David Ekern, the Virginia Department of Transportation Comissioner, has kept a lower profile than his predecessor Philip Shucet, but he seems to be a capable, even impressive, administrator in his own way. He has been thinking hard about how to maximize Virginia’s road/highway revenues in an era where revenues are stagnant and costs, especially for materials, are rising.
A VDOT employee has passed along an e-mail communication to much (or all) of the VDOT workforce in which Ekern lays out “what I believe about our future and the challenges we are facing.” In a logical and dispassionate fashion, he makes the case for focusing on the “basics” and the “have-to-haves,” such as maintenance of pavement and bridges, over desirables such as mowing and hedge trimming. Ekern also talks about targeting 18,000 to 20,000 miles of roads that bear the most traffic, and consolidating VDOT’s organizational structure.
Sounds like Ekern is the kind of guy you want on the team when you’re managing for hard times. Given the parlous condition of the economy and state finances right now, we’ll be facing hard times for a long time to come. His communication follows:
Over the last week you have likely heard Secretary of Transportation Pierce Homer say that every part of our business must be “on the table” as we face changing economic conditions. You have read in my previous correspondence that no part of VDOT “will be untouched by the actions we must take” in order to manage the huge shift in transportation funding we are experiencing.
Over the last seven days, I have had the opportunity to visit with over 500 of you from all over the state to hear your concerns, gather your ideas and listen to your questions. I will meet with more of you in the coming weeks. This helps me to develop plans to address these difficult times.
I want to share what I believe about our future and the challenges we are facing. More.