Obama’s Transportation Secretary nominee Ray LaHood

Streetsblog Network blogger Hugh Bartling has a great post on the brewing turmoil surrounding President-elect Obama’s choice for Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood.  LaHood’s confirmation hearing was delayed today after the Washington Post reported that in his position on the House Appropriations Committee he steered at least $9 million dollars to campaign donors last year.

From the Washington Post article:

The former Republican congressman chosen by President-elect Barack Obama
to direct billions in federal highway spending has been an unapologetic
advocate of earmarks, a practice Obama now opposes, and has used his
influence to win funding for projects pushed by some of his largest
campaign contributors.

Bartling follows the money to William Cellini, the head of the
Illinois Asphault Paving Association, who was indicted last year for extorting funds for Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Wow, Illinois politics is sordid and exciting!  All we’ve got is a lousy tit-for-tat budget crisis.

Photo: Washington Post