I was interested to read that Bermuda had hired a DC lobbyist (and that's what he is, Ms. Cox's over the top protests should have confirmed as much, as does Mr. Slater's own website bio header of "Public Policy and Lobbying, Homeland Security, Defense, and Technology Transfer") to represent Bermuda on areas such as 'taxation and security'.
I'm not opposed to increasing our presence in Washington, in fact I'm all for it, even if it entails using that quintessentially American creepy crawly creature known as a lobbyist, where a whole industry has been created around who you know.
But speaking of who you know, I'm a little confused. Why did we hire someone to represent us on 'taxation and security', whose impressive credentials are singularly focused on transportation?
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater helps clients integrate their interests in the overall vision for the transportation system of the 21st Century—a vision he set as transportation secretary to promote a safer, more efficient, environmentally sound and sustainable worldwide transportation infrastructure. Mr. Slater also helps state and local government clients address the vexing challenge of closing the gap between transportation demand and capacity by employing public/private strategies and innovative financing solutions. Mr. Slater's practice focuses on many of the policy and transportation objectives that were set under his leadership, including aviation competition and congestion mitigation, maritime initiatives, high-speed rail corridor development, and overall transportation safety and funding. He continues to embrace the framework he established as secretary for making transportation decisions that called for more open, collaborative and flexible decision making across the transportation enterprise here and abroad.
Call me cynical, but could it be that Mr. Slater's appointment is as much about his DC contacts as it is about his credentials as a a Howard Graduate - as is Dr. Brown. A little googling turns up a meeting between Dr. Brown and Mr. Slater in October 2000 in their respective capacities as Transport Minister and Secretary of Transportation.
The Premier and Mr. Slater are not strangers to each other.
And while we're on the topic, here's another Howard connection for you: The foreign event organiser of Dr. Brown's Presidential Inauguration, er I mean Premier's Gala Weekend, is the wife of the Vice-President of University Advancement at Howard University (aka Fundraising), Mr. Virgil Ecton.
Posted by Christian S. Dunleavy