[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1921]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO CARNEY CAMPION, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, 
                  HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 6, 1998

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Carney 
J. Campion on the occasion of his retirement as General Manager of one 
of our Nation's most revered historic landmarks, the Golden Gate 
Bridge. For more than two decades, Mr. Campion has been admired for his 
effective leadership in managing the Bridge, the Bridge District's bus 
and ferry services, and in navigating the political waters connected 
with running such an important transportation enterprise. He will long 
be remembered as one of the most effective general managers in the 
history of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
  During an illustrious career, Mr. Campion was instrumental in 
advancing numerous projects of critical importance to the District. He 
successfully guided to completion the redecking of the Bridge in 1986, 
purchased and preserved for future transportation use an abandoned 
Northwestern Pacific Railroad right-of-way, and implemented a public 
safety patrol and installed crisis communication phones to respond to 
emergencies on the Bridge. He reorganized the District departments to 
improve environmental health and safety management, and assured the 
District public transit system attained full compliance with the 
Americans With Disabilities Act. Under his leadership, the District 
obtained federal funding for the seismic retrofit of the Bridge, 
deployed new capacity transit coaches on long haul trips from Sonoma 
County, and purchased a new high-speed catamaran placed in ferry 
service in 1998.
  Perhaps District Board Member Ginny Simms said it best in a recent 
issue of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Transactions 
report: ``I don't know of anyone . . . who can state they took a bridge 
and turned it into a bus and ferry line. That really says something 
about . . . Carney's ability to look into the future and say, `Why 
not?' ''
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize Mr. Campion for his steadfast 
commitment to excellence over such a long and distinguished career. We 
sincerely appreciate his 23 years of dedicated public service with the 
Bridge District and extend to him our best wishes for an active and 
enjoyable retirement.

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