know we are going to be there,” she said.

Many Islanders, as well as several Woods Holes residents, aired grievances at the meeting, calling for a change in leadership and potentially even amendments to the legislation that created the Steamship Authority in 1960.

The Steamship Authority is mandated by state law, but essentially runs as a private company overseen by an elected board consisting of members from the Vineyard and the four other port communities. Other ferry systems, such as the one in Washington state, are part of the state department of transportation, and some community members wondered if that model had merit. 

“I think we need to look at the enabling act, which I would have never supported 30 years ago,” said Tristan Israel, a Dukes County Commissioner and former Tisbury select board member. “We also need to look at more state involvement, because the state has the ability to bring large capital funding to projects that we as ratepayers are not going to be able to afford.” 

The meeting lasted about 90 minutes and afterwards, Ms. Hanneman, Ms. Cody and Mr. Brigish said they planned to go through all of the suggestions and look at the potential of forming committees to help initiate change. 

“Succeeding in making constructive changes to the SSA is a monumental task,” the trio wrote to the group after the meeting. “But, with patience, perseverance and with dedication, we believe it can be done.”

People looking to get involved can contact the action group at mv.action.ssa@gmail.com.