Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx listens to his wife Samara Foxx during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee May 22, 2013 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Foxx will succeed Ray LaHood to become the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation if confirmed. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department says former Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Anthony Foxx has been sworn in as President Barack Obama’s new transportation secretary.
Foxx was sworn in during a private ceremony with his wife and two children Tuesday at the department’s headquarters. The department says he’s spending his first day focusing on transportation safety and preparedness for hurricanes and severe weather. Foxx says under his tenure, safety will remain the department’s top priority. He says he’ll work on efficiency and infrastructure needed to make sure the nation’s transportation system works for future generations. Foxx’s background includes stints as a Justice Department attorney and a Democratic aide to the House Judiciary Committee. The Senate voted unanimously last week to confirm Foxx. The 42-year-old replaces outgoing secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman. article by Josh Lederman, AP via thegrio.com; Copyright 2013 The Associated Press
5/7/12 – Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx greets President Barack Obama as he arrives at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. TODD SUMLIN
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. The nomination of Foxx, who hosted last year’s Democratic National Convention, would make him the only African-American selected for a Cabinet opening in Obama’s second term.
As mayor of Charlotte, 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 globe economy. The White House praised Foxx’s ability to integrate local, state and federal resources to meet transportation challenges. Federal officials cited his work on the Charlotte streetcar project to bring a streetcar line through the center of the city, expanding Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and extending the city’s light rail system north to UNC Charlotte. Some of Foxx’s accomplishments that the White House has praised have been questioned closer to home, however. The mayor is fighting an effort to shift control of Charlotte-Douglas from the city to an independent authority – a move Foxx has been stridently against. Local business leaders and some legislators have said they are worried the city has been meddling in airport affairs, a charge Foxx has denied. 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 currently under construction, and the streetcar has been the cause of a nearly year-long impasse over the city passing a nearly $1 billion capital budget. Foxx, who has called Obama a friend, was elected mayor in 2009. He was re-elected in November 2011 with nearly 70 percent of the vote. He also is a lawyer for Charlotte hybrid bus maker DesignLine.
