MacDonald backed as transportation director

OLYMPIA – Gov. Christine Gregoire announced Tuesday that she’s keeping hard-charging Doug MacDonald as the state transportation director, praising his agency’s ability to bring road projects in on time without huge cost overruns.

The governor has been assessing MacDonald and the department for months, and she kept him and key legislators guessing about his fate. His stock recently shot up when voters sustained an $8.5 billion, 16-year transportation program that includes a four-step gas tax increase of 91/2 cents a gallon. MacDonald had vigorously opposed a tax rollback initiative.

This marks Gregoire’s first use of a new law that gives the governor direct authority over the DOT, including the power to hire and fire the director. Previously, the secretary has been hired by the citizen Transportation Commission, but lawmakers decided that the agency needed to be under the direction of a governor directly accountable to the voters.

MacDonald has headed the department since April 2001. He was appointed by the commission after a nationwide search, with then-Gov. Gary Locke concurring. Before that, he was executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority for nine years.

The department, one of the largest in state government, is responsible for state highways, the state-run ferry system, rail and freight programs, and support for mass transit.

Gregoire’s announcement came in the last paragraph of a news release that mostly focused on the department’s handling of construction projects.

She said this was a “fitting moment” to announce that she’s keeping MacDonald and will send his nomination to the state Senate for confirmation hearings this winter.

“Doug and his staff at the department have been doing a good job and our entire team is looking forward to addressing the transportation challenges ahead,” she said.