fsr34.8.7,17.9.2,9.6.7,9, Elbow Beach Hotel bosses have already selected an overseas successor to replace controversial manager Bill Shoaf.

Yesterday Rafael Hotels vice president Jens Grafe confirmed that a work permit for the new general manager would be submitted to the Department of Labour in the near future.

Although Mr. Grafe refused to reveal the name of the new appointment, he dismissed radio reports that former Hamilton Princess manager Peter Komposch had been given the nod for the top job.

But The Royal Gazette has learned the mystery man is currently running one of the chain's European resorts and has a respected track record with the group.

Yesterday Mr. Grafe said: "Nobody has officially been appointed, but we are in the process of filing an application to the Ministry of Labour.

"It is an overseas person who has been with us a long time.'' Mr. Grafe was not prepared to talk about events at the resort leading up to Mr. Shoaf's resignation last Friday or whether he would be kept on by the group.

But he did insist that the group had every intention of staying on the Island "if we are just left alone''.

And he dismissed another rumour that a team of accountants had arrived on the Island to investigate alleged financial mismanagement at the resort.

Although two accountants were called in last week they were simply carrying out regular bookkeeping checks, a regular procedure at the hotel.

Mr. Shoaf's resignation has resulted in a group of middle managers at the hotel breaking their vow of silence over the affair.

A group of six middle managers met yesterday and afterwards agreed to talk to The Royal Gazette provided that they not be identified.

A spokesman for the group insisted that there had been no witch hunt to oust Mr. Shoaf, but added that "the vast majority of managers'' were concerned about his treatment of Bermudian personnel.

And he added the fact that a successor was already waiting in the wings was evidence Mr. Shoaf would have been sacked had he not resigned.

"I believe that they were already planning to get rid of him,'' the spokesman said. "But a lot of middle managers are unhappy. We are not unhappy with the result, but there seems to be this perception that there was this conspiracy.

"The middle managers were not in a position to rate Mr. Shoaf's management skills -- that was left to the owners,'' he said. "But what we were unhappy about is that, since his tenure, it's not been a friendly environment for Bermudian managers to want to be here or grow here. They have virtually been made extinct. That was the main thrust of our conflict with Mr. Shoaf.'' The spokesman added that race was not an issue with most managers at the hotel. "I think this whole Human Rights inquiry was just a coincidence,'' he said.

"We had three concerns: the loss of Bermudian jobs in key management positions; the unfair salaries between Bermudian managers and foreign managers; and the lack of a development plan for Bermudians to be promoted through the ranks.

"It was never our intention to get Mr. Shoaf fired, but he was aware of these concerns and didn't do anything about them.'' The group spokesman went on to say that any new foreign manager would be welcomed -- providing that Bermudian managers were treated fairly.

"We understand that there's not a Bermudian who can be put in the position of general manager at the moment,'' he said. "But it's a question of how he addresses everyone else. Everyone is holding their breath to see what his management style is.'' Mr. Shoaf is being kept on at the hotel until the end of next month when his successor will take over.