Gregoire's Surprise Appointment as WS Ferry Chief: David Moseley

WSDOT announces David Moseley as new Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries

Date: Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Contact: Lloyd Brown, WSDOT Communications Director (360) 705-7075 (Olympia)

David Moseley, new Assistant Secretary for Washington State Ferries

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire, Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen and Rep. Judy Clibborn joined Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond today as she announced David Moseley as the new Washington State Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for the Ferries Division.

Moseley, Vice President for the Institute for Community Change in Seattle, had been Federal Way city manager from 1999 to 2006. He assumes the position vacated by Mike Anderson who retired in 2007.

“I am pleased to be here today to launch a new day and a new direction for the Washington state ferry system,” said Gregoire. “Over the next 18 months, I have asked Secretary Hammond and her new ferry system assistant secretary to transform the state ferry system so during these changing times it will remain the safest, most responsive, and highest caliber system in the world.”

The governor specified three areas of improvement she hopes will ensure that Washington state has a healthy, cost-effective ferry system well into the future. They are:

• A fleet preservation and maintenance program that sets the standard for industry best practices.
• A restructured, nimble, organization that provides outstanding customer service and in partnership with each of the communities it serves, and meets the needs of a growing Puget Sound region.
• A funding plan that is lean, and sustainable in the long-term, and that accommodates the preservation of vessels and regular replacement within their planned life span.

“We are committed to having a sustainable, well run state ferry system that will continue to serve the Puget Sound communities long into the future,” said Secretary Hammond. “I believe David brings the organizational and management experience we need to see the Ferries Division continue its long and respected history of serving the citizens of Washington.”

Moseley joins WSDOT during a time of increased scrutiny after Hammond took all four of the Steel Electric class vessels out of service due to safety concerns about hull corrosion. This decision led to vehicle service being suspended on the Port Townsend-Keystone ferry route and service disruptions on other routes.

“This is a big job with big challenges,” Moseley said. “Working with the Governor, Secretary Hammond, Sen. Haugen, Rep. Clibborn, WSDOT and ferry system staff, ferry communities, riders and labor, I am confident we will strengthen the ferry system to provide the best service possible and begin to restore the public trust and confidence in the ferry system.”

Moseley has 15 years of service in city manager positions for three Washington State cities. Previously he directed the Department of Community Development, the Division of Youth Services, and the Community Accountability Program (juvenile justice) for the City of Seattle. Other experience includes Staff Director, Speaker of the Washington State House of Representatives and Director, Telegraph Avenue Community Center (Oakland). David was a Presidential Appointee to the National Advisory Committee for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He received his Masters of Divinity from Golden Gate Theological Seminary and his BA from Willamette University.

Since its creation in 1951, Washington State Ferries (WSF) has become the largest ferry system in the United States and the third largest in the world, carrying more than 24 million passengers each year.

WSF operates 23 vessels and 20 ferry terminals, from Point Defiance (Tacoma) in the south, to Sidney, British Columbia in the north. Thousands of commuters, employers, students, tourists and commercial shippers depend on WSF every day for safe, reliable transportation across the Sound.

New ferry chief has no maritime experience; has divinity degree

State's new ferry chief says building boats is first priority

Seattle Times staff reporter

David Moseley, (see pic...he's first left), new head of Washington State Ferries, was riding a ferry the other day when a bike commuter offered a suggestion.

Why not put lockers at Colman Dock, so commuters like himself could leave a change of clothes from his sweaty biking gear?

The idea was intriguing to Moseley, who began his job Monday and plans to spend the next few weeks riding the boats and talking to commuters.

He hopes to generate ideas such as the lockers to engage ferry riders and temper concerns about recent problems with broken-down boats and disrupted schedules.

"I want to get their ideas how to make their lives better," said Moseley, who acknowledges righting the ferries won't be an easy task. The system is $500 million in the hole, the aging fleet needs to be replaced, and fares are so high Moseley doesn't think they can be raised any time soon.

At the same time, the state is moving forward on building six new ferries and is engaged in several studies that could decide how the ferries are run.

"A strategic thinker"

Moseley, 60, former head of the Seattle Department of Community Development, was appointed last month to head the agency following the resignation of Mike Anderson. Moseley will be making $141,000 a year.

Moseley has no maritime experience and was not even a finalist for the job when the four contenders were brought to Seattle in January for interviews.

Those on the search committee said Moseley's name didn't appear until three days into the interview process. Although Moseley was appointed, it wasn't by a unanimous decision by the search committee.

Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said there were 20 applicants for the job and when her chief assistants Steve Reinmuth and David Dye chose those to interview, Moseley wasn't on the list.

"They came back and said we're not in love with anyone yet," Hammond said. "David Moseley was not on their list, but I thought they should interview him so he was added to the list. I liked his city-management experience and wanted a strong manager, a strategic thinker."

Job one: new boats

Moseley's first priority will be shepherding the construction of the new ferries. Bids on boats to replace the Steel Electric Class boats taken out of service in November are scheduled to come out March 20, with the first boat expected to be finished next year.

While the state initially planned to build three boats modeled after the Pierce County boat Steilacoom II, now loaned to the state for the Port Townsend-Keystone run, the state now thinks only one of the boats will be that design and the other two will be modeled after the so-called Island Home design for boats that run in the Nantucket area of Massachusetts. That boat is larger and considered more stable.

The state also plans to build three 144-car boats; they should be designed by fall, with construction starting next year.

Moseley knows his job won't be an easy one. "There's no question sufficient sustainable resources is the key question," he said. "We're at the edge of what we can expect from the fare box."

Much of his job will be courting legislators to try to win money for the ferry system, which he acknowledges won't be easy with all the other competing causes. He said he met with legislators Monday, "and they are stepping up to the plate."

Moseley said while he knows he faces a daunting task with the state ferry system, it's not the first time he's entered a bleak situation. He said when he was hired as city manager of Ellensburg, he faced severe financial problems and a troubling audit, but when he left the city was in strong financial shape.

Moseley said the ferry system needs more riders, which is difficult with high fares and all the disruptions that have been plaguing the system lately.

Moseley is a graduate of Willamette University in Salem, Ore., and has a master's of divinity degree from the Golden Gate Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, Calif., which led one DOT worker to say, "I am impressed that at least he has a degree in divinity — because WSF will now need help from someone not of this world."

His other goals

Asked what he hopes to accomplish in the first six months on the job, Moseley said he wants to convince riders that the ferry system is listening to them.

He said he wants to work with his staff to encourage innovation and make sure the right people are working on the issues.

And he wants to work with the local ferry communities to put together a legislative package for the 2009 session.

Moseley said he doesn't feel overwhelmed by the job he faces and says he isn't daunted by critics who fault him for having no maritime experience.

"They liked my management and leadership," said Moseley. "I thought I had something to offer, and that's why I submitted my résumé."

WSF to downsize. Ferries farebox to stick at 75% of cost?

Turnaround time for state ferries?

David Moseley, Washington state's new ferries director, talks about the challenges ahead of him Monday, March 3, 2008, his first day on the job at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash.

By Associated Press
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington's ferry chief, upbeat on his first day on the job, said Monday he's expecting a real turnaround at the problem-plagued ferry system and expects to retire a happy man someday.

David Moseley said he even saw a rainbow as he headed to a midday meeting with legislators from ferry-dependent districts.

"I said to myself, `OK, I'm taking it as a good sign."'

It has been mostly storm clouds lately for the nation's largest ferry system - boats pulled from service, schedules thrown out the window, angry riders left without key connections, tight finances and critical audits.

Moseley, 60, who spent most of his adult career as an administrator for Seattle, Federal Way, Ellensburg and Steilacoom, doesn't have a maritime background and was purposely brought in as an outside "change agent" by the governor and her Department of Transportation.

"I'm thrilled at this opportunity," notwithstanding the mountain of problems, Moseley said in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. "At this point in my career, it's exactly the challenge I'm looking for.

"The ferries are not just a Washington state icon, they're a lifeline for people."

Moseley said it feels like the ferry system is in its turnaround moment. Six new boats are in the pipeline and the ferry system will develop a clear plan for maintaining and replacing its aging vessels so the state never again has to deal with the sudden removal of boats from service and not having backup plans, he said.

In November, the state suddenly took four Steel Electric Class vessels out of service, fearing they were no longer safe to operate after inspectors found pitting and corrosion.

That temporarily left the Port Townsend-Whidbey Island run without car service. The ensuing passenger-only service had to rely for a while on a whale-watching boat.

The Steel Electric vessels also served the interisland run in the San Juan Islands.

The Port Townsend run was eventually supplied with a loaner vessel, the Steilacoom II from Pierce County and lawmakers have approved construction of three replacement vessels - one the same size and design as the 55-car Steilacoom II and the others a little larger - 76-car boats. Three 144-car vessels also are being designed.

"Getting those six vessels is critical to getting predictable service" and backup boats, Moseley said. "Then we can give a sigh of relief."

The bid for the first small boat will be awarded this month and it should be delivered in 14 months and the other two small boats within an additional year, he said. The first big boat will be delivered two years from this summer, and the others after that, he said.

The governor and Legislature will be given long-term recommendations for a follow-up schedule for building new boats and maintaining the existing ones, he said. Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond talks about a 60-year life cycle for ferries, meaning many of the boats would need replacing in the next few decades.

The ferry agency also is being reorganized, downsized somewhat, and integrated better into the umbrella state transportation agency, Moseley said. Olympia plans to come up with a long-term financing plan and will work to repair the system's reputation.

Moseley said he expects to regain public confidence, as the state brings the new boats on line, and schedules and service are more reliable. Service has suffered on the Port Townsend, Bremerton and Point Defiance runs in recent days.

The state ferry system carries 24 million passengers and 11 million vehicles a year on 10 cross-Puget Sound runs.

Moseley also said he wants to make transparent, publicly accountable operations a key part of the agency's culture. "When you tell people what you know, when you know it, that breeds confidence," he said.

Ferry riders are frustrated and even cynical about promises, but do support their marine highways, he said.

"They love the ferries. People want this thing to succeed. That's a value that we can draw on."

Asked how long he'd like to hold the post, Moseley said seven to 10 years.

What would success look like?

"When I retire, people talk about the little blip when the ferry system had a rough time back in 2007, 2008 - how it was an aberration and how the system now has good maintenance, enough boats, a reliable schedule," he said.

He said he'd like to restrain growth in ferry fares, which soared by 70 percent over the past decade as lawmakers tried to have the farebox cover 80 percent or more of the operating cost. Fares, now frozen for two years, cover about 75 percent of the cost, he said.

The ferry system has a two-year operating budget of $414 million and a construction and maintenance budget of $286 million