the 6:53 NOVEMBER 1982 It is late at night and cold and blustery on the windswept platform. It has begun to snow. A five-chime horn heralds the arrival of your train. You lift your suitcase and join fellow passengers boarding Amtrak Heritage-Fleet car 4007, thankful that a comfortable reclining seat ina toasty-warm coach awaits you. You're also thankful the train will speed you horne for the Holidays safe and sound through the stormy night. Yes; this is the way to travel! Here we go! ALL ABOARD! -- [Photo by Daniel W. Roark] Wilkowski Legislates Death Of ORTA Pol/owing Failure Of Issue 2 . details Inside issue #49 Official Publication of the Ohio Association li- - of Railroad Passengers :l:iii!H ~ CO'<I'~<"'lm~ •Ul ~r-r-'<1'0 <"'11.01.0~ 0'\NO~COr-1.0 0'\ N N co 1.0 1.0 co o r- m .p:; COO~<"'l<"'l ~I.O~r-0'\'<1'0 '<l'<"'l~r- '<!' 1.0 co WILKOWSKI LEGISLATES DEATH OF ORTA AFTER DEFEAT OF ISSUE #2 <"'1 CO'<I'r-0<"'10 ·:::> co~~I.O~ 1.00'\~r- 0'\0~<"'100'\'<!' ~ ~ 0'\ ~ 0'\0N~NCO •0 ~~N~N 00'\~<"'1 r-cor-I.O<"'l~r- ~~ ~ '<I' I I I I I I •P:: I I I I I I I I I 1 I I I I I I I I In one of the most bizarre moves in the history of the push N~NC0\.01.0 '<l'r-1.00'\N 1.0 "" ~ 1.0 ~~<:rCO'<I'mO'I ~1.0 for high-speed rail passenger service in Ohio, Rep. Arthur 0 r-I.O<"'lr-r-1.0 ·~ <"'li.O~I.OCO <"'lNNN ~<"')0'\1.0'<1'0'\0'\ 1.0 0'\ ~ ·.-1 <"'1'<1'0'\'<l'<"'lCO •..:I NCOCOO'\N ~NI.O~ cor-NCO'<I'<"'l<"'l N~ ~ Wilkowski(D-Toledo), on November 9th, abruptly legislated .C I I I I I I •t:Q I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 0 <"'1<"'11.01.0<"'1<"'1 •.X: 1.01.01.01.01.0 <"'1<"'1<"'1<"'1<"'1<"'1<"'1 '<!' '<!' H the death of ORTA, Ohio's Rail Transportation Authority! ~~~~~~ ~z ~~~~~ m~~~~ "' "' "' ~~~~~~~ ~ ~ Q) Wilkowski, who labored long and hard to establish ORTA in '~~NN~~ E-<0 NNNNN ~~~~~~~ 1.0 1.0 ..0 rO 1975-76 and who stubbornly insisted in running everything ·.-I """""""" ;ii~ ~ s:: <"'1 !> "his way", introduced H.B. 1051 which would spell the death Q) 1.0 ~~ <"'1 0 0 of ORTA effective December 10, 1982, and transferring only X ~ m H ~ ~ N z 0 '<I' Ul E-< '<I' '<I' 0 ~ 0 a "token" rail freight and passenger program to Ohio's De­ ' ~ '<!' '<I' Z.:X: " COO<"'l ~ '<I' N ~ 'd <"'1 co '<!' ~ 0 A< '<1'0~ 0 '<I' <"'1 ~ Q) partment of Economic and Community Development. Wilkowski's ~ <"'1 '<I' UUl p:; '<1''<1'0 r- r- <"'lrQ <:!' 1.0 Ul move came quite unexpectedly, with no advance notice to ORTA 1.0 ~ •CO Jl:: .X: '<1''<1''<1' CO N S:: 0~ ~ ·.-1 '<!' UlO S:: ~~ 0 <"'1 '<I' '<I' CONmO'<I'~QJ Ul '<!' !> nor its board members, and had it not been for some alert X .j..lr- 0 t:Q:r:l r-~S::<O '<I' ~~O.j..l~~·.-1 ::l Q) staffers and OARP members, Wilkowski's "railroaded" 0 rO :r:i'<l' .j..l E-i E-i ~<"'1 Q)~ S:: ~ N'<l''<l'~~'<l'll-l ORTA ~ ~0 0'<1' H :::l·.-1 ~o ~ ~-.-~~ t:Q ·.-! '<I' Z :>.. 0> ~~ H (( legislation would have probably succeeded. s:: rc:l ~ Ul ~ """" H..O rO ~CO~<"'l '<1'·.-1'<1' S'<~'rc:l s:: QJ QJ S::S:: 0 .X:..:! CJ) '<I' rOrOH I.O~Ul~ .j..l ct1 ~·.-! ~.j..l U :X:~<OO~H ~..:I~ S::~.j..JO <"'l'<l';:lCO ·.-!<OS:::r:i..OQJlo-1 0 H ·.-1 UJ~.j..lcolo-1 ..:!.X: P:: <00 .C..:! '<I' rc:l'<l' .j..JS::O <tl·.-10.. ur:x: H.B. 1051 WAS INTRODUCED ON THE HOUSE FLOOR NOVEMBER 17th. 4-l ':>.,QJS::<"'lrt! P.U D. QJH 'Ul rt!S::'<I' rt!S::.j..l 'Hll-lUl u IT PASSED AS AN EMERGENCY MEASURE BY A VOTE OF 78 TO 13! 4-l ~ <0 !> rO ~ U ~ H ~~.X: ' 0 S ctl S:: ·.-! :>.,(.!) 0 0> ,::;:: 0 r-'dQJU'<I' P:: QJ.:X:Ul QJ rc:l·.-!UlQJ S::U<O S::, '<!' SENT THEN TO THE SENATE, THE BILL NEVER MADE IT TO A FLOOR <"'1~~ .j..l t:Q '!> QJ..:I ~ ·.-!S::O • •·.-!QJ ' .j..l QJ U '<0 Ul 0 ' • • ·.-! ~ '~ U ·.-! .j..l .j..l H !> o.j..l VOTE PRIOR TO THE ADJOURNMENT OF THE SENATE NOVEMBER 19th . Ul X QJ • ·.-! QJ :r:l ''d H ~ H 0 ' • ·.-! S:: U 'o..::;:: 0..·.-1 .j..l Q) O..QJ THUS ORTA WAS SAVED; BUT JUST BARELY. o o:;: ,~s::~ ~ wmo o E-<W'd:> . .-~ wr:x: u:Jlo-1 ::lP::~ '0 p.,t:Q ••QJ !>0 QJ U'::l .X: H ''d z :X: ' Ul ·.-1 p:; .j..l 0>:;: 's:: ~ • s:: ''d ' .j..l •0..!> 1.0 Z H S::'dQJ rc:JQJQJQJ ,.j..)QJ •rllrc:JQJ 'Ul Most people learned about H.B. 1051 from a press release oo~ w ,~ o O'd 0·.-1·.-1 m :> .j..l m woo :>'do <O.j..l that Wilkowski's office mailed out on November 9th. Full •Ot:Q!>QJ<"'l Ul OSP::> O.:X:rt! !> .:X:!>Jl::O.j..l QJS:: p. .. ·.-!!> p:; s::os:: p:; 0>, ·.-IQ) ~ Jl::Q) !>·.-! of distortions and misleading information, this was the way ~ •lo-1·.-!X ~ ·.-!:J:QJ ·:>.. rc:lrc:l~ lo-IOQJt:QUl S:: .:X:rt! 'IUJOHO D. ~lo-IQJU:JQJ S::H~CO O~Ul Ulrt!·.-10::;:: ORTA board and staff members learned they were going to be QJ<O.j..l Ot:Q . ~Qllo-1 ~ 0<00<"'1 lo-IOUJQJ~lo-IH~ legislated out of existence by mid-December. H.B. 1051 was lo-IO:r:l'd E-i S::!>C!l~~ .j..J:J: rc:lrt!HrOH~rO:r:l~.j..l Ul ·.-10 0<0 • U <00 ~<0 ~'d •X O.C~S:>:::·.-!::;::OQJUJ almost immediately referred to the House Economic Affairs P:: .Coo'dOS::O .X: H ~co> 0~0 OUQJO > ZQJ ~ UJm·.-1 :J::·.-1 • E-< [I,O'\CO~ co 0 t:Q :;: ::;:_c.,. co:z; ~ Committee for a 9:00am Wednesday morning hearing. Your .C (.!) ~ ~ ~ D. Z CO 0'\ N 0 ~'<I' >tO E-i CO 0 <"'1 Jl:: 0 OARP President and ORTA board member Tom Pulsifer, and ORTA Z ·.-1 ,UUJO 4-l 0 N'<l'<"'l 'o 0 ~ • O~r- CO~I.O~~co ~ ~ S:: ::l.:X: H' ~ U 0'\ •m ~~mO 1-)N0'\0'\~ ~81.0~ executive director Robert J. Casey were the only persons to Ul 0~ <OS:: 0 ~ ''H<"'l N~ • ~'<I'~ 'UlN<"'l testify in opposition to H.B. 1051 at the hearing. Wilkow­ oo ~.j..l ~us:: ~ ..:10 O>S::t-:l o ,r- P-<0'<~' ~<"'1 ,~ ,r:x: ~ ~ ~ ~ .X: ~ :>.,~ rO .X: H , S:: 0 , H S:: , H , H Ul , , ski, a member of the Economic Affairs Committee, had al­ D. r- rt!Ncor-U H~ UP:: S::::·.-1 Ul ,Q)p:: 0 'S:: ':r:i H ''QJ rO H:r:i'd S:: ~0~<"'10 U W.:X: 00 O'drc:l S:: >O Ul H 0 >tO 'Qlll-l S:: S::.C QJE-<~ 0 ready greased the skids and that Committee passed the bill 0 N N::;::S:: ..:I UlH::lOO rc:JQJ.j..llo-1 HOl~OHUlrc:l;:lOUl .X: 'S:: 'N S::l ZS::rt!P::Ullo-IZ~~O.."-<ZQJOOUlrllHS::O..O:J: on to the House Rules Committee and a possible floor vote 0 H·.-1 'H •rO Jl::Jl::QJP:: ·.-!t:QP:: ~S P::..Olo-l~~C!lrt!::l(J)Qlrt! p:; Q) UJQ) 'E-i~P:: :::>~:> Ul.C ~ oQ)Q) ·~QJ:>::: ·.-1 ::;::m ..:10 that very afternoon (November lOth). Meanwhile, your OARP ..:I 4-lQJlo-!UlH P.Olo-IOE-<QJ'd<OU •E-<t:Q:>::::>:::.:X:E-<~ ·~ • CJ)~ H ·.-IS::rt!UJQJS:: E-<QJ!><u:J.j..llo-l~.j..l[I,u:J Ul Q)~ 0 • President made some phone calls to several OARP Regional .X: UJO~rt!S::.CS::.:X:ll-l .:X:CJ)rt!Ol::l ~'d • ·rc:J~QJ~ • mS..:!t-:lO Coordinators, alerting them that "we've got a serious sit­ P:: ~.C~~S::::Ort!Z·.-1~~ :J:::l:r:l.C~H:r:i..:IH~~<O.j..l:>:::'d ~.X: H ::lP.~C!lrllt-:lHHUJ!l:::r:iUJOO O..:r:l<O rO:r:i~t-:lH ~'dt-:l!l::rc:l'd 0 uation in Columbus and we're going to need help ... fast". "-<D. CJ) ~ "-<Cl~.:X:E-<QJP::O~QJE-<~S::S::.CE-i::;:: QJS::::rll·.-1 E-<·.-1·.-1 .j..l 1 0 Ul •D. P::::l P::S ~UJP::~.C.CU::> lo-l..O.CS::!>lo-IZ!>> u The telephone contacts spread out around the state. Q~ite •Ul •U IOP.UlO<O • •·.-100·.-100·.-10 ·0~00<00~<0<0 Q) ' a few OARP officers, coordinators and active members re­ Z P:: QJIJ QJUl 0 Jl::Zt-:lt-:lc.!Jt:Qt-:lZ~t-:lt-:lP::Ul~ .:X:t-:l!l::O UOO H 0 s:: s s:: ~ Ul u s 0......... iC ......... '-...-1< ......... ·.-I portedly did get through to their state legislators, or at H Ul·.-!HrO·.-IU~ OE-<= E-i = = = ~ 0 E-< rOUlQJ·.-IUHUCJ)E-i.:X:I.O Z::J m <"'1 '<I' :r:: least talked with their aides.