Joel Daves was on the Mobile City Council when, four years and six months ago, he was the sole “No” vote on a three-year, $3.048 million funding agreement to support Amtrak’s return to the Gulf Coast.

Over the ensuing years, Daves continued to oppose the Amtrak project, citing concerns over what it could do with interfering with the Port of Mobile’s rail business. He blasted the proposed Amtrak route as a “joyride for the affluent,” was quoted in The New York Times, and testified before the U.S. Surface Transportation Board against the project.