Robert Davis, general manager of the Steamship Authority, agreed on Friday to a three-year contract extension at an initial salary of $207,500.
Mr. Davis, whose previous salary was $185,640, also is in line for potential bonuses based on the progress of the Woods Hole terminal reconstruction project, the boat line’s vessel replacement program, its new website and mobile application, “and any other milestones that the board deems necessary,” according to the motion approved unanimously by the boat line board of governors at an online meeting Friday morning.
“Bob’s work ethic, Bob’s detailed knowledge, Bob’s hours and involvement and communication with the board and with me have been exceptional, so much so that I’m concerned at his workload and the hours he puts in,” said Vineyard governor James Malkin, who gave Mr. Davis a score of 90 per cent for his job performance over the past year.
New Bedford governor and board chair Maura Tierney awarded Mr. Jones a 95 per cent score, after noting that the two have often taken opposing positions.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Bob and I have, on many occasions, gone head-to-head over issues, [and] I think that’s a really excellent sign of a good manager if you can agree to disagree with somebody and still work effectively with that person,” Ms. Tierney said.
Mr. Davis also received scores of 92 per cent from Barnstable governor Bob Jones and 96 per cent from Nantucket governor Robert Ranney, who grasped for words to express his praise for the general manager.
“I don’t have enough good adjectives to describe how great this is or how lucky we are,” Mr. Ranney said.
Only Falmouth governor Peter Jeffrey gave Mr. Davis a mark below 90, scoring him at 85 per cent and calling out unfinished recommendations from the 2018 operational study by management consultants HMS/Glosten.
“We are now close to four years out from the HMS report, and we still don’t have a strategic plan, and that has hindered the Authority’s ability to think strategically and move forward,” Mr. Jeffrey said.
Mr. Jeffrey told his fellow governors that he had sought input on Mr. Davis’s performance evaluation from former Falmouth governor Kathryn Wilson, as each of them had served on the board for about half of the past year.
While the governors praised Mr. Davis’s commitment and institutional knowledge of the SSA, they recommended that he delegate more tasks to avoid burnout.
“I’d hate to see what we pay him hourly, if we had to take his salary and divide it by how many hours a week he works,” Ms. Tierney said.
