In an EyesOnObama feature a few days back, we named the top contenders for Cabinet positions in a prospective Obama Administration. Today, we’ll continue on down the list with the top prospects for the spots at the head of the tables at the Department of Energy, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Commerce.
Position: Secretary of Energy
Contender: Rep. Jerry McNerney
The Secretary of Energy has- in the past- been a political patronage position, rather than one granted based on some level of expertise. The current officeholder, Bush appointee Samuel Bodman, is a venture capitalist who has spent his entire career in the business word. His predecessor, Spencer Abraham (also a Bush appointee), was a conservative Republican Senator from Michigan who had been a lawyer prior to entering public office. And it’s not just true for Republicans. Bill Clinton’s last Energy Secretary was New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and prior to his appointment, he’d been an ambassador and Congressman. Suffice it to say that Energy Secretaries never seem to have a background in…well, energy.
But this time around, Obama may look to do something different. The Department of Energy has an operating budget of some $23 billion. And if the administration is serious about implementing a new energy policy, they’re really going to need someone who knows what he’s doing.
Enter California Rep. Jerry McNerney. Now, McNerney hasn’t been around for long. He’s one of those freshman Congressmen who swept into office in 2006, knocking six-term incumbent Republican Richard Pombo out of office in an impressive- and most of all unexpected- victory. McNerney was able to oust Pombo largely based on the Republican’s poor environmental record. In doing so, McNerney drew on his experience as a wind power engineer. He spent his career bringing power-generating turbines to his windy district east of the San Francisco Bay. He holds a PhD in mathematics, and over the course of his career, he’s created enough alternative energy to save the US 30 million barrels of oil. That’s the kind of candidate who brings “change we can believe in,” and relevant experience to boot.
Position: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Contender: Mayor Manuel Diaz
When most people think of Miami, they see palm trees and panoramas of South Beach. But locals know that Miami is a mixed bag, transitioning from wealthy tourist enclave to poverty stricken neighborhood in a matter of blocks. But Mayor Manny Diaz has done a lot to change things.
Prior to his taking office, the city of Miami was bankrupt, crime was rampant, and the city held junk bond status. But through streamlining and some creative management tactics, Diaz brought financial stability to the city, hired more police (which has already begun to have an effect on the crime rate), and earned the city an A+ bond rating. He’s also overseen the construction of massive developments that will bring affordable housing to many of the citizens struggling to keep roofs over their heads. For his efforts, he’s been awarded the “Urban Innovator of the Year” by the Manhatten Institute, and he was elected president of the American Conference of Mayors.
Urban management is the name of the game when it comes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Diaz has shown himself to be an able contender. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he endorsed Barack Obama despite the state’s leaning toward Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination. And Obama seems to be impressed with him: though it wasn’t the most-watched speech, Diaz drew considerable attention speaking on Obama’s behalf at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Position: Secretary of Commerce
Contender: Mayor Shirley Franklin
The mission of the Department of Commerce, as defined by the agency itself, is "to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce." That said, we can think of no better person to lead the department than Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta.
Franklin has put together an impressive resume since taking a seat behind the Mayor’s desk in 2002, turning a lagging urban metropolis into a booming economic haven. Her pro-growth policies have led to a resurgence of commerce in Atlanta not only for small businesses, but for big business as well. And labor has benefited, too; her efforts have brought countless thousands of jobs to Atlanta and the surrounding Georgian suburbs. In her first few years in office, she gained praise both statewide and nationally for turning around one of the country’s worst water and sewer systems to head off federal fines that were bogging down the city’s budget, which was already facing a daunting deficit.
In 2006, Franklin led a delegation of city and local officials to China, where she lobbied to secure an airline route to one of the fastest growing economies in the world for Delta Airlines- which has it’s main hub in Atlanta. She’s also proven instrumental in assisting Delta to open routes to cities in Europe, like Copenhagen and Dusseldorf. In fact, under her watch, Hartfield-Jackson International Airport has become the fastest growing airport in the United States. Her diplomatic efforts have brought hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to the city and created economic opportunity for its citizens.
Add some of her other stats like a sharp decrease in homelessness during her tenure, and there is no denying that Shirley Franklin is one of the most qualified leaders in the Democratic pool, particularly with respect to the nation’s commercial interests.
The icing on the cake is that Franklin, who earned her stripes working at City Hall during Andrew Young’s time in office, is very popular, having won her reelection bid handily in 2006. And she’s getting more popular in the Democratic sphere in particular: she received the prestigious "Profiles in Courage Award" from the John F. Kennedy Library in 2005.
Check back soon for our next three contenders…
