WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday approved three nominations for the Amtrak Board of Directors, advancing those nominations to the full Senate for approval and ending a deadlock that has seen board members with long-expired terms continuing to serve, pending the approval of new nominees.
The news site Roll Call reports the committee approved, by voice vote, nominees Anthony R. Coscia, the current board chairman; Christopher Koos, mayor of Normal, Ill.; and Joel Matthew Szabat, a former Undersecretary of Transportation for Policy who was Secretary Elaine Chao’s representative on the Amtrak Board from 2019 to 2021.
Those nominations and three others have been held up by several senators because the nominees, as a group, did not meet a legislative mandate requiring geographic balance among members of the Amtrak board. Of the six nominees, only Koos was from outside the Northeast Corridor region, and a provision in 2021 legislation limits that area to four board members. But the Biden administration has reportedly agreed to replace one of the remaining nominees to comply with that requirement, leading to Wednesday’s vote [see “News report says Biden administration will withdraw one nominee …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 12, 2023].
But Roll Call reports that two of the senators involved in the earlier hold on the nomination — Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — said they will block approval from the full Senate if the administration doesn’t follow through on that agreement.
Were these nominees ever questioned or grilled on their knowledge of railroading or did they have any experience of actually working for or exposure to a railroad company or system ? We know that geographic diversity on the Amtrak board appears to be the big issue which should carry some importance and weight but skill, knowledge and experience in the industry that you are getting selected for is what really matters. All these nominees are career politicans or career public servants and I would be willing to bet that should you ask any one of them a simple question on how trains run or operate or the difference between the various types of equipment used by Amtrak be locomotives and cars, even down to the function of air hoses and couplers, they most likely will be at a loss for an answer or simply don’t know. Geographic diversity is just a good excuse and lame duck solution to a much larger problem with Amtrak operations and that it is being run by politicans and public officials with good connections and favor to higher ups to get these spots on the board. We need experienced, knowledgable railroader to be on this board and have a real railroad person to be in charge of Amtrak not a politican, an airline executive, a trucking or shipping executive but a real railroader and one that has the experience and knowledge and a proven track record to make Amtrak work and like any well run business or corporation one that makes money and turns a profit and meets the needs of the traveling public and oh yes be free from the political nonsense and trickery and pressure that often harrasses a good rail executive when they take charge/ In the past when Amtrak had good men like Paul Reistrup, W Grrham Claytor, George Warrington and David Gunn running things and of the trains Amtrak or if a sucessor to it were to come forth and passenger rail in America can be saved and return to prominence if it free from the nonsense and political ineptness of Washington and its career bunglers and bumblers who are stumbling and tripping over their own feet.
Joseph C. Markfelder
You have the right ideas but good luck with achieving those ideas. The last good person to run Amtrak (David Gunn) was “let go” when he tried to achieve any sense of relief from the “bunglers and bumblers”. The “deer in the headlights” stare of Mr. Coscia in the photo above makes it look like someone has just asked him why one of his trains recently arrived at its destination over a day late.