E-mail to a friend
See what stories users are sending to friends

The Big Idea
Whose right on bearing arms?
Founders meant 'the militia'
Second Amendment means what it says

Ellen Goodman
Derrick Z. Jackson
Jeff Jacoby
Martin F. Nolan
Thomas Oliphant
Jack Thomas
Joan Vennochi

Write a letter to the editor

Weekly
Health | Science (Tue.)
Food (Wed.)
Calendar (Thu.)
Life at Home (Thu.)

Sunday
Automotive
Focus
Learning
Real Estate
Travel

Local news
City Weekly
Globe South
Globe West
North Weekly
NorthWest Weekly
New Hampshire

Features
Globe archives
Book Reviews
Book Swap
Columns
Comics
Crossword
Horoscopes
Death Notices
Lottery
Movie Reviews
Music Reviews
NetWatch weblog
Obituaries
Special Reports
Today's stories A-Z
TV & Radio
Weather

Classifieds
Autos
BostonWorks
Real Estate
Place an Ad

Buy a Globe photo

Help
Contact the Globe
Send us feedback

Alternative views
Low-graphics version
Acrobat version (.pdf)

Search the Globe: Today Yesterday

A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL

Taming MassPort

12/4/2001

HE MASSACHUSETTS Port Authority emerges from the pages of a special commission report as a hydra-headed ''monster'' that spews patronage jobs and is capable of growing more heads each time one is lopped off. The only way to tame it is to starve it, prompting Acting Governor Jane Swift to call on the Legislature yesterday to impose a ''moratorium'' on patronage hires at the independent public agency that manages Logan International Airport and the Port of Boston.

''Patronage in all its forms, not just hiring `connected' people, is a disturbing way of life at Massport,'' reads the report of a six-member task force, which was formed shortly after the Sept. 11 hijackings of two airplanes out of Logan that later crashed into the World Trade Center. ''It erodes public confidence in the Authority's professionalism. It is resented by Massport's professional staff, which feels powerless to stop it, and it has exacted a heavy price in time, money, organizational prestige, and the retention of talented employees.''

The strength of the task force, led by former bank CEO Marshall Carter, rests with its series of strong, implementable recommendations that should go far to improve security and safety at the airport. Great emphasis is placed on ensuring that only top-notch candidates are hired, especially in ''life-safety'' roles. One of the best recommendations is a mandatory ''sunshine report'' that would list the source of hiring requests made to the agency. Massport is in constant need of disinfecting.

The Carter Commission showed courage by tackling police agencies. It called for immediate negotiations with the State Police regarding the staffing of Troop F at Logan Airport, an overtime-rich posting where assignment depends on seniority. The report rightly calls for Troop F officers to be drawn from the ''entire rank and file'' to form a specialized unit with tactical expertise in airport security.

The Carter Commission was more timid with its approach to Massport's governance. While calling for expansion of the membership of the board and expertise of its members, it stops short of calling for the immediate replacement of current members who were appointed by the Weld and Cellucci administrations. Massport's board is too closely associated with past practices. It needs a quick overhaul as surely as the top-heavy ranks of management need to be trimmed.

The report is even weaker in its approach to the airport's relationship with the community. It seems to make little distinction, for example, between grasping politicians who pressure the agency to help favored groups or causes and legitimate efforts to fund Piers Park in East Boston, which Massport built to offset the effects of airport expansion.

While the safety recommendations are sound throughout, other proposals need more reflection.

This story ran on page A20 of the Boston Globe on 12/4/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.