Petition against re-nomination of Coscia to board

[lordsigma]

There is a senate hearing regarding Amtrak board picks coming up. There is a change.org being promoted by members of the Aurora Group opposing the re-nomination of Coscia to the Amtrak board. Link is below for those interested.

Sign the Petition

 

[lordsigma]

Redacted.

 

[jis]

First .... I am posting this after having taken my "Administrator" hat off, and putting my "Self" hat on. This is my opinion and not in anyway should it be attributed to this site and its management.

In my opinion, we can argue details and nits until the Cows come home, but none of that will make Coscia's regime on the Board anything less than a disaster for at least the Long Distance BU, which by Gardner's own admission, is now the only thing besides the NEC that is fully Amtrak's responsibility. Given where it stands now, Coscia's Board has not been particularly competent, and by implication Coscia has not been a very effective and competent Chair. So it is time for him to step aside. For that reason I am signing the petition. Of course, just signing a petition is not the be all and end all of it. Unless we are able to get rid of most of the current Board and replace it with a more responsive Board, it is not clear how Amtrak is going to improve. Right now the top management has shown over and over that they are really not very competent and they appear to be visibly out of their depths in how they repeatedly make the same mistake and try the same fixes that did not work the last time. It is necessary to get a change to take place there, and it is the Board that has to effect that. And that requires a change starting from the top of the Board. In my mind there is no question that such a change is necessary.

 

[MARC Rider]

George Chillson’s email arguing for the petition also cites his lack of railroad management experience but who else exactly in this slate has railroad management experience and are we sure that is the criteria we should be judging board members on?

Onde thing about a company like Amtrak is that, as a creature of Washington, DC, it's possible that the top people also need to be creatures of Washington, DC in order to be able to manage Congress, which does authorize the existence of the company and subsidize its operations. That said, the membership of the Board should have some expertise on management of passenger rail operations, and the geographics and partisan diversity encoded in the law, although in today's hyper-partisan environment, it might be hard to find Republican senators who won't nominate someone who is opposed to the very idea of Amtrak, which might be the reason why it's taking a while to find the Republican nominations who are also suitable to the President. But ideally, the Board should also have some representation from the unions and at least one person with passenger service/hospitality experience. Of course some of this expertise could be obtained from advisory committees and staff of the Board to keep the size of the Board from getting unmanageable. But, really, one of the main reasons for the Board is to manage the relationship with Congress and keep the money flowing, not micromanage the actual management to force them to institute traditional dining as a main priority. (In any event, if I were running Amtrak, may main priority would be to get the trains to reliably run as close to schedule as possible. My next priority would be to get all the rolling stock and infrastructure that Amtrak owns in good repair so that trains can run with the maximum possible number of passengers in clean, mechanically reliable equipment. Then I might worry about the "on-board experience for the sleeping car passengers.)

 

[James Tilley]

Good afternoon all,

I am the author of the change.org petition and would like to share the following:

The Senate Commerce Committee is aware of alternative Board candidates that are rail industry veterans, are supportive of passenger rail and are willing to serve if asked. The President will need to nominate them-not the Senate Commerce Committee.

Regarding what are referenced as "speculative assertions" in a separate post please note the following source information for these assertions:

Through Freedom of Information Act much information is available.
Trains in the Valley has Board of Directors minutes posted.
Amtrak Office of Inspector General reports are all available on their website.
Discussions with Amtrak management.
On-site visits to Amtrak locations including, last month, an 8 story building in downtown Wilmington that Amtrak purchased for $41 million during the pandemic that remains largely empty 3 years after.

My written statement to the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials is attached which is based upon all of these sources.

A separate presentation to Senate Commerce Committee staff is attached.

Please note that each assertion in my statement is documented as to its source.

This Senate Commerce Committee meeting is tremendously important.

Now is the time to act.

 

[lordsigma]

Good evening. I started this topic with commentary that upon reflection I feel did not contribute positively to discussion in this community. While I do try to have a more optimistic positive view of the world and issues in some ways the criticism I offered regarding this issue was somewhat hypocritical to that view. While I prefer a certain more collaborative and less combative form of advocacy criticizing how others choose to engage is in many ways hypocritical. Complaining about others perceived complaints is at the end of the day itself complaining and being cynical about others' perceived cynicism is itself being cynical and being negative about others perceived negativity is itself negative. Ultimately its an argument about semantics and tactics which really does not contribute any substance whatsoever. While I may have an approach I prefer and an approach I don't there are long standing Amtrak operational issues that are understandably concerning to many in the passenger rail advocacy community. I'm always one to argue for civility. All of us choose to react to those issues in different ways and at the end of the day the proper course of action and civil approach is to engage in the manner in which one wishes to and allow others to engage in the manner in which they wish even if at the end of the day its not the manner in which one would personally choose to. As such I have removed all of my commentary on this topic as I do not feel the arguments offered were in the spirit of civility and I apologize to anyone that may have found this commentary offensive.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I read this thread after “lordsigma” deleted his message. I do appreciate his inputs and would have been interested in reading his thoughts. I also appreciate the apology. We as a group can get a bit passionate on the subject matter that we all care about. However redacted a post and then posting an apology makes no sense. The mods will remove content if necessary. I would have preferred to have read the comments as posted, and if it was really needed to read an apology.

While I may or may not agree with everyone opinion, I do encourage and support there voice.

 

[Amtrak25]

The impression I have heard over the years is a 5 page list of signers to a petition has about as much political influence/weight as 5 individual letters, an on-line version such as Change.org or whatever amounts to the same thing. So I am not terribly confident this will get Coscia off to the parking lot with a cardboard box. But of course I signed it anyway - every little bit helps to eventually evict most of the Board and the e-suite at Amtrak. You have to start somewhere.

I also do not think anyone in the NEC Congressional delegation finds anything wrong or even much cares about Amtrak, as long as they can catch Acela Mondays and Fridays or a 9 car Regional not sold out weeks in advance like the Capitol Ltd or SW Chief. All is well by them. The only thing Representantive Kean (R-NJ) came up with at that House Subcommittee hearing a couple of weeks ago was reduced Acela service at Metropark and Trenton despite the fact I called his transporation aide the day prior and sent him a long list of Amtrak issues. He ignored all of it.

 

[lordsigma]

I read this thread after “lordsigma” deleted his message. I do appreciate his inputs and would have been interested in reading his thoughts. I also appreciate the apology. We as a group can get a bit passionate on the subject matter that we all care about. However redacted a post and then posting an apology makes no sense. The mods will remove content if necessary. I would have preferred to have read the comments as posted, and if it was really needed to read an apology.

While I may or may not agree with everyone opinion, I do encourage and support there voice.

Good morning,

I felt upon reflection that the idea of posting a petition and immediately lacing it with criticism was a bit of a cheap shot and antagonistic to those who may feel compelled to sign the petition out of concern for the state of Amtrak. I think it went beyond offering an opinion into the realm of trying to provoke others who may not agree with my point of view on it. And really it wasn’t even an argument about the subject of the petition as it was more a criticism of language and tactics which I think is at the end of the day irrelevant and the commentary rightly belongs in the trash bin. I think lately I’ve gotten a bit too eager to criticize and bump heads with those who I may not agree with on attitudes and intentions on this and other boards and at the end of the day getting into it with others and offering nasty commentary on the tactics of others is engaging in combative behavior itself - I really don’t like getting into arguments with people and I simply found my commentary not something I want to stand behind after reflection as I think it went over the line into incivility. As such I am putting the brakes on for now as far as direct engagement. I will continue to read this board as there’s an immense amount of knowledge here and probably return to posting eventually but for now I think it’s time I take a little break.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Good morning,

I felt upon reflection that the idea of posting a petition and immediately lacing it with criticism was a bit of a cheap shot and antagonistic to those who may feel compelled to sign the petition out of concern for the state of Amtrak. I think it went beyond offering an opinion into the realm of trying to provoke others who may not agree with my point of view on it. And really it wasn’t even an argument about the subject of the petition as it was more a criticism of language and tactics which I think is at the end of the day irrelevant and the commentary rightly belongs in the trash bin. I think lately I’ve gotten a bit too eager to criticize and bump heads with those who I may not agree with on attitudes and intentions on this and other boards and at the end of the day getting into it with others and offering nasty commentary on the tactics of others is engaging in combative behavior itself - I really don’t like getting into arguments with people and I simply found my commentary not something I want to stand behind after reflection as I think it went over the line into incivility. As such I am putting the brakes on for now as far as direct engagement. I will continue to read this board as there’s an immense amount of knowledge here and probably return to posting eventually but for now I think it’s time I take a little break.

I’m sorry to hear you’re taking a break from posting, but I do understand. I’ve done the same thing a few times (usually in July and August, when the New Jersey heat and humidity make me annoyed about everything).

I appreciate your apology and commend you for the grace and civility you showed in offering it.

While I don’t always agree with your positions on Amtrak, I always read your posts because they are well thought out and reasoned, and always (in my opinion) polite and courteous.

I think you are being a whole lot harder on yourself than even the crankiest poster on here would be on you.

Have a good and relaxing break from posting, and I will look forward to reading your posts again when you are ready.

Patty

 

[John Bredin]

I also do not think anyone in the NEC Congressional delegation finds anything wrong or even much cares about Amtrak, as long as they can catch Acela Mondays and Fridays or a 9 car Regional not sold out weeks in advance like the Capitol Ltd or SW Chief. All is well by them.

Do you have any basis for this categorical presumption other than the common filter of seeing every passenger rail issue, program, etc. as a zero-sum battle royale of NEC vs. LD (ding! ding! ding!)? Because it's been known for urban Representatives to vote for farm programs and Congress members from landlocked states to vote for Navy and Coast Guard funding, for example.

It doesn't follow from the fact that the main Amtrak usage of a Congressman or his constituents is the NEC that they oppose LD service. People from the NEC have been known from time to time to travel to the rest of the country, famous New Yorker cartoons notwithstanding. At the very least, a Congress member from a Northeast state gets the need for Amtrak as an organization.

Conversely, there's no guarantee (massive understatement in the present political environment!) that a Congress member -- or an Amtrak board member -- from a rural state where the only Amtrak service is long distance therefore supports the LD network or even Amtrak's continuing existence, if they put certain regionally-popular ideologies first.

 

[Amtrak25]

Let me put it this way from my conversations over the past couple of years with part of the NEC delegation or their staff: they are oblivious to the deterioration of service beyond the NEC, at best excuse it with Gardner's snow jobs and excuses when they speak, Gardner has clearly worked on them being an ex staffer himself, and think that since the SW Chief/bus bridge battle was won, Anderson's gone, then national network problem over. They regard the NEC as such a federal entitlement and I don't think see much quid pro quo with coastal military or inland farm funding.

For the House Subcommittee hearing about a month ago, I called the staff of my own Rep, sent him a page long of problems of Amtrak to be brought up at the hearing. He ignored every bit of it only to whine about reduced Acela service at Metropark and Trenton. (Most NEC passengers people take Regionals anyway).

For the Subcommittee ranking member Payne, when one of my advocate colleagues visited his office about Amtrak, he changed the subject and only wanted to talk about East Palestine. That is not our purpose or area of knowledge, but his distraction.

 

[lordsigma]

For the House Subcommittee hearing about a month ago, I called the staff of my own Rep, sent him a page long of problems of Amtrak to be brought up at the hearing. He ignored every bit of it only to whine about reduced Acela service at Metropark and Trenton. (Most NEC passengers people take- Regionals anyway).

For the Subcommittee ranking member Payne, when one of my advocate colleagues visited his office about Amtrak, he changed the subject and only wanted to talk about East Palestine. That is not our purpose or area of knowledge, but his distraction.

While those things are certainly true, I was more annoyed with the chair Nehls who made several annoying points about Amtrak not making a profit and seemed to question whether Amtrak should exist given it doesn't make a profit and insinuated that airlines and roads get funding because people actually use them (implying no one uses Amtrak.) So while NEC delegation members may not necessarily be tuned in to the national network, members from states served only by national network services aren't necessarily either and some are outright hostile. Unfortunately, particularly on the house side, some of the members' policy positions often rely on talking points they receive from think tanks like Heritage and Cato - who are notoriously anti Amtrak. That's why its important when finding the geographic board representation that folks are recruited that actually support Amtrak.