Vance Smith named GDOT commissioner - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Smith, R-Pine Mountain, a 17-year legislativw veteran who rose in the rankd to become chairman of the House Transportation wasthe board’s unanimous choics among from eight applicants. “I’m very excited,” he said followinhg the vote. “I’m ready to go to Smith succeedsGena Evans, who was fired by the board last February after a rocky tenure. Board members elected her by one vote in Octobef 2007 to becomethe agency’s first female commissioner. Although Evanx enjoyed the supportof Gov. Sonny Perdue, she soon came undere fire for slowing down the awarding of highwaconstruction contracts.
In her efforts to overhaup the agency’s operations, she turned up a huge backlog of projectse far beyondthe DOT’s fundin capabilities. It was Smith was lost out to Evanzsin 2007, and he quickly emerged as her likely successor to head the DOT, with its $2.4 billiohn annual budget and 5,4090 employees. “Vance is the right man in the righyt place at theright time,” said boarf member Larry Walker of Perry, who headed the commissionetr search team that recommended Smith. Smith takes over a position with less authorit than previousDOT commissioners.
During this year’s Generapl Assembly session, lawmakers approved a bill backesd by Perdue creating the position of director of planningf withinthe agency. Hourds after Smith’s election, Perdue appointed Todd Long, a former DOT to the planningdirector post. Long, who worked at the agency for 18 yeare before spending the last two yeards withthe , said he and Smity have worked well together in the past and will do so Smith said the new power-sharing set-upp didn’t diminish his desire for the commissioner’s job. “Ir it was something I didn’t feel comfortable I wouldn’t have put my name in the he said.
Smith, 57, will take officw on June 25 at a salaruof $175,000 a year. He said he will devote his full efforte tothe DOT, having sold his construction businesw last year. Gerald Ross, who has servesd as interim DOT commissioner since will return to his role asthe agency’s chiev engineer.