Quite frankly, I usually don’t lament any Republican leaving public office. But I have to make an exception for U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
On Tuesday LaHood announced that after serving for four years in President Brack Obama’s cabinet, he would not be staying on for the second term. He said he will remain until is successor is name and confirmed.
LaHood was a staunch advocate for public safety. And while many are lauding him for the many jobs his department created with its work on the nation’s transportation infrastructure, that’s not why I’ll miss him.
LaHood was a fierce supporter of laws to prevent distracted driving, setting an example for many states. In his list of the Department of Transportation’s accomplishments, there is reference to this topic.
“Safety is DOT’s primary mission,” the list said. “Secretary LaHood created the U.S. Department of Transportation Safety Council to identify and address the top safety issues that cut across all DOT agencies and to ensure an even stronger safety culture throughout the department.”
It continued, “DOT launched an aggressive national campaign in 2009 to end the dangerous practice of distracted driving, and specifically texting and cell phone use behind the wheel. In 2009, only 18 states had laws against texting and driving. Today, 39 states, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands ban texting while driving, and 10 states, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands ban all hand-held cell phone use behind the wheel.”
In an email to DOT employees, LaHood said, “Our achievements are significant. We have put safety front and center with the Distracted Driving Initiative and a rule to combat pilot fatigue that was decades in the making. We have made great progress in improving the safety of our transit systems, pipelines, and highways, and in reducing roadway fatalities to historic lows. We have strengthened consumer protections with new regulations on buses, trucks, and airlines.”
It’s all true.
LaHood, a former GOP congressman from Illinois, was the sole Republican in Obama’s cabinet. The president praised LaHood for his work as head of transportation.
“I want to thank Secretary LaHood for his dedication, his hard work, and his years of service to the American people – including the outstanding work he’s done over the last four years as Secretary of Transportation,” Obama said in his statement.
“I also want to thank Ray for his friendship,” the president added. “Years ago, we were drawn together by a shared belief that those of us in public service owe an allegiance not to party or faction, but to the people we were elected to represent. And Ray has never wavered in that belief.”
In his email, LaHood said, “I’ve told President Obama, and I’ve told many of you, that this is the best job I’ve ever had. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with all of you and I’m confident that DOT will continue to achieve great things in the future.”
I hope so Secretary LaHood. You will be missed.