Oberman nominated for STB slot

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Martin Oberman, known for his dark red bow ties, has been nominated to fill the open Democratic slot on the Surface Transportation Board.

President Donald Trump has nominated Martin J. Oberman to fill the final open slot on the Surface Transportation Board (STB) the White House announced July 5, 2018.

Oberman’s nomination would be for the remainder of a five-year term set to expire Dec. 31, 2023, and would fill the spot designated for the Democratic minority.

Oberman is a Chicago-based attorney, who received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Yale University in 1966, followed by his Juris Doctor in 1969 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He currently serves on the Board of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

He is a former Chicago alderman and a former member of the Metra Board of Directors in 2013. He was appointed to Metra’s board in 2013 and served as chairman of the board from February 2014 to November 2016.

In March, President Trump nominated two Republicans, Patrick J. Fuchs and Michelle A. Schultz for the open majority positions on the STB.

Should the three nominations proceed through to confirmation, the STB would have a full slate of members for which to proceed with cases. Ann Begeman, whose term expires in 2020, but may be extended by 12 months, is serving as the STB’s chairman and Deb Miller, vice chairman, is on the back end of her 12-month extension following expiration of her term in December 2017.

“We welcome the president’s announcement of his intent to nominate Martin Oberman to the Surface Transportation Board. The STB has important business ahead of it and a full complement of members will enable work to begin in earnest to address outstanding issues for freight transportation. We look forward to a swift confirmation process for Martin Oberman and the two previously announced candidates, Patrick Fuchs and Michelle Schultz,” said Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

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