Amtrak Board Candidates All Back Long Distance

By Jim Mathews / President & CEO

The Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday considered – and questioned – four potential new members for Amtrak’s Board, and all four pledged their support for Amtrak expansion, fleet replacement, improving the passenger experience, and strengthening long-distance service.

Golden Spike winner Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) was direct in his query to disability advocate David Capozzi, labor representative Samuel Lathem, former FRA Administrator Ron Batory, and Elaine Clegg, currently CEO of Boise’s Valley Regional Transit, suggesting that the wrong answer on long-distance service from any one of them would bring a swift “hold” to stop the entire process.

Unsurprisingly, all four made it clear to Moran that long-distance service would be a priority if they are confirmed to serve.

I attended the hearing in support of the nominees, along with your Chair Meredith Richards.

There were a few other notable moments, including an interesting exchange between Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N. Mex.) and Batory recounting Amtrak’s attempt to truncate the Southwest Chief by running a bus link between Garden City, Kan., and Albuquerque, N. Mex.

“I’m proud to share with you that there was a gulf between myself and [Amtrak] President [Richard] Anderson regarding the Southwest Chief,” Batory answered when Sen. Lujan asked him where he stood on the bustitution plan at the time. “I took a personal interest in it...There was a lot of subterfuge, if you will, in trying to degrade the Southwest Chief. I’m pleased to share with you, it never happened.”

The nomination of Lathem, a voice for organized labor, has been languishing for more than two years, along with that of Capozzi, a distinguished advocate for the disability community, because the Administration’s slate of nominees didn’t include enough representation outside the Northeast Corridor.

The White House broke that logjam this Spring when it announced the Batory and Clegg nominations, a decision we welcomed then and continue to support strongly today. We believe that Clegg and 45-year railroad veteran Batory, most recently the head of the Federal Railroad Administration (and a longtime member of this Association), are knowledgeable, well-qualified, and can represent more broadly the interests of those across the country who rely on Amtrak services.

The Senators have until Monday to submit more written questions to the nominees, who in turn have until Sept. 23 to supply their answers. We strongly urge the Committee to endorse all four nominations, completing the process it set in motion early this year with the confirmations of Chair Anthony Coscia, Mayor Chris Koos, and former DOT official Joel Szabat to join the Amtrak Board. That was the first time the Senate had confirmed an Amtrak nominee since 2015. We’d also like to see a quick nomination hearing and floor vote on the newest Board nominee, Stanford University professor Lanhee J. Chen, whom the White House only announced earlier this week. If seated, Chen would round out all of the Amtrak Board vacancies and bring the panel up to full strength at a crucial time in Amtrak’s rebuilding and recovery efforts.