When the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum CommissionThe Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the state agency that stewards the U.S. Brig Niagara and Erie Maritime Museum. The PHMC is responsible for the collect... (PHMC) took control of Niagara on January 1, 2024, they announced plans to hire Niagara‘s Captain within 90 days. (See here for our 90 day update). Once they had a Captain, they planned on working together to hire the rest of the crew. Here we are six months later and they have yet to even publicly post the position. Despite not posting the position, the FAQ (archived here ) on the Erie Maritime MuseumThe Erie Maritime Museum (EMM) is a cultural institution located in Erie, Pennsylvania, dedicated to preserving and showcasing the region's maritime heritage. Established in 1997, ... (EMM) website indicates: “PHMC is currently engaged in hiring the Captain and the shipwright. These hiring processes are progressing. Once positions have been filled, we will make a public announcement introducing our new team members.” If they haven’t posted the position, how could that be and what have they been up to?

Author’s Note: My goal is to look at how fair and open the hiring process has been. Due to PHMC’s secrecy around the hiring process a lot of what is below is presented without supplying direct evidence. However, I confirmed almost all of it with multiple sources. I will keep the identity of each Captain candidate as well as my sources anonymous. Hopefully, I have been able to build your trust through my other pieces.

Posting the Position for Niagara‘s Captain

When PHMC published the press release (archived here) announcing they were taking control of Niagara on December 18, 2023 they indicated that they would be hiring a Captain, Chief Mate, Shipwright, and seasonal crew members to replace those that the Flagship Niagara League (FNL) previously had on staff. In response to a question from Erie News Now about the future role of previous Niagara Captain Billy Sabatini, PHMC spokesperson Howard Pullman indicated “We welcome FNL employees to apply for positions within PHMC as they post.” That is a story that PHMC reiterated during an all volunteer meeting led by EMM Site Administrator Jim HallJames E. Hall is the Site Administrator for the Erie Maritime Museum and a PHMC staff member. He replaced Walter Rybka in December of 2020. His background includes 13 years with th.... Hall indicated that FNL staff was welcome to apply for positions as they became available. If FNL staff was welcome to apply for positions, then one would assume that PHMC would publicly post the positions. Otherwise, how could they apply?

Why Hasn’t Niagara’s Captain Position Been Posted?

Soon after PHMC released their December 18 press release, one volunteer reached out to EMM museum educator Chuck Johnson (email here) who was also at the time the volunteer coordinator indicating how they thought Niagara had a bright future. They indicated that they hoped PHMC would hire Billy Sabatini as Captain. As well the rest of the crew members back to their previous positions. Chuck then forwarded the email to PHMC leadership and says “Well, he won’t get his wish entirely but, great response from <redacted>.”

As a museum educator, Chuck likely has no say in hiring decisions. However, his statement seems to indicate PHMC’s intent to not fully hire the former crew back to their old positions. It makes it look like it was common knowledge that some crew members would not be welcome back. This contradicts other public statements made by PHMC. One such statement made by now former PHMC Director of External Affairs Howard Pollman stated in part: “This model will include hiring a full-time captain, chief mate, shipwright, as well as seasonal crew members. These positions will be open for all qualified candidates to apply.” Note that Pollman never specifies any exceptions to his commitment so it applies to the Captain position as well.

PHMC was saying one thing publicly, but something else behind closed doors. Actions also speak louder than words. Could it be that PHMC did not want long time Niagara Captain Billy Sabatini to return to his old position? Were they just misleading the public while trying to pacify them by implying that he would be free to apply? Are they afraid that in an open process, they might only get applications from individuals they don’t want to hire?

What Would a Job Posting Look Like for Niagara‘s Captain?

Since PHMC has not posted the Captain’s position, let’s take a stab at what it might look like. The job description (archived here) PHMC last modified in 1999 is still available online. While things may have changed in the last 25 years, it serves as a starting point for what to expect. I know this section is a little boring, but I promise it will be relevant later.

Qualifications

Most of it is pretty standard, so I will focus on what applicant qualifications will be relevant to this story. First, they must have a 500 ton US Coast Guard Oceans License for Auxiliary Sail. Since Niagara is well under 500 tons and hasn’t been out on the ocean since 2000, this can likely be reduced to a 200 ton Great Lakes/Inland License. This change opens up the pool of potential candidates, but is still pretty restrictive requirement.

Furthermore, the description requires them to have 5 years of experience on a square-rigged vessel as Chief Mate or Captain. There are only a handful of square riggers in service which would eliminate experienced schooner Captains from consideration. According to one industry source, there are maybe a dozen people in the US who meet these two requirements. Three of those people are currently employed by the Flagship Niagara League. If they are not being considered by PHMC, that would further reduce the number of potential candidates.

Compensation

While the requirements greatly limit who is available, PHMC appears to be compensating the Captain well. While I can’t say for certain what they are offering the Captain, their posted salary range (archived here) is $79,137-$120,177. Since the job posting is from 1999, it is unclear whether that is in 1999 dollars or 2024 dollars. Regardless, it is almost certainly more than FNL was paying Captain SabatiniFleet Captain William "Billy" Sabatini is the executive director and fleet captain of the Flagship Niagara League. Sabatini grew up in southeastern Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, and ....

As a 501(c)3, FNL is required to disclose the salary of any staff member who earns more than $100,000. In FNL’s 2022 tax return, they indicated that no one was making more than $100,000. In order to be guaranteed to be paid more than FNL’s Captain, all a candidate would need to do is hit the middle of PHMC’s posted pay range ($99,657). Since PHMC was offering more than the industry standard, they should not have run into any issues in attracting interest of other qualified Captains.

Interview Process for Niagara‘s Captain

First Captain Candidate

The first candidate PHMC interviewed was in January 2024. PHMC Commissioner Cal Pifer confirmed this during a meeting several volunteers had with him on February 7, 2024. This candidate appeared to be well qualified for the job. They sailed on Niagara for several seasons and have captained other square riggers in the past. From our understanding, that candidate was PHMC’s first choice, but they turned the position down for an unknown reason in late-January or early-February.

When PHMC interviewed this candidate, I was not concerned about the process being private and was willing to turn a blind eye. In today’s job market, many companies post a position since it is “required” when they likely already know they plan on hiring internally for it. If PHMC had that person in mind, then it would make sense to just hire that person instead of having other potential candidates go through the hiring process just for fun. However, once this candidate turned the position down, I assumed we would soon see the position posted publicly.

Second Captain Candidate

I was wrong. In February, rumors started to swirl of a second candidate that PHMC was considering for the Captain’s position. While this candidate may not have been interviewed, I can confirm that their references were contacted. Upon learning who the candidate was, I started to get concerned about how the hiring process was unfolding. They had the appropriate license and qualifications to sail Niagara, however their ability to command a crew was questionable.

I have never sailed with this person, but I knew multiple people who have. And well, let’s just say their opinions are less than stellar. Multiple people had horror stories of what it was like to sail under them. One person even said that they would never sail with this person again. Even if it required them to quit a contract on the spot.

Having the technical knowledge to be Niagara‘s Captain is just one part of the job. Niagara‘s Captain must also oversee and lead a crew of upwards of 40 sailors and trainees. PHMC’s willingness to entertain someone that may have the license, but lacks the ability to lead is pretty concerning. It is unclear whether this person turned the job down, or they were never offered a position. Regardless of the outcome, the hiring process continued.

PHMC Seeks Advice

In late February, retired Captain and legend of the industry Walter Rybka reached out to Jim Hall about a Captain that PHMC was interviewing and offered to talk to him over lunch about it. I am not positive which candidate this was, but the timeline aligns with the second candidate mentioned above.

Captain Rybka’s email calls into question one claim made by PHMC. Based on a discussion with PHMC, the Erie Times News reported on January 18, 2024 that “Former Niagara Captain Walter Rybka is working with staff and volunteers as winterization efforts continue.” However, PHMC never indicated how formal that relationship was. The rumor was that PHMC was just asking Captain Rybka questions while he was at the museum conducting research.

Captain Rybka’s email to PHMC about meeting over lunch while he was working on some slides, and Jim Hall’s reply indicating that he was hoping to ask him some questions about shipyard at the same time, supports that rumor. Was there ever a formal relationship between the two or was PHMC taking advantage of Captain Rybka’s presence and asking him questions on the side while he was onsite doing research for a book?

Current State of Hiring Process

Since PHMC has kept relatively quiet, it is a bit hard to say for certain, but PHMC appears to have the person they want to hire for Captain.

When I first heard about the person being considered, alarm bells ran in my head over how PHMC was conducting the hiring process. This candidate is the son of someone with a professional (and potentially personal) relationship with PHMC Site Administrator Jim Hall. However, I did not want to immediately reach out to PHMC to voice these concerns. At this point it was just a rumor and it was unclear of how interested they were. As time went on I heard the same name referenced by several other sources as someone PHMC was considering for Captain. Including one PHMC source who said that the announcement was just waiting on some paperwork.

It was around this time, I decided to reach out to PHMC about some of these concerns. I sent an email to the Director of PHMC’s Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums Melissa MannMelissa Mann serves as Director of the Bureau of Historic Sites & Museums for PHMC. Starting the role in 2021, she supervises 24 state-owned historic sites and museums along th..., and PHMC Executive Director Andrea LoweryAndrea Lowery, serves as Executive Director and Chief of the Division of Architecture and Preservation for PHMC. to voice these concerns and ask them to provide me with information on PHMC’s hiring policies and if they could speak to how PHMC ensures that they do not commit cronyism or favoritism in the hiring process. You can see that email here, but they never replied. I did not expect them to address the rumor, but I expected a generic reply saying something along the lines of “We cannot comment on an active hiring process due to it being an ongoing HR matter. However, you can see our hiring policies <here>. We strive to eliminate any sort of favoritism in our hiring process.” But instead, PHMC provided no response at all.

Candidate Introduces Themselves to PHMC

In a recent Right to KnowA Right to Know (RTK) request is a request for information from a state or local government body in Pennsylvania. You are allowed to request any kind of information, and aside from... request, we received an email from this candidate introducing themselves to PHMC on January 24, 2024. Less than one month after PHMC took over control of Niagara. The position was not published publicly, so how did they know about “the news of this position being open”? Did they have a personal connection that tipped them off to the position and encouraged them to introduce themselves? How would other qualified candidates be able to apply if the position was not being broadcast more broadly?

Why Hasn’t Niagara‘s Captain Been Announced Yet?

There are numerous reasons why PHMC may not have announced the Captain yet even if they know who they will hire. These reasons range from negotiations, to paperwork, or the candidate refusing the offer. However, there may be a different reason.

As you may recall from earlier, Niagara‘s captain requires certain credentials with the USCG and more specifically a 200 tons masters license with a sailing endorsement. The certification is commonly referred to as a MMCA Merchant Mariner Credential(MMC), is a certification issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) that authorizes an individual to work aboard commercial vessels. This credenti... with each license requiring a certain number of days sailing on relevant vessels, and passing required tests. According to multiple independent sources, the candidate PHMC will likely hire doesn’t currently have the license required to be Niagara‘s Captain. They may very well have had it in the past, but it is not currently active. Until they have a valid license, they are not even allowed to take Niagara off of the dock.

Just as Neptunus Rex ruled the seas in Roman mythology, the Captain of a vessel rules over everything that occurs onboard and is directly responsible for everything that may happen. The way the Coast Guard determines if someone is qualified to bear that responsibility is via their licensing system. If the candidate’s employment was contingent on them obtaining the necessary credentials, that would explain the delay. Especially since one PHMC source indicated that the delay was due to “paperwork.” They perhaps just left out the part that the paperwork that was causing the delay controlled their ability to actually be Niagara‘s Captain.

Hiring Timeline

Recall that this candidate first introduced themselves to PHMC on January 24, a full five months ago. They’ve had five months to work with the Coast Guard to reissue their license, but it still has not happened. Since PHMC has not even posted the position, their actions granting this candidate significant special treatment brings into question the entire hiring process. What makes this candidate special? Why has PHMC given them so much time to get their license in order? Who else would have been granted that much leniency?

Cronyism?

So let’s summarize where we are at:

• PHMC has not publicly posted the position for Niagara‘s Captain, despite previously saying FNL staff could apply for their old positions.
• The likely candidate reached out before the search was publicly known, potentially due to insider information.
• The likely candidate has a professional and/or personal relationship with the current Erie Maritime Museum Site Administrator Jim Hall.
• PHMC refused to supply me with their policies on preventing cronyism/favoritism in the hiring process.
• The likely candidate does not currently have the credentials required to actually be Niagara’s Captain.
• PHMC is willing to wait a significant amount of time for this candidate to have their license reissued by the Coast Guard without moving on to other options.

We are in a position where a friend of PHMC leadership is likely going to be Niagara’s Captain while they do not currently hold the necessary credentials, and were hired through a process that was not public. I am not a legal expert, but this definitely feels cronyism. What do you think?

Where to Go From Here?

Since PHMC is part of the State of Pennsylvania, I expect better. I do not want my tax dollars to go to someone who was hired just because of their personal connections. PHMC has a duty to Pennsylvania’s taxpayers to hold an open and transparent hiring process so that we can ensure that anyone hired is the best candidate possible and not just a friend of those in power.

While I don’t think I am wrong, I hope that the information I have is somehow incorrect. PHMC, I know you are reading this. Prove me wrong. Post the position for Niagara‘s Captain. Conduct an open and transparent hiring process. I know you can’t share details of who is being interviewed, but at a minimum post the position with an open application period. Allow the best candidates in the industry to apply. Niagara is one of the most sought-after postings in the tall ships industry. The citizens of PA and Niagara deserve the best Captain possible. Holding the process behind closed doors without allowing the best and most qualified candidates to apply while you hire your friend is not how you get the best Captain possible. Niagara and the taxpayers of PA deserve better.

Don’t Give Up The Ship!