Regardless of who wins the 2024 presidential election, Americans likely will see a new secretary of transportation.
Obviously, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg would never work for former President Donald Trump — nor would Trump ever select him.
As I write this, Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t chosen a running mate. She might pick Secretary Buttigieg, which would mean his current post would need filled. But that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, either.
If Vice President Kamala Harris wins the election, it is possible that Secretary Buttigieg would continue to serve in his current role. However, history says that he would not stay secretary for a full term.
He probably would not even stay for the midterm election.
Norman Mineta is the longest-serving transportation secretary, and he held the job for a little over five and a half years under President George W. Bush.
So, who should be the next transportation secretary?
I would like someone who has been in charge of a state DOT to be selected.
In October 1966, President Lyndon Johnson convinced Congress to create the DOT, and since then, only one transportation secretary had head of a state DOT on their resume.
Mary E. Peters had served as the director of the Arizona DOT before President Bush named her to replace Mineta.
Secretary Buttigieg is the 19th transportation secretary, and our country has been blessed with talented, hard-working people who have served the American people well in this role.
Most have been lawyers. Nothing against lawyers, but ... Come on! Who better to run the federal DOT than someone who has led a state DOT?
Former mayor seems to be a common theme, as well. Buttigieg is known as “Mayor Pete” because hew as mayor of South Bend, Ind. Mineta, who died in 2022, was the mayor of San Jose, Calif. in the 1970s.
Anthony Foxx, who served as transportation secretary under President Barack Obama, was mayor of Charlotte, N.C., and Neil Goldschmidt was mayor of Portland, Ore., prior to serving President Jimmy Carter as transportation secretary.
Goldschmidt, who died in June, went on to become governor of Oregon, and Buttigieg might do that or run for Senate.
So, perhaps the next president will select prominent mayor for the role.
However, given the state of America’s infrastructure and how far along we are with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I think it’s crucial that the next transportation secretary know the roads and bridges construction industry inside and out.
Industry leaders should push for a state DOT director to be named. Or maybe the senior managing editor of construction trade magazine. Yeah, name me!
You get bridge funding! And you get bridge funding! Everyone gets bridge funding! RB
