DOT Sec. Mary Peters in Miami on Friday

I didn't know about this until this afternoon, when I heard it on a WIOD news break during Rush Limbaugh's show, that the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an event Friday in downtown Miami at the Hilton with DOT Secretary Mary Peters.

I followed-up late in the day with friendly Tania Valenzuela, Director, Regional Business Development, at the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, and she gave me the lowdown on what's what manana. http://www.miamichamber.com/
American Airlines and MIA are the official sponsors of the event.

I'm mentioning the event here, admittedly, on short notice, so that perhaps someone out there in the South Florida blogosphere might have the means, motive and opportunity to attend, and give us all
a play-by-play later.
(in Pathe News reader voice)
"Today, the Washington Beltway met the Banana Republic of South Florida amidst the tony splendor of the Miami Hilton..."
Think Raymond Burr doing his radio play-by-play from high atop a building in downtown Tokyo, as Godzilla approaches menacingly from Tokyo Bay, as a nation watches helplessly...

When federal public transit policy meets South Florida's notoriously fickle apathy, who wins?
Oh, right.
Everyone loses!

Recent Washington Post stories on Sec. Peters:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/NewsSearch?sb=-1&st=Mary%20Peters&

It's interesting to me that DOT Sec. Mary Peters in Washington can manage to fit this area into her busy schedule, even while FDOT Sec. Stephanie Kopelousos remains MIA from the greater MIA/FTL.

You'll recall that in the past my chief criticism of Kopelousos
http://hallandalebeachblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Stephanie%20Kopelousos has been that, regardless of whatever else her particular strong suits may prove to be in the future, as it involves South Florida, she NEVER seems to actually be anywhere.

That is, except at functions full of either schmoozing politicians, engineers or industry people.
But NEVER anywhere that citizen taxpayers can ask herquestions, and make her accountable for the FDOT policies and process that she's responsible for giving direction to.

Meanwhile, if anything happens in Jacksonville:
http://www.floridatrend.com/article.asp?aID=46992

I get the whole "de-centralized agency" mantra I'm always hearing FDOT folks spout on TV, I just want to see her actually down here once in a while, if it's not too much trouble.

I referenced this well-written Florida Trend profile of her last month here, and as I mentioned a few weeks back, I think I may've even spoken to her a few times when she was still working in Rep. Tillie Fowler's Capitol Hill office:

Profile: Stephanie Kopelousos
Hard Road Ahead for State Roads
By Cynthia Barnett
http://www.floridatrend.com/article.asp?aID=49017

To quote Transit Miami's Gabriel Lopez-Bernal in a recent email responding to some comments of mine about Kopelousos having an event in Destin, of all places, http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/26001299.html even while continuing to avoid road trips here to give South Florida's taxpayers some answers, "It is interesting that Destin's terrible congestion issues take center stage..."
Indeed!

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the news of getting people from Point A to Point B...
State contractors continue contributing to Gov. Blagojevich
http://www.ilcampaign.org/blog/2008/07/state-contractors-continue-contributing.html

Think Virginia is short on transportation money?http://hrblogs.typepad.com/the_shad_plank/2008/07/think-virginia.html

Morning Bell: Bringing Accountability Back to Transportation Funding
Posted July 29th, 2008 at 9.11am in Ongoing Priorities. http://blog.heritage.org/2008/07/29/morning-bell-bringing-accountability-back-to-transportation-funding/
________________________________________
A NEW TRANSPORTATION APPROACH FOR AMERICA
Featuring MARY E. PETERS
Secretary of Transportation
U.S. Department of Transportation
August 1, 2008 12-1:30 p.m. Hilton Miami Downtown

I. Welcome and Opening Remarks
Humberto P. Alonso, Jr.
Chair, Greater Miami Chamber Transportation & Infrastructure Committee
Vice President, PBS&J

II. Introduction
Neisen O. Kasdin
Chair, Greater Miami Chamber New World Center Committee
Shareholder, Akerman Senterfitt

III. A New Transportation Approach in America
Mary E. Peters
Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation

IV. Q&A Session
Neisen O. Kasdin

V. Closing Remarks
Humberto P. Alonso, Jr.


Mary E. Peters was nominated by President George W. Bush on September 5, 2006, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 15th Secretary of Transportation on September 30, 2006, after spending more than two decades within the industry.

Secretary Peters brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation’s transportation chief, having spent her career working on transportation issues in the private and public sectors, including leading both federal and state transportation agencies. This hands-on experience allows her to understand and appreciate the real-life aspects of planning, building and operating transportation systems on local, regional and state levels.

As secretary of transportation, she is responsible for maintaining a safe, reliable and efficient transportation system, while leading an agency with almost 60,000 employees and a $70.3 billion budget that oversees air, maritime and surface transportation missions.

Prior to joining President Bush’s Cabinet, Peters worked in Phoenix, AZ, as the national director for transportation policy and consulting at HDR, Inc., a major engineering firm. She was responsible for building a management consulting practice and formulating public policy initiatives for the firm's transportation program.

In 2001, the President asked Peters to lead the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As FHWA Administrator from 2001 to 2005, she placed special emphasis on finding new ways to invest in road and bridge construction, including innovative public-private partnerships that help build roads faster and at less expense. She also was a strong advocate for using new technology to reduce construction time, saving taxpayer money and resulting in safer, longer-lasting roads and highways.

From 1985 to 2001, she served in the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). A fourth-generation Arizonan and an avid motorcyclist, Secretary Peters holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Phoenix and attended Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program for State and Local Government