Montgomery County commissioners’ Vice Chairwoman Leslie Richards will leave her post effective Friday, Jan. 16 to serve as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation under Gov. Tom Wolf.
“I am happy to announce Leslie Richards will run the Department of Transportation,” Wolf said in a press release on Wednesday, Jan. 14. “Leslie Richards will work with me to continue to grow and modernize our transportation system by taking advantage of our location. As a business owner, I know that a strong transportation system is necessary to move people and goods efficiently and effectively, and I look forward to working with Leslie Richards to expand our thinking and grow a 21st century, statewide transportation system.”
On Wednesday in her office, Richards said she was asked to apply for the position about a month ago by Kathleen McGinty, Wolf’s chief of staff, and she was offered the job late last week.
“I’ve dedicated my entire career since grad school to the transportation industry,” Richards said. “It’s where I’m extremely comfortable, it’s where I enjoy working and I’m extremely excited to help the commonwealth as it moves forward.”
As the head of PennDOT, Richards will oversee nearly 12,000 employees and a $7.2 billion budget. She will replace Barry Schoch, who will move to the Office of the Governor and serve as a senior advisor to Wolf on issues related to transportation and infrastructure.
“Right now I’m eagerly poring over the transition reports seeing where the priorities will be,” Richards said. “All along the entire campaign Gov.-elect Wolf stressed how important transportation and infrastructure is to him and it’s very important to me as well.
“We’re very much looking forward to moving forward, to modernize and make sure that the transportation system works for everybody here in the commonwealth.”
Richards, who has degrees from Brown University and the University of Pennsylvania, was elected to the county commissioners in 2011 along with fellow Democrat and former state Rep. Josh Shapiro and minority Republican member Bruce L. Castor Jr., who returned for a second term after being first elected in 2007. Prior to being elected to the Montgomery County commissioners, she served as a senior project manager at ACT Engineers in Trenton, N.J.
Her appointment to serve in Wolf’s cabinet garnered praise from her fellow commissioners on Wednesday.
“A great day for our county,” Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. said in an email. “Leslie knows firsthand the transportation issues facing the county and all of the Southeast. To have Leslie partnering with Sen. John Rafferty, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, fighting for us in a bipartisan way is a huge win for the people of Pennsylvania and especially for Montgomery County.”
Commissioners’ Chairman Josh Shapiro did not respond to request for comment; however, on his Facebook page said he is looking forward to working with Richards in her new role in Harrisburg.
“Congratulations to my good friend and colleague, Commissioner Leslie Richards, on being named by Gov.-elect Tom Wolf as his nominee for secretary of transportation,” Shapiro wrote. “Leslie has been a valuable partner in Montgomery County and I am excited to continue to work with her in her new role in Harrisburg.”
Richards’ last meeting with the commissioners was on Thursday, Jan. 15 morning.
Marcel Groen, the chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee, said in a statement on Wednesday the loss of Richards to the county is a gain for the commonwealth.
“I know I am speaking on behalf of everyone who has worked with Leslie, when I say we are incredibly proud of her appointment,” Groen stated in a press release. “Leslie is the ideal person to plan and carry out transportation programs in our state. She is very smart, hard-working, innovative and collaborative, and she has gained tremendous experience in transportation planning.”
Richards will be the first woman to run PennDOT.
“It’s about time,” she said. “I’m just thrilled to be in the position. The fact that I’m the first woman is even more exciting, but I’m really just eager to roll up my sleeves and be the best secretary of transportation for Gov.-elect Wolf.”
The county government isn’t the only thing Richards leaves behind as she makes her way to Harrisburg. She will also have to let go of her Political Action Committee (PAC), Plan W, which she created to get women interested in running for political positions or to encourage male candidates to appoint women to high-ranking positions within the government. Richards said she is working with an attorney to distance herself from the PAC and hand the reins over to someone else.
While she will no longer be allowed to be involved with her PAC, she will not abandon its principles, she said.
“I’m a big advocate for making sure that minorities are represented and I will be looking to diversifying PennDOT,” she said on Wednesday.
Going forward, Groen said he will work with Shapiro to find candidates to submit to President Judge William Furber Jr. Furber will ultimately decide who will take Richards’ vacant seat on the county board of commissioners.