ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Wes Moore announced Paul Wiedefeld as his appointment for Transportation Secretary.
"In short, Paul is the transportation secretary that we need in this moment and I am thrilled that he said yes," said Governor Moore.
Wiedefeld is from Baltimore and spent the better part of the last two decades leading the D.C. metro system and the Maryland Aviation Administration along with working as an administrator for MTA.
He comes with a focus on mass transit, something Moore has mentioned improving multiple times.
Wiedefeld laid out his goals during the press conference.
"That is to be a department of transportation that works in partnership and with transparency with the communities we serve," said Wiedefeld.
On Friday, Moore announced $500 million in his first budget will go to transportation.
When asked what the number one priority was, the governor didn't give an exact answer.
"The priority is as a state we are going to get busy," said Moore.
He listed a number of projects including the abandoned red line project in Baltimore, the purple line in Washington, and the Baltimore and Potomac tunnel.
"So there are a collection of things we have to move on and get done, but they are going to have to move with a sense of coordination and a sense of partnership and that's what we promise to the people of the state," said Moore.
Wiedefeld will have to be confirmed by the senate in the coming weeks.
There will undoubtedly be questions about his time with the D.C. metro system when he resigned following a safety issue.
Governor Moore says they're confident in the vetting process and that Wiedefeld will be confirmed.
