EMAIL DETAILS

This is just a follow-up on our conversation last week.
Thank you and your guy for everything you have done to support Amtrak and me. I realized after our conversation last week that what happens here now is not up to me on my way out, and you will know what you want to do as things unfold with this Board. I really have no ask. I have thanks. Joe
The current Status of my Successor:
I spoke with the Chairman during the first part of this week about the planned successor to me as I had been told by rail industry sources that he had pulled out of consideration. The Chairman admitted that is likely the case but that he and the search committee (Himself, Jeff Moreland, and Bert) had a plan B, C, and D. He did not describe what those plans were, or who they were. He did say that he thought that someone would be in place by September 1 and would want me to leave then. He apologized because a week ago he was planning on having me leave by August 1 or even a couple weeks into July. There are various reasons being bantered around about why the proposed CEO pulled out. I think the most plausible is that the job has too much uncertainty with its history of difficulty, the change that will occur in the November Elections, and his ability to get the support he would need to make decisions, along with concerns about the severance policies. In short he got cold feet. The Chairman's words were that someone scared him away.
My Status:
Yesterday I submitted the paperwork to the Railroad Retirement Board for a retirement Date of September 30 as I have planned all the way along.
Coscia Status:
The Chairman has decided to use Stephen Gardner to staff his decision making and activities so Stephen has the best information on what the Chairman wants. Tony is half-way between being a Chairman, and a CEO. That is the role he is trying to play at this point in my opinion, creating his own relationships with key managers and Hill staff and leaders. Stephen has been investigating various things for the Chairman I'm told. Things like " Can we change things like having one person be the President and another be the CEO. The Chairman is a very good communicator in theory (His Theory) but a very poor communicator in practice.(The opinion of many) I believe he wishes to take advantage of the end of one administration/beginning of the next to reset the Amtrak structure. He perceived this as the best time to get a "non-political" CEO. I would suggest that kind of CEO has already demonstrated (Alex) that they are not suited for this work, but I think instead the Board wishes to have the political role as players. Yikes.
Again no ask, just Thanks. Best. JB