U.S. DOT: Obama to nominate Foxx as next secretary

Anthony R. Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, N.C., will be nominated today to be the next secretary of transportation, according to the New York Times and Reuters.

Foxx, if confirmed by the Senate, will help fill out President Barack Obama’s second-term cabinet. He has served as mayor of Charlotte for nearly four years. He was the first African-American student body president at Davidson College and earned a law degree from New York University.

Foxx does not have a background in transportation, but as mayor of Charlotte, he is credited with improving the city’s transportation system, including the completion of the I-485 loop by 2014, the widening of the southern leg of I-485 before 2015, ensuring the state’s portion of the Blue Line Extension project funding, opening a new airport runway and starting a streetcar system.