(Fauntleroy ferry photo by Matt Durham)
Just announced by WSDOT: David Moseley, a former Federal Way city manager and current executive at the Institute for Community Change, will run Washington State Ferries. (Its previous boss, Mike Anderson, left the job late last year.) Here’s the news release:

WSDOT announces new Assistant Secretary David Moseley named 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.