Port board to discuss director’s performance in Sept.
By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 19, 2011
TAMPA —
The Tampa Port Authority temporarily diffused a business association’s push to oust the port director today by postponing discussions about his performance until September.
The board said it wanted clear performance criteria in place before it could evaluate whether Richard Wainio was doing a good job.
However, board member Carl Lindell spoke out at the close of Monday’s monthly board meeting to praise Wainio’s performance, saying the board “knows how to identify leadership.”
“I could not think of who we could find to replace him,” Lindell added later. “”We have no reason for it.”
Port board member and Hillsborough County commissioner Sandra Murman said that out of fairness to Wanio, the port board should look to other governmental bodies, including the county, to ensure its performance evaluation tools are the best available.
“We should not get into personal matters, but (an) evaluation on specific goals and objectives.” Murman said.
The Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association on Thursday listed several complaints about Wainio in a letter to the board chairman. The grievances ranged from Wainio being “reluctant to solicit or accept suggestions, feedback or input” to what they said were discrepancies between the director’s monthly reports to commissioners and audited financial statements.
The business association had not sent a copy of letter to Wainio. The board forwarded Wainio a copy and asked Wainio to respond to the issues point-by-point by early August.
Wainio made no comment today about the letter. Previously, he said the complaints reflected a power struggle by a portion of the businesses that work at or with the port.
Another source of tension emerged today with the board’s approval for the new firm of Tampa Marine Terminals to do business with non-union labor on the docks. The International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1402 said allowing TMT to operate would undercut their wages at a time when work is scarce.
The board overrode the staff’s recommendation to limit TMT to bulk cargo only and approved TMT to handle break-bulk cargo such as steel, lumber and pallets, for which the staff said there is plentiful competition for work at the port.
Following the votes, the several dozen union members in attendance left en masse. Local officials declined comment later in the day on the vote.
