Everett, Wash.
Published: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Ferry system has new skipper

Meanwhile, a bill in the House calls for a detailed maintenance plan for ferries.

By Jerry Cornfield and Scott North
Herald Writers

 OLYMPIA -- Washington State Ferries got a new leader Tuesday, and a state lawmaker said she knows what is needed to put the struggling agency on the right course.

David Moseley, 60, a veteran of government service and nonprofit leadership, has been named chief of the nation's largest ferry system. The decision was made by state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond and supported by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

"Welcome aboard, you've got a challenge," state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, told him at a news conference where the hiring was announced.

Haugen this week introduced legislation mandating that the ferry system develop a detailed plan for maintaining, preserving and replacing boats. A hearing on the measure was scheduled for today.

"Some people might complain that this approach is too prescriptive, that we're trying to legislate too much," Haugen said in a prepared statement. "But the way I see it, prescribing a good dose of oversight and accountability is exactly what this patient needs."

Moseley has worked for nonprofits, in city government and a short spell in the House of Representatives, but never in transportation.

He acknowledged he'll be spending a lot of time early on talking to employees and riding ferries so he can understand the agency operations and how it is perceived by the public.

"The ferries are a Washington state icon, but they are much more than that," Moseley said. "They are the lifelines for many people and businesses in Washington state. They are an integral part of the entire Washington state transportation system and they are important to our state's future."

Moseley succeeds Mike Anderson, who retired in December.

Moseley joins a ferry system in turmoil after problems with corroding steel on aging vessels have raised questions about the fleet's management and safety. Ferry service has been disrupted around Puget Sound since Hammond's Nov. 20 decision to pull four Steel Electric-class ferries out of concern over cracks and corrosion in their 1927-vintage hulls. The vessels have since been retired, and the ferry system has struggled to meet stepped-up Coast Guard demands for inspection and repairs on the rest of the fleet.

Gordon Baxter, a maritime labor lobbyist who represents all but a few dozen of the ferry's system's 1,600 union employees, served on the search committee that helped tap Moseley as ferry chief. He said going outside the agency for a new leader was the right move.

"We don't care if someone knows a port from starboard," he said. "We think it's time to bring in someone from the outside who is a manager."

Haugen, who heads the Senate Transportation Committee, said her bill would implement recommendations of a consultant's study that has called into question how the ferry system has gone about preserving and replacing ferries.

Among other things, the consultant questioned the ferry system's practice of diverting money that had gone to maintain and repair hulls in an attempt to pay for construction of new vessels. The state also was chided for failing to plan for vessel retirement.

Haugen said her bill would require the ferry system to develop a timeline for replacing ferries as they age.

Before they were pulled from service, the Steel Electrics were the oldest ferries operating on saltwater in the nation.
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA