The Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition is hosting a luncheon on Sept. 10 with former U.S. Secretary of Transportation and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. Card says he plans to speak on a variety of topics ranging from his account of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, as the White House Chief of Staff, to the state of transportation in America.
In the famous photo of President George W. Bush being informed of the terrorist attack, it is Card who is whispering in the president’s ear. “I feel it’s important to remember that day and honor those who made the sacrifice and the people who responded to mitigate this disaster that changed our life,” he said. Card said that in dealing with the crisis, he and many others didn’t realize the lasting impact the event would have, “on the economy, on the way we do business, on our infrastructure, on our privacy.” Transportation has been a focus of much of Card’s career, so he will also discuss the state’s and the country’s transportation challenges. “What Texas is experiencing in terms of growth is a laboratory for other states to watch,” he said. Financing the transit needs of the country remains a challenge Card says. “President Obama just signed the $10.8 billion highway bill,” said Card. That may keep us at a status quo for a while, but “maybe by having that in place, we can take a breath and discuss our highway trust fund policy. And have a real debate, working toward a solution and solutions to mitigate the gap in funding our highway system.” – Robert Francis, rfrancis@bizpress.net