Patronage, Far-Flung Roles Hinder Massachusetts Port Authority's Mission.

Sep. 25--The following special report was written and researched by Brian C. Mooney, Sean P. Murphy, Liz Kowalczyk, and Stephanie Ebbert of the Globe Staff.

East Boston Airport opened in 1923 on a spit of land across from downtown Boston.

In 1956, with the birth of the Massachusetts Port Authority, the airport became connected to a seaport, a bridge, and a small secondary airfield.

In the last decade, the authority has become something much bigger and more unwieldy: an airport, two secondary airports, a seaport, a bridge, a conference center, a tourism board, an international consulting firm, and a real estate office.

These extra businesses, added by governors seeking to draw on Logan International Airport's revenue stream, represent a serious drain on airport finances and a distraction for those charged with overseeing New England's most important transportation center.

Last year, Logan Airport collected $44 million in profits through its airline and passenger fees, parking, concession, and taxi surcharges -- but at least $30 million of it went out the door in Massport losses on other businesses. That's $30 million that some other airports around the country would have used to ensure the safety, modernity, and efficiency of core airport functions.

Now, as Massport prepares to dramatically ramp up its security system after the Sept. 11 hijackings, people in the aviation industry and at the agency itself are wondering whether the airport's management is capable of making necessary changes.

Interviews with scores of current Massport employees, former Massport leaders, and officials at other airports reveal a troubling tale of an authority that has strayed from its core mission and may require a major overhaul to get back on track. Among the findings:

Massport's other businesses represent a serious drag on Logan Airport. Port and maritime activities cost the authority $26.5 million in losses. The Tobin Bridge lost $1 million. Hanscom Field lost $1.3 million. Worcester Airport lost an estimated $1.2 million. And an international consulting division, intended to persuade airlines to fly out of Logan, cost $5.8 million.

Intended by its founders to be insulated from politics, the authority's board is dominated by political loyalists to the governor. They pay out millions of dollars in salaries to political appointees lacking serious credentials for their jobs and, in some cases, having jobs created for their benefit.

The scores of former political operatives preside over a culture marred by infighting. "Backfilling," what Massport workers call the process of hiring trained professionals to assist political appointees, helps ensure that core functions are performed, but wreaks havoc on morale.

The aviation division, run by airport professionals, is respected by many inside and outside observers. But that hasn't prevented some airport functions from being hampered by Massport's culture. …