David L. Gunn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gunn in 2002 | |
| Born | June 21, 1937 (1937-06-21) (age 88) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American, Canadian |
| Occupation | Transportation official |
| Known for | President ofAmtrak |
David L. Gunn (born June 21, 1937) is a transportation system administrator who has headed several significant railroads and transit systems in North America. He was director of operations of theMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) from 1975 to 1979, general manager and chief operations officer ofSEPTA from 1979 to 1984, president of theNew York City Transit Authority from 1984 to 1990, the general manager at WMATA (the Washington Metro) from 1991 to 1994, and chief general manager of theToronto Transit Commission in Canada from 1995 to 1999. Gunn assumed the presidency ofAmtrak on May 15, 2002,[1] and held the position until political upheaval at the company in 2005.[1] A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Gunn retired to his family home onCape Breton Island inNova Scotia, Canada. He is currently associated with theFree Congress Foundation[2] and the board of theStrait Area Transit Cooperative transit service in ruralRichmond County, among other roles.[3]
Gunn was born inBoston to parents ofCanadian ancestry whose families had emigrated toMassachusetts fromNova Scotia andNewfoundland. Gunn was educated atPhillips Academy inAndover and received a Bachelor of Business Administration fromHarvard College in 1959. He served in theUnited States Navy Reserve from 1959 to 1962. He received aMasters in Business Administration fromHarvard Graduate School of Business Administration in 1964.[4][5]
The following were Gunn's early positions, many related to railways:
He was president ofNew York City Transit Authority (NYCTA), 1984 to 1990, and according toThe New York Times, Gunn is credited with turning around the New York City subway system in the late 1980s."[1] During his tenure as president of the NYCTA, Gunn instituted operational changes that led to the reduction of graffiti and service improvements in theNew York City Subway system, including the establishment of a "clean car program" and restoring the system to a state of good repair. Cars were to be regularly cleaned, hundreds of older cars overhauled and tracks and stations rebuilt.[citation needed] The "Redbird" cars were originally known as "Gunn Red" or "Broad Street Red" when they were repainted between 1984 and 1989, under Gunn's tenure.[6]
As a reminder of the purchasing issues he overcame, he had a pair ofR9 subway car lubricator pads mounted on a plaque in his office. The authority had thousands of them among over $40 million worth of obsolete and excess parts, yet the R9 fleet had been retired since 1977, leaving just a few used on work trains. At the same time, needed parts were not getting purchased.[7]
For his work in New York, he was inducted in the inaugural 1999 class of the New York Public Transit Association's Hall of Fame[8]
He was general manager of Washington DCWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), 1991 to 1994.
During his tenure at WMATA (the Washington Metro) from 1991 to 1994, Gunn was frequently at odds with that agency's board of directors, which included representatives from the District of Columbia and suburban jurisdictions inMaryland andVirginia.
He was chief general manager ofToronto Transit Commission (TTC), 1995 to 1999.
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. This brought him in frequent conflict with TTC chairmanHoward Moscoe, who advocated the use of funds for improving TTC accessibility. Gunn's tenure at the TTC was also marked by changes in management structure, which were criticized by his successor,Rick Ducharme, amongst others.[9] He also argued against newsubway construction.
Toronto's only fatal subway train accident, the1995 Russell Hill subway accident that claimed 3 lives, happened only 8 months after Gunn became head of the TTC, with Gunn addressing the incident in the media.
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Gunn assumed the presidency ofAmtrak on May 15, 2002,[1] after coming out of a three-year retirement to take the job.[1] Gunn came to Amtrak with a reputation as an experienced operating manager. His work as president of theNew York City Transit Authority from 1984 to 1990 and as chief general manager of theToronto Transit Commission in Canada from 1995 to 1999 lent him a great deal of credibility, as these two agencies were each the largest transit operations of their respective countries.[citation needed]
The view of the Gunn administration was a departure from his predecessors' promises to make Amtrak self-sufficient in the short term, as Gunn argued thatno form of passenger transportation in the United States is self-sufficient as the economy is currently structured,[10] similar to highways, airports, and air traffic control whichall require large government expenditures to build and maintain.[citation needed]
Gunn eliminated almost all of the express business while improving critical equipment repair facilities and services to keep trains moving.[1] In 2002, he stated that continued deferred maintenance would become a safety issue which he would not tolerate[5] and his management team implemented Amtrak's first system-wide comprehensive capital program with planned target dates and budgeting.[citation needed] Under Gunn, Amtrak's ranks of unionized and salaried workers were reduced.[citation needed]
During his administration at Amtrak, Gunn was the subject of congressional criticism.[citation needed] Gunn was polite but direct in response to congressional criticism.[10] Before a congressional hearing, leading Amtrak critic Arizona SenatorJohn McCain demanded the elimination of all operating subsidies; Gunn responded by asking the senator if he would also demand the same of the commuter airlines, upon which the citizens of Arizona are dependent. McCain, not usually at a loss for words when debating Amtrak funding, did not reply.[11]
He was fired by the board of directors on November 9, 2005,[12] ostensibly for his refusal to split the company in preparation for privatization;[1] Gunn was opposed to this policy, pointing out that the entire reason Amtrak was created was because private railroad companies did not wish to run passenger services.[citation needed]The New York Times at the time wrote that Gunn's opposition was the reason for the firing, as he was "widely credited with improving the railroad's management, cutting costs and imposing better financial controls," as well as "improving the state of repair of Amtrak's locomotives and aging passenger cars, as well as its tracks, signals and electrical systems, which are truly antique."[1]
However, other recent problems had included Gunn's decision to suspendAcela service in the Northeast Corridor until wheel and brake problems were sorted out with the manufacturer,[citation needed] as well as Gunn's philosophical difference over dividing long distance inter-city services from the Northeast Corridor.[1] A report issued by theGovernment Accountability Office one week before Gunn's dismissal stated that Amtrak needed to continue to improve the way it monitored performance and oversaw its finances in order to achieve financial stability.[1] The chairman of the board,David Laney, a George W. Bush appointee, provided a statement that read "Amtrak's future now requires a different type of leader who will aggressively tackle the company's financial, management and operational challenges".[1]
A dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Gunn retired to his family home onCape Breton Island inNova Scotia. He has become associated with theFree Congress Foundation since his dismissal from Amtrak.[2] He currently sits on the board of a local transit service in ruralRichmond County known as the Strait Area Transit Cooperative[3] and in 2010 returned as a consultant for former employer,WMATA.[13] In November 2014, Amtrak namedACS-64 class unit number 600 after Gunn.[14]
Media related toDavid L. Gunn at Wikimedia Commons
| Preceded by ? | General Manager of theSEPTA 1979-1984 | Succeeded by Joseph T. Mack |
| Preceded by John D. Simpson | President of theNew York City Transit Authority 1984-1990 | Succeeded by Alan F. Kiepper |
| Preceded by | General Manager of theWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 1991-1994 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief General Manager of theToronto Transit Commission 1995–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President ofAmtrak 2002-2005 | Succeeded by |
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