Minnesota’s governor-elect, Tim Walz, has appointed Margaret Anderson Kelliher as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT).
“As I travel across Minnesota, I hear often about the pressing need to repair our crumbling roads and bridges,” says Walz. “We must take action to ensure Minnesotans can travel safely and that businesses can compete in the 21st century economy.”
The governor-elect says Kelliher understands the importance of addressing the diversity of transportation needs across the state.
In 2008, as speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, she led a move that increased the state’s gas tax for the first time in 20 years. Walz has consistently voiced support for a new gas tax in the state.
“Margaret is a proven and dedicated leader who will build coalitions to improve our state’s transportation system,” says Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. “She has the skills, dedication, and years of knowledge to tackle our state’s most pressing transportation needs.”
“The work that we can do together; staff, stakeholders, community members and working with the legislature to ensure a sustainable transportation system for Minnesota’s future needs is exciting and will require us to build on the legacy of strong investment and create our transportation and transit system of the future,” she says in a news release.
