Acting FRA Administrator Monro Retires

[martin.knoepfel]

In a Senate heraring on the Merck-case, one ot the senators made it very clear. He sais that the relationsship between the FDA and the industry was very cozy, just the opposite of what it should be.

I don't understand why these standards should not apply to the FRA.

In my opinion, the journalist of the NYT had done a good job, the NYT-editor-in-charge too.

[Anonymous]

Here we go again...

New York Times has a new article on how Ms. Monro is retiring under a cloud...

BLE Site has it posted at:

http://www.ble.org/pr/news/headline.asp?id=12258

LC

[csxengineer98]

goes to show you that you shouldnt mix biz with pleasher.... nothing good ever comes out of it in the long run....
csx engineer

[jeaton]

Information on her retirement was published on the United Transportation Union news site in an article that appearantly was written by UTU staff. (They always credit other sources).

The issue that several forum members took with the NYT article was that although there was only an appearance of possible impropriety, the article made it sound that there was actual improper behavior. If you think about it, the main reason for government rules to avoid the "appearance" of impropriety is too avoid having to deal with press reports presenting unfounded allegations as fact. It is the "where there's smoke, there's fire" mentality of the media and the willingness of the public to buy it.

Jay

[Anonymous]

Rudy-

I got it from the UTU website www.utu.org.

Here it is in all its glory:

"Acting FRA Administrator Monro retires
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Acting Administrator Betty Monro today (Dec. 17) issued a letter announcing her retirement.
Monro joined the Department of Transportation as deputy administrator of the FRA in the summer of 2001. Monro was appointed acting administrator by President George W. Bush in June 2004. She replaced Allan Rutter, who left the post after announcing his resignation on April 30, 2004. Rutter subsequently took a position as deputy executive director of the North Texas Tollway Authority.

"It is with mixed emotions that I am today announcing my long-awaited retirement," Monro wrote. "I have been slightly delayed beyond my original plan to retire immediately after the election due to intervening challenges which needed to be addressed. However, I now feel like I can move forward with my personal plans."

Monro served as chief of staff to former FRA Administrator Gilbert Carmichael from 1991 to 1993, and was special assistant for aviation policy to former DOT Secretary Sam Skinner from 1989 to 1991.

Prior to her appointment at the FRA, Monro had served as chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Michael "Mac" Collins (R-Ga.), managing the congressman's Washington, D.C., office and two district offices. She also assisted the congressman with legislation affecting rail and aviation issues, as well as related projects in the State of Georgia.

The majority of her professional career was served as director of federal legislation for the Air Transport Association of America, a trade association of the U.S. airline industry, where she represented the interests of airlines on Capitol Hill.

Monro began work in the political arena with Sen. John Tower (R-Texas) and Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.).

Monro is a native of Gulfport, Miss., and earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Mississippi. She and her husband, Charles, reside in Woodbridge, Va.

December 17, 2004

LC

[RudyRockvilleMD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear

Just so everyone realizes how interesting this is, remember that Ms. Monro was the FRA Official who took vacations with one of UPs chief lobbyists according to those muck raking "journalists" at the NYT...

LC

Mrs Munro became the FRA Administrator after Allen Rutter left. I am curious, where did you find out Ms Munro is retiring? There was nothing about her retirement or leaving in the Washington Post, but that's not surprising considering 1) there are lot more higher profile government officials resigning, and 2) since Don Phillips retired from the Washington Post nearly a year ago very few articles were published about railroads in that paper including Amtrak's financial plight.

The article you refer to is the one in the November 7New York Times about the FRA and the Union Pacific This is my take on that article, and I am speaking as a retired federal employee. I disagree that article in the New York Times was muckraking. It described a situation about the too close ties between federal regulators and the regulated. What the author should have pointed out is the FRA is not alone there are other agencies where there have been too close ties between regulators and those they regulate. I don't doubt the close ties between regulators and the regulated still exist, but until recently that situation was much worse.

The federal government, like many organizations, has standards of employee conduct which largely govern how federal employees are to conduct themselves on the job and in their dealings with the public. I worked in a DOD R&D lab, and our management took those standards of conduct very seriously. By the way the Department of Defense Standards of Conduct were signed by a name you should recognize, W. Graham Claytor jr. when he was the Deputy Secretary Of Defense. The overriding theme in the standards of conduct is federal employees are to conduct themselves in such a manner that there can be no appearence of any impropriety, and believe me appearences are stressed.

[Anonymous]

Just so everyone realizes how interesting this is, remember that Ms. Monro was the FRA Official who took vacations with one of UPs chief lobbyists according to those muck raking "journalists" at the NYT...

LC

[Anonymous]

Betty Monro, Acting FRA Administrator has announced her retirement today.

LC