APPOINTMENTS

Friday, December 19, 2008 8:00 AM

LaHood Draws Favorable Early Notices

By LISA CARUSO

Transportation leaders from across the ideological spectrum were taken aback by the surprise news, which first leaked out Wednesday, that President-elect Obama plans to name retiring Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., as his nominee for Transportation secretary.

Although Obama was not expected to make the announcement until today, already the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the airline industry trade group and some leading transportation labor unions have weighed in with hopeful praise of the nominee, who before Wednesday was not on anyone's short list -- or wish list -- for secretary.

But with just two more slots to fill, Obama still had only one Republican in his Cabinet, and LaHood's reputation for bipartisanship and close ties to home-state colleagues Obama and incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, with whom he served in the House, appear to have carried the day over more experienced potential picks like former Deputy Secretary of Transportation Mortimer Downey and former FAA Administrator Jane Garvey, both Democrats.

First elected to Congress in 1994, LaHood spent his first six years on the Hill as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, serving on the panel for the 1998 reauthorization of the surface transportation bill (dubbed TEA-21). If confirmed, he will lead the administration's effort to renew the law, which was last reauthorized in 2005 as SAFETEA-LU, next year.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, D-Minn., praised LaHood for his "legacy of civility, of decency, of bringing people together, of reaching consensus and reaching across party lines." Oberstar predicted that LaHood "will be an excellent, superb in fact, secretary of Transportation," despite his relative lack of policy expertise. "What Ray LaHood brings to the department, and what the department needs, is managerial talent and the right temperament to get the job done," Oberstar added.

While some major transportation unions have yet to comment, Laborers' International Union of North America President Terrence O'Sullivan issued the following statement: "Congressman Ray LaHood has been a friend to our union when it comes to construction and transportation issues. President [-elect] Obama said he would have a bipartisan administration and we look forward to working with the next Transportation Secretary to build America's transportation system."

Teamsters President James Hoffa also responded favorably to news of the LaHood pick. "As a moderate Republican, he has been a friend to the Teamsters Union on a number of important issues, including funding for Amtrak," Hoffa said in a statement Thursday.

The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department and National Air Traffic Controllers Association -- which for years has been in a standoff with the Bush administration -- had been hoping for a more pro-labor nominee and are still deciding how to respond to the LaHood pick. But in a Thursday afternoon conference call with reporters, Oberstar noted that Obama and the White House will set transportation policy, not LaHood.

Among industry groups, the Air Transport Association, which represents the commercial airline industry, was the first to go on the record in support of LaHood. Association president James May lauded LaHood's "well-deserved reputation for his even-handed, thoughtful and deliberative approach to complex issues" and said the industry looks forward to working closely with him on critical issues such as modernization the nation's air traffic control system, "prudent and equitable" funding of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, and aviation's role in generating economic growth.

Hailing LaHood as a "strong supporter" of public transportation in his district, American Public Transportation Association president William W. Millar released a statement applauding the choice, which he said "underscores the fact that transportation is a bipartisan issue."

Although LaHood served on the Appropriations Committee since 2001 -- but never on the Transportation Subcommittee -- another industry source noted that LaHood's Peoria-area district included the headquarters of Caterpillar, the world's largest construction equipment manufacturer, and "anyone who has represented Caterpillar knows our industry."

LaHood's Almanac of American Politics profile is available to subscribers here.