Supporters of interim Space Florida President Frank DiBello are fighting for his reconsideration, after a selection committee recommended Shana Dale, former NASA deputy administrator and Bush appointee, to take the job permanently."The learning curve is so unnecessary," Brevard County Commissioner Mary Bolin said. "I am stunned that the selection committee would want to go with a total unknown to the State of Florida and start all over again."
Florida's space industry is virtually in panic mode, with the shuttle program ending next year, causing massive unemployment in the county. Additionally, NASA's Constellation program suffers from chronic underfunding and requires a jumpstart with a $3 billion per year budget increase.
"Frank DiBello is the person who would be of the highest benefit for the State of Florida," Bolin said. "He would have the confidence of government and private industry immediately. He's already shown his ability to bring groups together and have positive results."
Several of DiBello's supporters said privately they would continue to press for his selection. The selection committee's recommendation was scheduled to be voted on during a Thursday teleconference. However, state Sen. Thad Altman, a non-voting board member, said he would formally request the vote be delayed until the full board meets Sept. 22 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
The agency Space Florida serves as the state's representative to the space industry.
DiBello became interim president in early May, replacing Steve Kohler, who was appointed in 2006 and resigned May 8 after a controversy over several questionable contracts. Kohler formerly worked for former governor Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge and had little space industry experience. DiBello was the runner up when Kohler was chosen.
Before former President Bush appointed Dale to NASA in 2005, she served in the Bush White House. She resigned her NASA post shortly before President Obama took office.
"It seems like a bad business decision," Dale Ketcham, director of the University of Central Florida's Spaceport Research & Technology Institute at Kennedy Space Center, said. "We had the right guy in that job."
Ketcham said he did not doubt Dale's competence, only her ability to work with the Obama administration.
"It's a puzzling decision by this selection committee. Most of the committee does not live here, and we're the ones impacted."
Up to 7,000 space industry jobs will be lost when the shuttle stops flying. Many more related jobs will evaporate as space industry workers leave the area.
"Clearly we need some help," Bill Cunningham, chairman-elect of the board of directors of the county Economic Development Commission, said. "We're less than a year away from an enormous employment issue here."
Cunningham supports DiBello for the job.
"We have a guy that's very competent on the ground, running," he said. "We don't have a lot of time."
8 comments:
Yes we have the right man for the job in Frank DiBello. The state of Florida needs his skills and experience, and to date her has handled this job superbly, building relationships across the nation, and in the beltway, where they were previously damaged. He has his attention on the right market opportunities for Florida and his focus on driving money--investment and jobs--and growing/ehancing the strengths of the existing supply chain. He has identified achieveable markets and tactics that will be months or years away from getting to this economic launch point again. Once again our momentum in Florida is to be stalled, stopped. This decision is politics, not smart business, not smart for Florida.
Space Florida becomes less relevant every day, run into the ditch by Steve Kohler and now playing catchup in a lost game.
Shana Dale is a surprise pick. NASA was not well run during the Bush years and picking a Bush-pick, though it might seem smart in Republican Tallahassee, is just dumber than dirt for Washington.
Maybe it's time to just turn out the lights at Space Florida.
We are sooooooooooooooooooooooooo screwed....
Does Ms. Dale know what she is stepping in? Industry didnt pay attention to the state's space antics until recently when got active and screamed for DiBello. Tallahassee wisely listened. We began to start trusting Space Florida and now the same Board that has been such a pill over the years is playing around in politics again (if you want to pay back a favor or earn a chit, mow somebody's yard instead, you're messing with my livlihood and my family here). The fact that Tallahassee has turned deaf to the upcoming massive unemployment and economic pain will be remembered at the polls.
OK Charlie, time to step up and fix this, or prove that you are just going to do what what Jeb did, kick the can down the road and not address the problems, and leave your constituents hanging out to dry.
If Frank DiBello does not get this job, I will lose the remaining 2% of faith I have in politicians. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for the revolution.
I have met DiBello. I do not agree with all his decisions but he is the most refreshingly honest and straightforward leader I have ever met in this area. And of course he knows the rocket business inside and out. This is a job which depends on knowledge and leadership, not connections. I am shocked to read myself typing this, but even if he cancels our project I still think he is the best choice for this job.
OK so now we hear Ms. Dale is NOT accepting the top position to Space Florida. Does anyone know who the selection board's second choice was?
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