Island Senator Hits Bias in Boatline Bill Backing New Bedford
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
As a bill to restructure the Steamship Authority moved from the
House to the Senate this week, Cape and Islands Sen. Robert
O'Leary said the proposed legislation is disappointing at best and
was written solely to serve the interests of New Bedford.
The Martha's Vineyard Commission last night affirmed its decision to reject the Down Island Golf Club plan, but not before a minor fracas around an unexpected eleventh-hour pitch from the Oak Bluffs selectmen to have the commission delay the final written version of the denial.
Fast ferries have been much in the news these days, especially on
the Vineyard, but here is a fresh question to ponder: What happens when
a ferry that plies what is arguably the shortest route in the world
suddenly becomes faster?
Of course the answer is simple enough - the ferry gets there
faster. On the Chappaquiddick ferry this means a route that now takes
about two minutes has now been shortened by about 30 seconds.
FALMOUTH - - Adding fresh fuel to the fire that has burned around the Steamship Authority for months, the Falmouth selectmen voted 4-1 last night to take steps to remove Galen Robbins as the town boat line governor.
"Townspeople are in an uproar about this and I recommend we begin the process of removal," declared selectman Edward Marks.
"I believe that what's on the record is significant grounds and we may begin the process," said selectman Virginia Valiela.
Future of Once Proposed Parking Lot Property Triggers Sharp Debate;
New Bedford Suit Runs Up Big Legal Bills
By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer
NANTUCKET - An old skeleton tumbled out of the closet
yesterday when Steamship Authority governors took up the thorny question
of selling the Blacksmith Shop Road property in Falmouth, in a
passionate discussion that revealed fresh fault lines on the boat line
board - especially between the Falmouth and Vineyard members.
An all-Island public forum was announced this week amid a perceived growing disconnection between the Vineyard community and its elected leaders over Steamship Authority affairs.
The developers of the Down Island Golf Club stand to clear more than
$70 million in profits if they are permitted to build a private luxury
golf club in the southern woodlands section of Oak Bluffs, while the
financial benefits to the town and the Vineyard community will be
minimal by comparison.
Steamship Authority Board Members Clash Over Chief Executive Officer
Role
By JULIA WELLS Gazette Senior Writer
Struggling with issues of governance and lines of authority, a
sharply divided Steamship Authority board of governors failed to find
common ground yesterday in an executive session that will ultimately
determine the future for boat line chief executive officer Fred C.
Raskin, who has been on the job for just four months.
New Boat Line CEO Launches Hopeful Era After Contract Pact
By JULIA WELLS
Calling it an investment in the lifeline to the Islands, Steamship
Authority governors announced this week that they had signed a six-year,
six-figure deal with a veteran marine transport executive to take over
the top management post at the public boat line.
Fred C. Raskin will start work on Monday morning as the chief
executive officer of the SSA.
In a quiet ceremony on the second floor of the Edgartown courthouse yesterday, Kathryn A. Roessel was sworn in as the new Vineyard Steamship Authority governor.
The appointment came amid a fresh wave of back-corridor politics, both on the Vineyard and on Beacon Hill, aimed at some kind of coup to overthrow Ms. Roessel by fast-tracking a piece of stalled legislation that would overhaul the SSA board of governors.
