Anthony Foxx

[boxcarsyix]

Obama will announce Anthony Foxx's nomination for Transportation Secretary on Monday. Does anyone know where he stands on rail? on Amtrak? on Ld trains?

 

[AlanB]

Hopefully he only stands on platforms next to the tracks, and not on the rail. :lol:

 

[CHamilton]

Obama to name Charlotte mayor Anthony Foxx as transportation chief

WASHINGTON President Barack Obama Monday will nominate Mayor Anthony Foxx to be secretary of transportation, a White House official said Sunday on the condition of anonymity.

...
As mayor of what it called one of America’s most vibrant cities, the White House said Foxx has the firsthand knowledge needed to create jobs and compete in a global economy. The White House praised Foxx’s ability to integrate local, state and federal resources to meet transportation challenges.

Federal officials cited his efforts to bring a streetcar line through the center of the city, expand Charlotte Douglas International Airport and extend the city’s light-rail system north to UNC Charlotte.

On two of those fronts, however, Foxx faces serious challenges to his leadership.

The mayor is fighting an effort to shift control of Charlotte Douglas from the city to an independent authority – a move Foxx has vocally opposed. Local business leaders and some legislators have said the city is meddling in airport affairs, a charge Foxx denies.

The streetcar project, which Foxx is launching with a $25 million federal grant, is in limbo. The mayor has been unable to convince City Council members to approve expanding the 1.5-mile line under construction. Also the streetcar has been the cause of a nearly yearlong fight that has delayed passage of the almost $1 billion capital budget.
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He also is staff attorney for Charlotte hybrid bus maker DesignLine.
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Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor who studies federal nominations, said he didn’t expect Foxx to have a difficult nomination process....He said Foxx will probably be questioned about his lack of direct transportation experience. But Tobias noted Foxx has relevant experience leading a city that is a major transportation hub that includes one of the country’s busiest airports and the junction of two interstate highways.
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While Foxx doesn’t have an extensive transportation background, he has some Washington experience. In addition to his work on the national convention and city-related lobbying visits, the Davidson College graduate served on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee from 1999 to 2001. Prior to that, he worked for two years in the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department.
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Foxx is interested in how transit can shape urban development, and he shares the Obama administration’s support for high-speed rail and creating walkable cities with development clustered around transit stops.

He has overseen the start of construction of a new intermodal rail yard by Norfolk-Southern at Charlotte Douglas. The intermodal yard is designed to transfer cargo from rail to truck – and take advantage of new, large cargo ships expected on the east coast when the Panama Canal is widened.

The mayor doesn’t have much experience in building highways, a major part of the Department of Transportation’s budget.

 

[benjibear]

Wasn't Charlotte to get a new Amtrak station? What was his stance on that?

 

[user 1215]

He's for it, so long as the Transportation Minister gives him the money. OH - he IS the transportation minister now.

Interestingly, the mayor in Charlotte he replaced is now the Republican governor of North Carolina. Though perhaps he is a bit more conservative financially with rail in NC, I don't think he's anti-rail. I believe he is huge on corridor service, and anemic on long distance service.

 

[henryj]

He said Foxx will probably be questioned about his lack of direct transportation experience.
...
While Foxx doesn’t have an extensive transportation background, he has some Washington experience.

The mayor doesn’t have much experience in building highways, a major part of the Department of Transportation’s budget.

Says it all. He's just a political hack and Obama cronie and, of course, a lawyer. He'll have lots of off the wall ideas, but nothing will happen.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Replacing Ray LaHood will be a tough job, but the secretary just follows the lead of the administration, and the Obama White House is pro-rail, so we'll probably see a continuation of the last four years.

 

[jis]

He does have some experience putting together and running a rail transit system. He is also probably pro-corridor rail. What his attitudes are towards LD is unknown. But then again, what the attitude of the entire legislature at the federal level towards LD service is also unknown at present, other than sort of taking the kick the can down the line approach.

It appears that the general attitude towards everything is that the states need to pick up more of the tab, except a few exceptions, where in effect the states already carry a huge part of the overall rail transport tab.

 

[afigg]

Transportation Issues Daily's article on Mayor Fox's pending nomination.

As a mayor of a mid-sized city working to build a rail local transit system, he should be sympathetic or tuned to the importance of local transit development. He has been mayor only since 2009 and was first elected to the city council in 2005. Which is not a lot of political experience. Limited Washington DC experience with a stint as a staff member on the House Judiciary Committee. So he knows where Capitol Hill is, but his experience is as a mid to low level staff member, not a Congressman or senior staff.

He got his law degree from NYU, so between NYC and DC, he should have exposure to the NYC subway, DC Metro, and I would figure the NEC. Keep in mind, in a different administration, we could get a Transportation Secretary from the south or mid-west states who has never taken a train nor a subway and primary transportation background is building roads.

This is a political appointment by Obama to balance out the Cabinet with someone he met personally and likes. He is giving Mayor Foxx a career stepping stone appointment. Foxx will support the President's pro-rail agenda, but his lack of experience in DC politics & on Capitol Hill and transportation is likely to make him a Transportation Secretary with limited impact. we'll see.

 

[boxcarsyix]

Thanks, I guess we'll just have to watch and continue to press people on the transportation comittees.

 

[xyzzy]

In general there is widespread support for both rail transit and Amtrak in Charlotte, although as one might expect the support is not universal and the degree of support is not without limits. Charlotte has its share of sprawl, but the concentration of banking in the city center has meant that the development of the metro area has been more downtown-centric than one might expect.

The Crescent draws relatively few passengers in Charlotte, given that it stops in the middle of the night in both directions. But the NC corridor trains and the Carolinian do reasonably well.

The new Amtrak station in Charlotte is progressing slowly. The first step is a complex and expensive track relocation project. The city has been very supportive of the project, but the reality is that most of the money is not coming from the city and therefore the city is not in a position to drive the schedule.

 

[user 1215]

He does have some experience putting together and running a rail transit system. He is also probably pro-corridor rail. What his attitudes are towards LD is unknown. But then again, what the attitude of the entire legislature at the federal level towards LD service is also unknown at present, other than sort of taking the kick the can down the line approach.
It appears that the general attitude towards everything is that the states need to pick up more of the tab, except a few exceptions, where in effect the states already carry a huge part of the overall rail transport tab.

Does he? He's the mayor of a city that has a street car and and Amtrak stop - both of which were in place long before he took office as mayor or even a member of the city council. In fact it was on Pat McCrory who got the street car running. The Carolinian started in 1990 and the Piedmont started in 1995 (the first year of McCrory, so he can't really take credit for that). The Crescent barrely survived its conversion from being part of the Southern Railroad but seems to do OK.

In fact, it seems as though his only experience is being the mayor of a city that has public transportation. Woo hoo! So, yes, he's probably capable of kicking the can down the road, but it's highly unlikely that he will make huge improvements or progressive steps towards a strong high speed rail infrastructure.

 

[henryj]

It's like I said VentureForth, he's just a political hack. He's not a visionary, he has no experience nor ideas on how to build a truly balanced transportation system nor how to fund it or organize it. He will just sit there and draw his six figure salary and do whatever the administration tells him to do.

 

[Ryan]

All we can say is that we've got insifficent evidence to see what kind of Transportation Secratary he'll be.

Maybe he's got all the skills to be the greatest Secretary ever. Maybe he will be a flop.

Personally, I'll wait to pass judgement until we see how he does rather than make claims based on his experience, who appointed him, where he went to school or what color he is, but I'm crazy like that.

 

[CHamilton]

Meet Your Next Transportation Secretary
Before we get into the details of Anthony Foxx’s résumé and policy positions, let’s just take a moment to appreciate this: The White House has nominated a mayor to be secretary of transportation.

There is often a wide gulf between states and cities when it comes to transportation policy — with cities preferring to invest in multiple modes while states mainly spend on highways. One way to interpret Obama’s nomination of a mayor to head U.S. DOT is that he’s casting his lot with cities. In Foxx, he’s selected the chief executive of a southern city that has made significant progress on transit and walkable development the last few years.

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Foxx has only been mayor since 2009, and the city was already heading in the right direction. Charlotte’s light-rail system, LYNX, launched in 2007, and its complete streets policy won an award before he took office. But Foxx has also made his own mark.

As mayor, Foxx oversaw the extension of the city’s one light rail line, a project which will nearly double the Blue Line’s length and extend it to the UNC-Charlotte campus by 2018. He’s also been a champion for Charlotte’s downtown streetcar project, which currently consists of just a short starter line but which Foxx and local transit advocates want to turn into a 10-mile route in Center City to spur more walkable development. He hasn’t been able to convince the City Council to support it, but the White House has supported the project to the tune of $25 million.

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It’s not all bike-share and streetcars, of course – Charlotte is a sprawling city, and Foxx hasn’t put his foot down against highway expansion. In fact, he secured funding to complete a 60-mile beltway and has supported widening I-85 from six lanes to eight according to Next City’s Matt Bevilacqua. Foxx also helped lead the expansion of the Charlotte airport.

LaHood, the man Foxx will replace, learned fast on the job and surprised everyone with his strong commitment to sustainable transportation and understanding of the connections between transportation, housing, and environmental policy — connections mayors deal with every day. But LaHood wasn’t chosen for those qualities. In fact, in the beginning, few expected his tenure at U.S. DOT to go in the direction it did. He was chosen first and foremost because he was a Republican, as an overture across the aisle – an overture that clearly didn’t work.

Now Obama has chosen a rising star in the Democratic party whose city hosted the Democratic convention last year. And this rising star does come to the job “with a predisposition to seeing how transit can potentially transform a city that’s been almost entirely auto-dependent into one that’s more walkable and pedestrian-friendly and be a driver of economic growth,” said Joshua Schank of the Eno Center for Transportation.

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Charlotte was the case study for a 2011 research paper on the impact of rail transit on obesity. Social scientists and health experts found that LYNX riders’ body mass index fell by an average of 1.18 points compared to those who didn’t ride the system, and were 81 percent less likely to become obese over time. Schank speculated that studies like that have helped open Foxx’s mind to the broader benefits of sustainable transportation, including the environment and public health benefits.

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Schank expects Foxx – like LaHood – to be a loyal implementer of White House policy, not someone who goes above and beyond the administration’s priorities.

 

[CHamilton]

How does Anthony Foxx’s Transportation Experience Compare to Past USDOT Secretaries?

Anthony Foxx hasn’t engineered a road, led a State DOT, transit agency or a construction company. As a City Council member, he chaired the Transportation Committee. As Mayor, he engaged in several high profile, big projects like “expanding the city’s LYNX streetcar to UNC-Charlotte, creating the Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility that transfers cargo between trucks and trains, and building a new runway at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport,” according to Politico. And he certainly got exposed to mobility and security issues while his City hosted the national Democratic convention.

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How does Foxx’s experience stack up against prior Secretary nominees? We read theBiographical Sketches of the last ten USDOT Secretaries to find out.

Our very unscientific research indicates only half of the previous ten USDOT secretaries (going back to 1981) had significant transportation experience prior to leading USDOT.

Secretaries with NO incoming significant experience with transportation issues (including USDOT service period and position when nominated):

• Ray LaHood, January 23, 2009 to 2013, former Congressman
• Fredrico Pena, Secretary from January 21, 1993 to February 14, 1997, former Mayor of Denver
• Andrew Card, February 24, 1992 to January 20, 1993, senior White House aide
• Elizabeth Dole, February 7, 1983 to September 30, 1987, senior White House aide
• Drew Lewis, Jr., January 23, 1981 to February 1, 1983, business leader

All had significant political experience and connections.Secretaries WITH incoming significant experience with transportation issues (including USDOT service period and position when nominated):

• Mary Peters, October 17, 2006 to 2009, FHWA Administrator, former Arizona DOT Director
• Norm Mineta, January 25, 2001 to July 7, 2006, longtime member of House Transportation Committee, former member of National Civil Aviation Review Commission
• Rodney Slater, February 14, 1997 to January 20, 2001, FHWA Administrator, former member of Arkansas Highway Commission
• Samuel K. Skinner*, February 6, 1989-December 13, 1991, Attorney
• James H. Burnley, December 3, 1987-January 30, 1989, Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation

*One could debate the inclusion here of Skinner; we’re counting as “significant” Skinner’s reign as Chair of the Regional Transportation Authority of northeastern Illinois, the nation’s second largest mass transportation district....

Our view: Foxx is likely to do just fine. For one thing, he has a number of highly capable deputies such as Deputy Secretary John Porcari, Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy Polly Trottenberg, and FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. They know the issues, and they know DC politics. Let’s hope Foxx wants to keep them and that they want to stay. For another, previous Secretaries have been successful regardless of coming into the job with significant or insignificant transportation experience. Of course that also depends on how you would define success.

The Foxx era is more likely to be defined by the Obama-Republican Congress dynamic than anything else. It’s a dynamic that often stymied even former Republican Congressman Ray LaHood.

 

[benjibear]

Foxx expected to focus on ground transportation, not air

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2013/04/29/foxx-transportation-nominee/2121765/

 

[Shortline]

I just heard Secretary Ray LaHood speak this morning at the ASLRRA convention in Atlanta. Amtrak and passenger rail in general features heavily in his presentation. I believe, it's becoming clear on the Hill that rail, both passenger and freight, are becoming increasingly visible at the national level and more critical to the economic sustainability of the US than at any time in the last 100 years. We can't put many more trucks on the road, or people on planes. He clearly indicated rail was truly being looked at as a component of an integrated national system, rather than as an anomaly serving a few districts. I really think the next 10 years will be a true game changer for the entire industry. Buckle up, it's going to get interesting.

 

[user 1215]

All we can say is that we've got insifficent evidence to see what kind of Transportation Secratary he'll be.
Maybe he's got all the skills to be the greatest Secretary ever. Maybe he will be a flop.

Personally, I'll wait to pass judgement until we see how he does rather than make claims based on his experience, who appointed him, where he went to school or what color he is, but I'm crazy like that.

How about we expect to get the most qualified person for the job to begin with?

 

[Bob Dylan]

All we can say is that we've got insifficent evidence to see what kind of Transportation Secratary he'll be.
Maybe he's got all the skills to be the greatest Secretary ever. Maybe he will be a flop.

Personally, I'll wait to pass judgement until we see how he does rather than make claims based on his experience, who appointed him, where he went to school or what color he is, but I'm crazy like that.

How about we expect to get the most qualified person for the job to begin with?

In Washington????

 

[afigg]

For those who did not see it in the news, Anthony Foxx was confirmed by the Senate yesterday for the Secretary of Transportion position. He is expected to be sworn in early next week. Now he can look forward to dealing with the Republicans in the House to get funding for transit and rail programs.

 

[Bus Nut]

This is a political appointment by Obama to balance out the Cabinet with someone he met personally and likes. He is giving Mayor Foxx a career stepping stone appointment. Foxx will support the President's pro-rail agenda, but his lack of experience in DC politics & on Capitol Hill and transportation is likely to make him a Transportation Secretary with limited impact. we'll see.

Well, that's kind of depressing, but the next cycle or two is going to be pretty depressing period with the anti-anything-but-highways-and-rural-gen-aviation bloc in the House. They zeroed out TIGER for next year. Foxx, I believe, has stated his enthusiasm for TIGER. (Local governments love TIGER too, so hopefully the House will back off.)

What Foxx does bring to the table is as a mid-sized city mayor he will have experience with New Urbanism and complete streets. Bike advocates seem hopeful. (Streetsblog, which overall has been happy with LaHood, lampooned him early in his tenure with an April Fool's Day announcement that DOT was initiating a Complete Streets agenda.) Charlotte has also been a light rail pioneer, especially in its region.

I think part of the kvetching about "experience" is that Foxx's experience is with the new skool light rail, urban running, intermodal, integrated transit paradigm instead of Old Economy Steve background and education. With my personal background in the industry, I strongly believe that Old Economy Steve's are the last people we need in charge of our transportation policy in the 21st century.

Foxx "gets" it. Hopefully on Amtrak issues he will take Boardman's lead.