David L. Gunn

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For other persons also named David Gunn, see article David Gunn.

David L. Gunn (born 21 June 1937) is a transportation system administrator who has headed several important railroads and transit systems in North America.

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[edit] Education and experience

Born on 21 June 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts to parents of Canadian ancestry, Gunn graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., received a Bachelors degree from Harvard College in 1959, served in the United States Navy Reserve from 1959-1962, and received a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1964.

Gunn has the following work experience:

[edit] Early experience

Prior to 1974, Gunn also had gained private-sector railroad experience with Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, the New York Central Railroad System (before the Penn Central merger) and for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Before that, he had experience with the U.S. Navy in the Naval Reserve.

[edit] Toronto Transit Commission

Gunn has a philosophy called "state of good repair" where the first priority is to maintain infrastructure and equipment, making regular repairs where needed and retiring equipment from service at the end of its life-cycle. It brought him in frequent conflict with TTC chairman Howard Moscoe, who advocated the use of funds for improving TTC accessibility. His tenure at the TTC was also marked by changes in management structure, which were criticized by some (including his successor, Rick Ducharme, in a July 1999 Toronto Star article). He also argued against new subway construction.

Toronto's only fatal subway train accident, the August 11, 1995, collision which claimed three lives, happened only eight months after Gunn became head of the TTC.

[edit] Amtrak

Gunn assumed presidency of Amtrak on May 15, 2002, and was fired by the board of directors on November 9, 2005.[1] Gunn came to Amtrak with a reputation as a strong, straightforward and experienced operating manager. Years earlier, Gunn's refusal to "do politics" put him at odds with the WMATA (Metro) board, which includes representatives from the District of Columbia and suburban jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia during his tenure from 1991-1994. His work as president of the New York City Transit Authority from 1984 to 1990 and as Chief General Manager of the Toronto Transit Commission in Canada from 1995-1999 earned him a great deal of operating credibility. The two agencies were each the largest transit operations of their respective countries. In New York City, most people consider his most notable achievement to have been the complete eradication of graffiti on NYCTA trains, a task most New Yorkers thought impossible.

During his administration at Amtrak, Gunn was polite, but very direct in response to congressional criticism, and is seen as more credible than several past Amtrak presidents by the Congress, the media, and many Amtrak supporters and employees. Perhaps more than any past president of Amtrak, Gunn seemed willing to publicly oppose the political and budget positions of the President of the United States.

The view of the Gunn administration at Amtrak was that no form of mass passenger transportation in the United States is self-sufficient as the economy is currently structured. It said that highways, airports, and air traffic control all require large government expenditures to build and maintain, although some of those taxpayer dollars are gained for other modes under the guise of user fees and highway fuel and road taxes. Before a Congressional hearing, Gunn answered a demand by leading Amtrak critic Arizona Senator John McCain to eliminate all operating subsidies by asking the Senator if he would also demand the same of the commuter airlines, upon whom the citizens of Arizona are much more dependent. McCain, usually not at a loss for words when debating Amtrak funding, did not reply[citation needed]

He was very proactive in reducing layers of management overhead and has eliminated almost all of the controversial express business. He stated that continued deferred maintenance will become a safety issue which he will not tolerate. This has improved labor relations to some extent, even as Amtrak's ranks of unionized and salaried workers have been reduced.

On November 9, 2005, Amtrak's Board of Directors fired Mr. Gunn. Chairman of the Board David Laney stated that "Amtrak's future now requires a different type of leader who will aggressively tackle the company's financial, management and operational challenges." Recent problems had included suspension of Acela service in the northeast corridor. A report issued by the Government Accountability Office one week before his dismissal stated that Amtrak needed to improve the way it monitors performance and oversees its finances in order to achieve financial stability.

[edit] Retirement plans

A dual citizen of the US and Canada, Gunn has retired to Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. He has become associated with the Free Congress Foundation and Paul Weyrich since his separation from Amtrak.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ (November 9, 2005), Amtrak Board Releases Gunn. Retrieved November 9, 2005.
  2. ^ (March 2006) "Arrivals & Departures". Trains Magazine 66 (3): p 11. ISSN 0041-0934. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Al Leach		 Chief General Manager of the Toronto Transit Commission
1995–1999		 Succeeded by
Rick Ducharme
Preceded by
George Warrington		 President of Amtrak
2002-2005		 Succeeded by
Alexander Kummant
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