ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan will be elected as the chairman of the National Governors Association Friday, spearheading the group's campaign to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
Hogan will be elected during the NGA’s summer meeting in Salt Lake City. During his acceptance of the position, Hogan will deliver remarks about the yearlong, “push for the repair, enhancement, and modernization of the nation’s aging infrastructure,” Hogan’s office said in a statement. He is the first Maryland governor to chair the organization since Parris Glendening did in 2000.
Called “Foundation for Success,” Hogan will help the NGA push for state-led projects to address 21st century needs, “a task made more urgent by the lack of federal action,” the statement said. The infrastructure initiative is built on the four pillars of relieving congestion to boost economic competitiveness, eliminating bureaucracy and utilizing more smart technology, protecting critical pieces of infrastructure through a lens of security, and leveraging public-private partnerships to fund such projects.
“In states throughout the nation, governors are upgrading roads, bridges, trains, and mass transit, improving airports and ports, fixing aging water systems, and providing high-speed internet access,” said Governor Hogan. “As NGA chairman, I intend to highlight the work of our governors and drive action from our leaders in Washington on an issue that is so fundamental to our economy and our quality of life.”
Infrastructure has been a priority of Hogan’s tenure in Maryland, where he has invested billions in road and bridge projects, as well as increased funds for mass transit priorities of the Maryland Transit Administration, though many critics feel that public transit investment is still wanting as considerably more money goes towards road widening projects. Many economists and vicil engineers criticize the reasoning behind such investment, as more road lanes often provide temporary relief to drivers before additional cars take advantage of the lane space, resulting in the new, larger roads filling with traffic.
Hogan did approve one large transit project in Maryland. In 2017, ground was broken on the Purple Line light rail project that connects Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties with the larger Washington, D.C. transit system.
Hogan previously served as the vice chair in 2018 under then Chairman Steve Bullock, the governor of Montana and current Democratic presidential candidate.
