Anthony Foxx says safety regs shouldn’t be feared in making way for innovation

We’re chatting with former Cabinet members, chiefs of staff and government leaders from now to Jan. 20 to get a sense of what the incoming administration might face as it takes the reins.

Today we’re talking to Anthony Foxx, who served as Transportation secretary during the Obama administration and before that was mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. These days, he’s thinking about leadership in his role as co-director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership. He’s continued to advise Transportation folks and recently met with current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

The following interview is edited for length and clarity.

What advice do you have for the next Cabinet secretary?

Get to know the place and especially the people. There is a lot of important institutional memory in the agency, especially in the realm of safety. You may not always agree with their recommendations, but the input always proved helpful.

What’s one thing you didn’t know that you wish you did before you got into the job?

The Office Information and Regulatory Affairs can refuse to accept well-constructed rules if they so choose, creating the perception that the Department of Transportation is not moving fast enough to adopt safety rules.

What do you see as the biggest obstacle facing the next department?

The perception that safety regulations stand in the way of innovation. In emergent transportation technologies, such as driverless cars and drones, the Department of Transportation has the opportunity to provide clarity and certainty, which can enable innovation to be integrated into the transportation system safely.

Where did you go to have a meltdown?

There is no place to hide. Just remember how much you and your own family depend on a safe, efficient transportation system and treat your task with the same level of care and concern each day.

Want more? Another former Transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, says he found serenity in Peoria.