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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood receives national bipartisanship award
Peoria, IL (October 22, 2009) U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray
LaHood received the inaugural National Bipartisan Leadership Award
tonight from the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service
at Bradley University.
"Secretary LaHood is most deserving of this award in recognition of his
distinguished public service career as a member of Congress and as a
member of President Obama's cabinet," said Brad McMillan, executive
director of the I.P.L., during the presentation at a dinner of the
Bradley Board of Trustees. The Institute plans to present the award each
year to a national public servant who has modeled ethical, civil, and
bipartisan leadership.
During his 14 years in Congress, Ray LaHood led efforts to establish a
higher level of civility, decorum, and bipartisanship in the House of
Representatives. He was co-founder of the biennial Congressional
Bipartisan Retreat, an event that enables representatives and their
families to become better acquainted outside of the Washington, D.C.
atmosphere.
To viewers of C-SPAN, Congressman LaHood was a recognizable figure as he
spent more hours chairing the proceedings of the House of
Representatives than any other member during his time in Congress. He
has been widely praised for his non-partisan handling of many
contentious debates, including the impeachment proceedings of
then-President Bill Clinton.
During his congressional tenure, LaHood earned a national reputation as
a member with a reasonable, common sense voice that reflects the values
of the central Illinois district that he represented. In 1999,
Congressional Quarterly named him one of Capitol Hill's 50 "Most
Effective" legislators. He was widely viewed as someone with a deep
respect for the institution of Congress and who worked across party
lines to achieve policy goals.
In Central Illinois, Congressman LaHood convened quarterly bipartisan
meetings of area state legislators to work together on projects and
issues important to the region. Notable examples of organizations that
benefited from this bipartisan collaboration are the Heartland Community
Health Care Clinic, Illinois River restoration efforts, Peoria
Riverfront Museum, and the Peoria Cancer Center.
Republican Ray LaHood was chosen by President Barack Obama to serve on
his cabinet as the 16th United States Secretary of Transportation, an
agency that has more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget.
Secretary LaHood earned a B.S. degree in education and sociology from
Bradley University in 1971 and is a former member of its Board of
Trustees.
The Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service was founded in
2006 by Bradley University and the Dirksen Congressional Center to
promote a return to statesmanship at all levels of government. The
Institute advocates for a bipartisan leadership approach to resolve
America’s most pressing problems. The Institute’s mission is to educate
collaborative, bipartisan, and ethical leaders for successful careers in
public service.