Nearly 10 months after Tom Kinton announced he was retiring as executive director of the Massachusetts Port Authority, the quasi-public agency is still looking for a replacement.
Michael Angelini, a member of Massport’s board and head of the search committee, said the group has interviewed “a great number of people” since the summer and is continuing to interview more. He said the list of applicants hasn’t been narrowed to a group of finalists yet, but he expects the hiring process to be completed by the end of next year’s first quarter.
Massport, which manages Logan International Airport, Boston’s seaport, and a considerable amount of real estate, is a key driver of the state’s economy. It is managed by a board controlled by Gov. Deval Patrick, whose administration is interested in tapping the resources of Massport to help finance the state’s other transit operations.
The search for a new executive director is complicated by the fact that the Patrick administration is trying to rein in the salaries of executives at the state’s quasi-public authorities. Kinton, in fact, decided to leave after the Patrick administration shot down an effort by the Massport board to increase his salary from $295,000 to $318,000, which would have placed him just below the 75th percentile for managers of equal-size airports across the nation.
Angelini declined to discuss the salary being offered, but said he wanted to find a highly qualified person and pay them a fair salary. He said no one has told the search committee to limit the size of the salary or hire a less-expensive candidate. “No one has issued any edict or instruction on this point,” said Angelini, who is chairman of the law firm Bowditch & Dewey.
One person familiar with the market for authority executives said a top-flight candidate could command upwards of $400,000 a year, but there is no political appetite for that in Massachusetts. Rumors are swirling around Massport that a Patrick administration insider or even the manager of a municipality might be plucked to do the job.
Angelini declined comment on individual candidates, but stressed that he is looking for someone who can manage people, work cooperatively within the state’s transportation bureaucracy, and position the airport and the seaport for future growth. He said interim CEO David Mackey is doing a good job so there is no need to rush a decision. “Let’s take our time. Let’s look for the very best person we can find and the right person,” he said.
