McConnell proposes restructuring plan to make Port leader more accountable

January 30, 2009 by senatormcconnell

A group of 13 people from around South Carolina, including a current and a former ambassador, will lead the way in finding a leader for the State Ports Authority.

But the local maritime community worries it’s underrepresented.

Choosing a search committee marks the first step in replacing Bernard S. Groseclose Jr., who resigned abruptly as chief executive officer of the powerful agency Jan. 21 in the middle of a semiannual job evaluation.

Former SPA board member John Hassell serves as interim chief executive, and board member Bill Stern, a Columbia businessman, heads the search committee.

“I think the group is well-respected, and I think they’ll be well received by many stakeholders in the maritime community,” Stern said after the SPA released the list.

But Robert New, owner of Charleston Port Services, disagreed. He said Thursday’s search committee announcement included an impressive group of names but left him disappointed.

“There’s nobody who actually works on the docks,” he said.

The committee includes some current and former SPA board members and others, such as retired banker Robert Royall, former ambassador to Tanzania, and former Upstate legislator David Wilkins, outgoing ambassadorto Canada

Stern said the group’s first step will be finding a search firm as quickly as possible.

The search committee announcement coincided with the filing of a bill in Columbia that would overhaul the port’s governing body.

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, drafted legislation that would change qualifications for SPA board members and establish a host of other rules for the agency. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, and Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, are co-sponsors of the bill.

The bill would require screening for all board candidates while eliminating the governor’s ability to remove members at will.

The bill also would require an annual performance review of the executive director with a written report to the governor and the General Assembly. The SPA has said it has no records of Groseclose’s past job evaluations.

Each board member would need five years of experience in one of the following fields: maritime shipping; organized labor in maritime shipping; overland shipping; international commerce; finance, economics or statistics; accounting; engineering or law.

The bill would also establish an eight-person SPA advisory board with a governor-appointed member recommended by each of the following groups: the S.C. Stevedores Association, the Charleston Harbor Pilots Association, the International Longshoremen’s Association, the Propeller Club of Charleston, the S.C. Manufacturer’s Alliance, the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, the S.C. Trucking Association and a major railroad company providing local service.

The proposed bill says the SPA must consider public-private partnerships and develop a long-range development and capital financing plan. It also must maintain on its Web site a transaction register of all purchases over $100.

Grooms said the SPA lacks accountability, management and oversight and that this bill seeks to change the direction of the agency. He said the state must act quickly to restore global confidence in the SPA.

McConnell said the bill should find strong bi-partisan support because of the port’s influence on the economic health of the entire state.

The legislation is expected to be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee, which Grooms chairs, on Tuesday. With favorable reception, a vote could come on the floor as early as Feb. 10. It would then move to the House for consideration.

By Allyson Bird
The Post and Courier

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