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photo NANCY PIERCE
Charlotte Mayor Anthony was nominated today to be the next U.S. transportation secretary.
- Staff Triangle Business Journal
President Barack Obama today nominated Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Foxx and current Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined the president for the announcement this afternoon from the East Room of the White House.
Introducing Foxx as "my friend," Obama noted that Tuesday is the Charlotte mayor's birthday.
"Thank you, Mr. President," Foxx, who turns 42 tomorrow, said at the press conference. "I am humbled and honored to be your nominee for secretary of transportation."
Foxx's appointment will require confirmation from Congress.
Speculation had been building in recent weeks around the possibility of Foxx, a Democrat, would be named to the post, especially since he said earlier this month that he will not seek a third term as mayor. News reports Sunday indicated that Obama would make the formal nomination today.
Foxx is no stranger to Washington, D.C., and he knows the president well. He made several trips to the White House before and after Charlotte landed the 2012 Democratic National Convention. Early in his career, Foxx worked on the staff of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee and in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
"There is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican road, bridge, port, airfield or road system, " Foxx said at today's announcement. "We must work together across party lines to enhance this nation's infrastructure."
