With turmoil springing from two firings, the Tampa Port Authority sends Zelko Kirincich back to his old role. William Starkey takes over.
By STEVE HUETTEL
Published October 28, 2004
TAMPA - A new boss takes over at the Tampa Port Authority today, with the old one as his first mate. But the public agency rocked by turmoil isn't out of rough waters.
At an emergency meeting Wednesday, the authority's governing board approved a plan by Mayor Pam Iorio to replace interim director Zelko Kirincich with William Starkey, a retired GTE executive who will step down when members choose a permanent director.
Port commissioners also agreed to let Kirincich stay on as deputy director, a position he held for eight years before being appointed interim director in March.
Kirincich lost his grip on the top job last week as the agency came under fire from maritime businesses at a tumultuous meeting, then he fired the authority's legal counsel, Dale Bohner, and real estate director, Peter Ferri, the next day.
Bohner told port commissioners Wednesday his dismissal amounted to "retaliation for protected free speech." He advised the board to investigate circumstances of the firing before endorsing Kirincich's decision.
Port authority chairman Lance Ringhaver tried to adjourn the meeting but was interrupted by Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm for ending this meeting, but I think what Dale Bohner said has to be addressed," said Storms, who called for the emergency session on the day Kirincich fired Bohner and Ferri.
At Iorio's urging, commissioners directed Starkey to investigate what led up to the firings and report back at the board's Nov. 16 meeting.
Kirincich wrote commissioners that the dismissals were "solely based on insubordination and lack of performance." Ferri told commissioners Wednesday he'd never been insubordinate and pointed to an overall rating of "outstanding" on a performance evaluation last month.
Bohner was approved by the port board in May 2001 and says only the board can fire him. Kirincich told commissioners in an Oct. 20 memo that the port's outside employment counsel upheld his authority to act.
Tampa attorney Mark Hanley confirmed that opinion in a letter to commissioners Tuesday. But he also advised the board to "ratify" Bohner's termination to avoid costly litigation and a potentially large judgment if a court ruled the firing was unauthorized.
Commissioners weren't willing to take that step. Iorio, Storms and Joseph Diaz, a gubernatorial appointee to the board, said the firing didn't reflect their opinions of Bohner.
"In my opinion, this man can be described in one word - professional," said Diaz, a dentist who lives in Tampa.
Storms criticized Kirincich for getting rid of Bohner and Ferri without consulting the board or having replacements to pick up their work, comparing him to a Wild West gunslinger.
Commissioner Gladstone "Tony" Cooper shot back that the demotion shouldn't soil Kirincich's reputation, either.
Since taking over in March after port director George Williamson accepted a job with a building materials company, Kirincich moved forward a warehouse development and conference center/hotel project on industrial sites, he said.
"We may not (all) like the results, but we all know today where we stand," said Cooper, who owns an apartment rehabilitation and management company.
Three port tenants, a union official and a port authority employee also spoke on behalf of Kirincich, 45.
"If you're the boss of a big business, being right 100 percent of the time isn't possible," said Charles Dowless, the agency's director of facilities management. "You might not agree with decisions he made, but he's 100 percent loyal to the Tampa Port Authority."
As interim director Kirincich earned $178,568 annually. His salary as deputy had not been determined Wednesday.
One of the quietest people in the crowd was Starkey, 69, a retired General Telephone Co. of Florida president and head of GTE's information services division from the mid '80s through the mid '90s. He would not accept a salary as interim port director, but will be reimbursed for his expenses.
Starkey thanked the board after his appointment and backed away from the podium before Storms called him back with questions. "I didn't think I'd go that easy," he said.
He planned to meet with Kirincich this morning to get an overview of the port and a briefing on hot issues, then meet other employees. "I'm going to end up with my own network (of people)," he said.
