Gunn to be Fired???

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This move sounds like sour grapes mentality by the Bushies.

Bush is increasingly becoming lame duck and will, based on his diminished popularity, become irrelevant next year with the mid-term elections. The Amtrak budget is being passed by Congress, with no indication that they will pull the plug. They have lost the fight.

So their new move is to destroy Amtrak by putting in place someone who want to will dismantle Amtrak before they are gone.
 
My first reaction was to think, "Please God, no." Gunn has gone to some legnth in getting the organization turned around. While his predecessor ensured that Amtrak survived from 1997 - 2001, Mr. Gunn has done a lot in getting things out in the open, applying GAAP to Amtrak's accounting, and producing a plan to get the rolling stock and other infrastructure back into shape. Mr. Gunn re-started the repair lines at Beech Grove, which, as we will recall, were shut down as a cost cutting measure by the previous administration. I fear that after Mr. Gunn, the next president will end up wreaking whatevr progress has been made. Let's all recall that just as Rome was not built in one day, the issues that have plagued Amtrak the organization are to the degree that it will take several more years to get the organization into shape.

See additional story here.
 
It all makes sense, this plus the move last month with the vote about the NEC. This board played the game for the first several months, but now that three of the memebers will have to step down when Congress receses for the year, they are out to do the White House's will.

This works well for the White House, since the board member won't be around to blame and they can claim that it's the board's fault.
 
Our office just received the press release. its official. (i work on capitol hill). Truly a sad day.
 
David Gunn was, in my opinion, mediocre at best as the head of Amtrak. He would have been a sensational VP of operations. He knows trains. But as CEO he needed more, including, dare I say, some political common sense. On the later, his continued propensity to ridicule his superiors, entertaining as it was at times, was a particularly dumb way to try and advance the cause of Amtrak and passenger rail. On that count alone, the surprise is not that he was fired today, but that it took this long.

The recent GAO report was, in my opinion, the last straw for Mr. Gunn. The report detailed an organization with poor management control and oversight of financial matters. That is a really bad assessment for an organization that has to come to Congress hat-in-hand every year. After over three years on the job, the blame for this cannot be simply passed back to the previous management. David Gunn has been on the job long enough to be responsible for the present workings of Amtrak, good and bad. Right now, the considerable financial shortcomings that continue to plague Amtrak offset the operational improvements that took place under Mr. Gunn’s leadership. If I were voting to give Amtrak $1 billion plus, I would like to have some assurance that the money would be controlled well and spent wisely. The GAO report indicates that Amtrak is sorely lacking in that area and that is Mr. Gunn’s responsibility.

Good operational people can run the railroad. There are plenty of those types around. But for the CEO, Amtrak needs is a leader who can provide financial credibility to the company and its reports and forecasts, who is willing to work with people of divergent viewpoints and politics, and who has a willingness to change with the times. In my opinion, that person certainly is not David Gunn.
 
I too, was taken aback by the GAO report. On the other hand, by reading all of the posts on this regularly, I also wonder how much waste can be attributed elsewhere. I'll leave it at that as to not offend many of the posters here.

As for me, I give my heartfelt thank yous to Mr. Gunn. He always seemed to have the Amtrak passenger in mind and fought the fight needed to keep Amtrak from being abolished.

I'm afraid that the end is near but I've thought that since Mineta and Bush started their attack.
 
AmtrakFan said:
Thanks for the memoreis Dave Gunn! I am not pleased at what happend today.
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Most of us are not, now is a great time to bombard our elected officials in Washington with letters of our displeasure.
 
With respect to the GAO report, there was almost nothing in there that I saw as a damning indictment of the current Amtrak administration. Most of the report said that Amtrak has problems, but that the problems today are nowhere near as bad as they were when Gunn took over.

The problem is, the press releases describing the GAO report were heavily biased and sensational, and I get the feeling that practically *nobody* has really read the full report.

Some of the "damning indictments of mismanagement" take into account data from back in FYs '00 to '02, which predate Gunn's arrival.

The GAO report did say that more was needed to be done, but, personally, I don't think any of it was beyond Gunn's ability to administer (provided, of course, that he actually had the support of the board, which he never did).

Make no mistake about it, the GAO's report may be used as cover for his firing, but Gunn's departure has nothing to do with that report. The real reason is that Gunn wants Amtrak to succeed, and the Bush-appointed board doesn't. Period.
 
rmadisonwi said:
Make no mistake about it, the GAO's report may be used as cover for his firing, but Gunn's departure has nothing to do with that report. The real reason is that Gunn wants Amtrak to succeed, and the Bush-appointed board doesn't. Period.
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This sums up the true fact of the matter! That is what a few of us have been trying to tell y'all! Now, because that hurdle (Gunn) is out of the way. Two of the remaining members (of the board) time is up as Congress closes. There is nothing but Bush cronies at the head in the boardroom! If you get my drift, we are facing shut down in the future for bankruptsy procedings, and all which is involved that we have spoke of in other threads. This is just the start of what we mean "it is gonna get ugly!" I strongly suggest (as my good friend "trainboy" does as well) that those who can should book a trip, and get it under their belt as soon as possible. OBS...
 
Never say never also never give up things can happen at the last minute if we can put enough pressure on these people they can break because the last thing they like are people calling there offices and e mailing them all the time.The way i know this is i have been told by Reps in MI this is the way it can only take 5 phone calls and 5 e mails for them to change. :)
 
I'm inclined to encourage the members here to contact their State Representatives, too. Make your voices heard. Remember that they are Our Elected Representatives. I phoned both my congressmembers today regarding Amtrak, and I encourage all here to do the same. Don't take our trains away! Poll after poll, as well as three years of record high ridership numbers, indicate that even if people aren't regular riders, they want the choice of riding the rails.
 
AmtrakFan said:
Yes something can be done bomard your Congress People with E-mail's and Phone Calls. I am telling all of you to do it. Oh Yes and for the Amtrak Board to resign.
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You guys just don't get it! We have been bombarding our politicians for months, even years. The damage is done! It is too late! I predict there is going to be service cuts and train offs within the next few weeks! To be blunt, I have updated my resume! OBS...
 
On a separate subject, passenger rail will emerge somewhere if (actually when IMO) indeed full shut down of the long distance services takes place. I can tell you it is not going away. They just don't want Amtrak monopolizing the whole thing. It seems to me as if the Bush cronies think we should return to the business structure of the passenger rail of yesteryear. It won't work except in certain areas, and with proper funding. We shall see what takes place. But passenger rail as we know it is gonna change! I've said that for over a year now if the administration gets their way! OBS...
 
Guest_Amtrak OBS Employee said:
AmtrakFan said:
Yes something can be done bomard your Congress People with E-mail's and Phone Calls.   I am telling all of you to do it.   Oh Yes and for the Amtrak Board to resign.
Click to expand...
You guys just don't get it! We have been bombarding our politicians for months, even years. The damage is done! It is too late! I predict there is going to be service cuts and train offs within the next few weeks! To be blunt, I have updated my resume! OBS...
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Obviously your position holds more credibility as you are aware of things that we are not. I sincerely hope the hysteria over this fades quickly. If not, then Bush's cronies have finally won out. Given that many big businesses would benefit from Amtrak's demise (All major RRs, airlines, carmakers, oil companies etc) I think it is safe to say that the calls for "Amtrak's reform" were indeed motivated by dollars, but not taxpayer dollars.
 

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