Wednesday, December 23, 2009
McDonnell names some Cabinet members
The governor-elect chose his transportation secretary, as well as those for agriculture and administration.
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RICHMOND -- Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell took the first step toward putting his stamp on the state's transportation system Tuesday, tapping a Northern Virginia lawyer with local and federal government experience to a key Cabinet post.
McDonnell appointed Sean Connaughton, a former chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, to be his secretary of transportation. Connaughton will become the new administration's point man for what arguably will be the most difficult policy challenges McDonnell will face over the next four years.
McDonnell on Tuesday also named Todd Haymore, an official in Gov. Tim Kaine's administration, to serve as secretary of agriculture and forestry; and Lisa Hicks-Thomas, a deputy attorney general, to be his secretary of administration.
The economic downturn and political gridlock in Richmond have left the state's road and transit network underfunded, forcing transportation officials to cut billions of dollars from highway construction programs, eliminate more than 1,000 jobs and curtail an array of services. McDonnell, a Republican, has promoted a plan to generate transportation funds through a variety of sources that include tolls, borrowing and privatizing the state's liquor stores.
McDonnell said he also wants to improve transportation planning and policy decisions, which he characterized as "too slow" and "too bureaucratic."
"We've got to have more speed and more decisiveness in order to get things done," McDonnell said at a news conference at the Capitol. "And yes, we need more money in order to make these things happen. It's very important to me that our secretary of transportation is someone who understands the need to get things done quickly without excuse, without delay."
Connaughton served as chairman of the Prince William board of supervisors from 2000 until 2006, when President Bush appointed him head of the U.S. Maritime Administration. Connaughton is now a corporate vice president for the American Bureau of Shipping.
Connaughton said his professional background and his experience as a commuter in traffic-choked Northern Virginia make him "intimately aware of the challenges facing Virginia's transportation system."
McDonnell said Tuesday that he also has started a national search for a new commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation. He reiterated his plans to reopen 19 interstate rest areas that were closed in July because of budget cuts, saying he would have the facilities operating within 90 days of taking office.
McDonnell on Tuesday also announced that he will retain and promote Haymore, who now serves as commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under Kaine. Haymore, a Pittsylvania County native, is a former tobacco executive who began his professional career as an aide to former 5th District U.S. Rep. L.F. Payne.
Hicks-Thomas is the deputy attorney general for the office's technology, real estate, environment and transportation division. She is the fifth high-level appointee to McDonnell's administration who also worked for him in the attorney general's office.
