Georgia House panel OKs road planning chief

By AARON GOULD SHEININ

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If Tuesday’s hearing was any indication, Gov. Sonny Perdue’s choice to become the state’s first transportation planning director should have little trouble getting confirmed by the House Transportation Committee next week.

Todd Long, a veteran civil engineer with years of service at the Department of Transportation, encountered little in the way of opposition Tuesday at a confirmation hearing before a special transportation subcommittee. After more than three hours of questioning, the subcommittee unanimously voted to send Long’s nomination to the full committee.

“We look forward to seeing you then for more fun and frivolity,” Rep. Ed Rynders (R-Albany), subcommittee chairman, joked after the voice vote. The full committee meets Aug. 19.

Long, a Georgia Tech grad, is Perdue’s choice to lead the state’s road planning efforts, via a position created by the transportation reform bill approved this past legislative session.

That bill also gave the House transportation committee the power to approve the governor’s nomination.

If confirmed, Long will work for the governor, but have to navigate the sometimes conflicting interests of Perdue, legislative leadership and the state Department of Transportation board.

Long said Tuesday he would rely on the “checks and balances” built into the new system through a system of “engaged discussion.”

If there were spots of disagreement between Long and the subcommittee, it often focused on the split of state transportation dollars between metro Atlanta and rural parts of the state. Rep. David Lucas (D-Macon) said it appears to him rural Georgia often gets the short end of the funding stick.

“If you look at the numbers, Atlanta has not gotten all the money,” Long said. “Listen, I’m bottom line. I don’t want to create two Georgias. I want to do transportation planning for Georgia. Not for Atlanta and for rural Georgia.