US – 42 year old, Anthony Foxx, was confirmed as Secretary of Transportation yesterday by a unanimous 100 – nil Senate vote. Foxx succeeds Ray LaHood and is likely to continue his predecessors aggressive safety campaigning. The incoming Secretary has experience of transport and logistics in both passenger and freight sectors, having introduced both streetcar and light rail programmes whilst mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, and played a part in both the construction of a runway at his local international airport, and the construction of a multimodal freight centre. Road haulage dignitaries welcomed Mr Foxx’s appointment with American Trucking Association’s CEO, Bill Graves, saying:
“I’d like to offer my heartiest congratulations to Secretary-to-be Foxx on his confirmation. As I said when he was nominated, the challenges of being mayor of a large city like Charlotte are not all that different from those of being a governor, so I’m confident he will be up to the test of providing this country with the first-rate, world-class transportation system our industry and our economy demand.”
Foxx told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee at a nomination hearing a month ago that safety would be his main priority, and a recent spate of transportation disasters will ensure the subject is never far from his mind. Ray LaHood will be a hard act to follow as an active politician who has always made sure his policies were both clearly laid out and understood. Bill Graves said on his retirement from the post:
“While we have not always seen eye-to-eye on the issues, no one can question Ray’s passion and the vigour he brought to the job. Ray’s zeal to elevate the issue of distracted driving on a national level was one of great importance and our highways are safer because of it.”
Foxx has a wealth of experience, including time in Washington as a Democratic aide to the House Judiciary Committee and working at the Justice Department as an attorney and he remains a firm friend of the president, who said of him:
"Anthony knows first-hand that investing in our roads, bridges and transit systems is vital to creating good jobs and ensuring American businesses can grow and compete in a 21st century global economy."
Photo: Foxx is a good friend of president Obama. (Courtesy of Charlotte Observer.)
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