Amtrak conductor suspended because of Kerry comments
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Amtrak conductor who is a Republican congressional candidate has been suspended without pay for suggesting his train passengers should vote against Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Conductor Leslie Farr was on a Kansas City-to-St. Louis train that was delayed last Thursday while waiting for Kerry's locomotive to leave St. Louis and head to a Jefferson City rally.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Farr said he used the train's public address system to inform passengers they would be delayed because of Kerry's train and quipped that they should vote accordingly in November.

"These people's lives were seriously affected by this, so I tried to defuse the situation," said Farr, 26, of St. Louis. But in retrospect, "I was wrong for making a political comment."

Amtrak has opened an investigation into Farr's actions, accusing him in a letter of violating company policies by making "inappropriate and denigrating announcements" to customers that "caused embarrassment to the corporation and the loss of good will of our passengers." A formal investigation meeting with Farr is scheduled for Thursday.

Farr is the Republican challenger to Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., in the 1st Congressional District and also is a delegate to the Republican National Convention, which will be held later this month.

Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari confirmed Farr's employment but said he could not comment about personnel issues.

According to Amtrak records, the eastbound Ann Rutledge train left Kansas City about 25 minutes late and was running more than an hour-and-a-half behind — due largely to freight train traffic — when it left Washington, Mo., headed toward St. Louis. The train, carrying 135 passengers, was delayed an additional 84 minutes just outside the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood to allow Kerry's special westbound train to pass.

Farr is not a regular conductor on Amtrak's twice-daily trains between Missouri's two largest cities. Rather, Farr said he was filling in because one of the regular conductors was assigned to Kerry's train.

Farr said that if his political statements were distasteful to some passengers, others likely were offended that Kerry campaign banners were draped over Amtrak property.

While expressing regret about his comments, Farr added: "It's gotten me very, very upset. I feel like I'm being unjustly picked on" by being suspended without pay.

The company complaint also accuses Farr of not wearing his name tag and refusing to identify himself to passengers.