Various items have been sealed for seventy-five years from the date of the document for privacy and/or security concerns.
There are no restrictions.
Records of the Secretary of Transportation, 1986-2006 (bulk 2002-2005). Accession 42404, State government records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.
Transferred from the Secretary of Transportation on 12 January 2006.
In 1970, the Governor's Management Commission Study recommended the creation of six "Deputy Governors" to assist the Chief Executive in his managerial duties. Compatible functions of government were grouped under these administrative heads, who would serve as the Governors top management team or "secretariats," as they are called now.
Governor Linwood Holton's top priority for the 1972 session of the General Assembly was a proposal for a Governor's Cabinet, reorganizing state agencies into six major departments--each headed by a secretary appointed by the governor. Transportation and public safety was one of these six departments. The office of Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was created on April 8, 1972, by an act passed by the General Assembly. Governor Holton appointed Wayne A. Whitham, a member of the Winchester City Council, as the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. When Whitham took office on July 1, 1972, he was responsible for State Highway Commission, Division of Motor Vehicles, Department of State Police, Highway Safety Division, Office of Emergency Services, Department of Military Affairs, Virginia State Crime Commission and the Law Enforcement Officers Training Standards Commission. The Office has undergone a series of administrative reorganizations since. On April 12, 1976, the Legislature established separate secretariats for transportation and for public safety, effective July 1, 1976. On July 1, 1984, the offices were again combined. Most recently, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was divided into separate secretariats on February 22, 1990. The Secretary of Transportation is a member of the Governor's Cabinet, and is appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly. The Secretary is responsible to the governor for the Department of Transportation, Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Department of Aviation, Department of Motor Vehicles, Virginia Port Authority and the Motor Vehicle Dealers Board.
Wayne A. Whitham, the first Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety, was reappointed by Governor-elect Miles E. Godwin, Jr., in December 1973 and by Governor-elect John N. Dalton in December 1977. Whitham suffered a heart attack in August 1978 and resigned in December 1978. On June 7, 1984, Whitham died in Richmond, Virginia. Governor Dalton named George M. Walters, a former top executive of the Reynolds Metals Corporation, to succeed Whitham as Secretary of Transportation. Walters served until the end of Dalton's term in January 1982. Governor-elect Charles S. Robb, the first Democrat to be elected governor since 1965, did not retain any of Dalton's cabinet secretaries. Robb appointed Andrew B. Fogarty, Dalton's assistant secretary for financial policy, as Secretary of Transportation. On July 1, 1984, the secretariats of transportation and public safety were combined again. As a result this partial reorganization of state government, Governor Robb appointed Fogarty Secretary of Administration and Franklin E. White, Secretary of Public Safety, assumed Fogarty's Transportation duties. White, who served as a White House liaison official under President Jimmy Carter, resigned in June 1985 to become the New York state commissioner of transportation. He was replaced by Andrew Fogarty who served until the end of the Robb administration. He later served as Governor Gerald L. Baliles chief of staff from August 1986 to October 1989 when he resigned to become a vice president with CSX Corporation.
In December 1985, Governor-elect Gerald L. Baliles, picked Vivian E. Watts, a northern Virginia legislator, as Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety. Watts served until the end of Baliles' term in 1990. In 1995 she was elected to her old seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. On February 22, 1990, the Secretary of Transportation and Public Safety was divided into separate secretariats. Governor L. Douglas Wilder, appointed John G. Milliken, a member of the Arlington County Board of Supervisors, as the Secretary of Transportation. Milliken resigned on December 17, 1993.
In February 1994 Governor George Allen, the first Republican elected governor since 1977, appointed Robert Martinez as Secretary of Transportation. Martinez was born in Cuba and had served as Deputy Administrator for the Marine Administration and Associate Deputy Secretary of Transportation during President George H. W. Bush's administration. At the end of Governor Allen's term in January 1998, Martinez joined the Norfolk Southern Corporation. Shirley Ybarra, deputy Secretary of Transportation in the Allen administration, was named Martinez's successor by Governor-elect James Gilmore. Ybarra previously worked as a special assistant to Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole during President Ronald Reagan's administration. Ybarra served until the end of Gilmore's administration in January 2002. Whittington W. Clement, a former lawyer and long-time member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the City of Danville, was appointed Secretary of Transportation by Governor Mark R. Warner in 2002. Pierce R. Homer, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, replaced Clement in 2005.
The Secretary of Transportation records consist of ninety archival boxes and are divided into six series. Series have been designated for Appointment Calendars, Constituent Correspondence, Historically Significant Projects & Files, Previous Administrations, Projects & Studies, and Public Relations, Activities, & Visits. These records document the work of the Secretary of Transportation under Governor Mark R Warner. The bulk of the records can be found in the Constituent Correspondence series which includes letters sent to Governor Mark R. Warner and the Secretary of Transportation. Also significant is the Projects & Studies series which contains information related to Aviation, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Rail & Public Transportation, Highways, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Port Authority. The Previous Administrations series also contains noteworthy information related to the work of the Secretary of Transportation, particularly Governor George Allen's Commission on the Future of Transportation and Governor Gerald Baliles's Governor's Commission of Transportation in the 21st Century.
This collection is arranged into the following series:
The Appointment Calendars series is housed in five archival boxes and is arranged in chronological order. This series consists of appointment calendars belonging to Whittington W. Clement, Secretary of Transportation, and later Pierce R. Homer. The calendars detail meetings and itinerary for conferences, symposiums, receptions, and various appointments. The calendars include speaking engagements, invitations, correspondence, electronic mail, names of contacts, phone numbers, memos, directions, and agendas. Most of the electronic mail was sent to Katherine Tracy, and later Kerry Lugar, Assistant/Scheduler for the Secretary of Transportation.
The Constituent Correspondence series is housed in sixty-eight archival boxes and is arranged in four subseries. Subseries have been designated for Governor's Office Correspondence, Secretary's Correspondence, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests, and Trade Associations Correspondence. This series documents correspondence received by the Secretary of Transportation during Governor Mark Warner's administration.
This subseries is housed in forty archival boxes and is arranged in chronological order. The subseries contains correspondence from various constituents to Governor Mark W. Warner, along with a copy of Whittington W. Clement's, and later Pierce R. Homer's, letter in response, and a page from the people summary database which includes the name, address, and phone number of the correspondent. Each letter in this series contains a unique tracking number assigned by the Governor's Office Constituent Services. The correspondence in this series relates to the following topics: Department of Motor Vehicles, roads & highways, the Virginia Department of Transportation, personal property tax, Interstate 73, legislation, traffic, mass transit, signage, HOV restrictions, Route 288, Amtrak, gas tax, Route 29 Bypass, driver's licensing, Barrett's Bridge Ferry, emissions testing in Northern Virginia (House Bill 570), sales tax referendum to fund transportation projects in Northern Virginia & Hampton Roads (Senate Bill 668), the Aviation World's Fair in Newport News, Route 37 eastern extension, the Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT), Interstate 81, license plates, the "Techway" Bridge over the Potomac River, Route 28 Project, Capital Beltway, drivers' license suspensions, the Virginia Railway Express (VRE), moving violations, tolls, DMV closures, budget cuts, rest areas, snow removal, the Freeway Incident Response Team (FIRT), potholes, drunk driving, Route 17, Route 66, the Tri-County Parkway Study & Manassas Battlefield Bypass Study, speed limits, EZ Pass/Smart Tag, hybrid cars, Hurricane Isabel, Metro service, Senate Bill 204, child endangerment laws, Steel Plates Bill (House Bill 408), Western Corridor (WTC) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Funding, Integrated Directional Signing Program (IDSP), open container law, Clarkton Bridge, the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, red light cameras, gas prices, Hurricane Katrina, and the Dulles Toll Road.
Noteworthy correspondents include Senator John Warner, Senator George Allen, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta. Mineta writes regarding the Transportation Infrastructure Streamlining Task Force (2002 Oct. - 2058030), grants to state to encourage safety belt use (2003 March - 2126423), incentive grant awards to states with .08 blood alcohol concentration (BAC) laws (2003 Sept. - 2208165), and Executive Order 13274: Environmental Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews (2003 Nov. - 2232274).
This subseries is housed in twenty-six archival boxes and is arranged in chronological order. The subseries contains correspondence from various constituents directly to Whittington W. Clement, and later Pierce R. Homer, as Secretary of Transportation. In addition, there is correspondence sent to Shirley J. Ybarra, Secretary of Transportation, between October and December 2001. The correspondence usually includes a copy of the Secretary of Transportation's letter in response. The correspondence in this series relates to the following topics: the Outer Connector - Northwest Quadrant, Interstate 81, the Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail, Interstate 73, Route 29 Charlottesville Bypass, the "Techway" Bridge, Route 37 eastern Extension, Route 340, National Capital Region, the Northern Virginia sales referendum, Route 221, traffic signal timing & synchronization, Aviation World's Fair, the Public-Private Transportation Act, the Dulles Rail Public-Private Transportation Act Advisory Panel, Special Task Force on Truck Safety, Humelsine Parkway, Department of Motor Vehicles, Western Transportation Corridor, Highway Marker Program, Amtrak, drunk driving, Six-Year Improvement Program, HOV lanes, Hurricane Isabel, Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB), Federal Surface Transportation Program, Virginia Capital Trail, Highway Sign Program, Roadside Management Program, VTRANS 2005, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, Dulles Toll Road, red light enforcement, Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, high occupancy toll lanes on I-395/95 Corridor, and the Tri-County Parkway.
This subseries is housed in one archival box and is arranged in chronological order. The subseries contains correspondence to the Secretary of Transportation by various constituents requesting information in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act of Virginia. The majority of requests originate from Robert G. Marshall, delegate from the 13th District, and relate to construction projects listed in the Northern Virginia Sales Tax Referendum.
This subseries is housed in one archival box and is arranged in chronological order. The subseries contains correspondence to the Secretary of Transportation by various constituents requesting information in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act of Virginia. The majority of requests originate from Robert G. Marshall, delegate from the 13th District, and relate to construction projects listed in the Northern Virginia Sales Tax Referendum.
The Historically Significant Projects & Files series is housed in one archival box and is arranged in alphabetical order. This series contains transportation files deemed historically significant. Includes are files related to Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP), Department of Conservation Resources - Lake Merriweather, presentations, Statewide Agencies Radio System program (STARS), Small, Women-Owed, & Minority-Owned Businesses (SWAM), and Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) Transition Plans.
The Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP) file contains plans for the Port of Virginia and Virginia International Terminals to protect & preserve the continuing operations of the Port's activities and its economic benefit to the Commonwealth. The files also contain memorandums and certificates regarding the implementation of COOPs for disaster recovery, incident response, and occupant emergency response. Note that the actual COOP plans are restricted. Next, the Department of Conservation Resources - Lake Merriweather file contains correspondence from Joseph H. Maroon, Director of the Department of Conservation Resources, to Col. Yvonne J. Prettyman-Beck, District Engineer, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, enclosing a draft of the project cooperation agreement between the Department of the Army and the Commonwealth of Virginia. The project relates to the repair & upgrade of the dam & appurtenant feature at Lake Merriweather. This series also contains various presentations by Secretary Whitt Clement on the Commission on the Revision of Virginia's Tax Code Transportation Subcommittee, Mark Warner's Reform Agenda Reforming VDOT, the Governor's Introduced FY 05-06 Budget & 2004 General Assembly Issues, the Report of the Secretary of Transportation Accomplishments & Initiatives, Governor Mark Warner Transportation Partnership Act to the 2005 General Assembly, Innovative Project Delivery in Virginia by the House Transportation Committee Special Subcommittee, and the Secretary of Transportation Update 2005 Transportation Initiatives by the Senate Finance Subcommittee. In addition, the series includes memorandums, correspondence, and reports regarding the Statewide Agencies Radio System program (STARS) to provide multi-channel trunked digital voice & data wireless communications that is specifically designed for public safety requirements. The Small, Women-Owned, & Minority-Owned Businesses (SWAM) file contains memorandums, reports, etc., related to the Department of Rail & Public Transportation's participation in procurement with small, women, & minority-owed firms, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles Small Business & Minority & Women-Owned Business Development Program, the Virginia Department of Transportation Supplier Diversity Program for Small, Women-Owned & Minority Businesses in response to Executive Order 29, and the Virginia Department of Aviation Small, Women-Owned, & Minority-Owned Businesses Participation Program. Lastly, the series includes the transition plans of the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA).
The Previous Administrations series is housed in ten archival boxes and is arranged in alphabetical order. This series contains files belonging to Secretaries of Transportation during the Gilmore, Allen, Wilder, & Baliles administrations. These files were kept by the Warner administration as reference for ongoing projects, most notably, the Commission on the Future of Transportation, the Governor's Commission of Transportation in the 21st Century, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA), and the Public-Private Transportation Act Initiative (PPTA).
The Commission on the Future of Transportation files include reports, clippings, correspondence, meeting notes, speeches, memorandums, remarks, meeting agenda, and other items related to the formation of the Commission on the Future of Transportation in Virginia in 1996. Most of the files relate to the work of Robert E. Martinez, Secretary of Transportation under Governor George Allen. The Commission on the Future of Transportation was created by an act of the General Assembly in 1996 (HJR 160 & SJR 110). The Commission was composed of twenty-five members to review the findings & recommendations of recent studies, identify major transportation needs, determine additional revenue that would be needed to finance transportation needs, and propose the means for raising & allocating such revenue.
The Governor's Commission on Transportation in the 21st Century files contain public hearings, statements, correspondence, reports, and other items related to Phase II of Governor Gerald L. Baliles' Commission of Transportation in the 21st Century between 1986 and 1987. Phase II of the Commission focused on the role that local governments in Virginia might play in financing & controlling transportation networks.
The Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) files include correspondence, statements, amendments, hearings, memorandums, clipping, and other items regarding the Washington National Airport Perimeter Rule (S 288) and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986 Amendment (HR 1036). The MWAA was created to achieve regional control and to finance the needed improvements to facilities at Washington National & Dulles Airports. The correspondence in these files originates from Governor George Allen; Bud Shuster & Frank R. Wolf, House of Representatives; Robert E. Martinez, Secretary of Transportation; Shirley J. Ybarra, Deputy Director of Transportation; Larry Pressler, Chairman of the MWAA; and John W. Warner, Senate.
Lastly, the Public-Private Transportation Act Initiative (PPTA) contains memorandums, presentations, proposals, agenda, correspondence, and other items regarding the Public-Private Transportation Advisory Panel's evaluation of Route 288. proposals by Tri-County Developers, FD/MK, LLC, and Virginia Transportation Constructors, LLC.
The Projects & Studies series is housed in eight archival boxes and is arranged in seven subseries. Subseries have been designated for Aviation, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), the Department of Rail & Public Transportation (DRPT), Highways, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Virginia Port Authority (VPA). This series represents special projects and studies adopt by the Secretary of Transportation during the administration of Governor Warner. The majority of materials can be found in the Virginia Department of Transportation subseries.
The Aviation subseries is housed in one archival box and is arranged in alphabetical order. This subseries contains correspondence, memorandums, agency hiring requests, and other records related to the Department of Aviation and the Aviation World's Fair of 2003 at the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport.
The Department of Motor Vehicles subseries is housed in two archival boxes and is arranged in alphabetical order. This subseries contains memorandums, correspondence, legislation, decision briefs, agency hiring requests, and other items concerning the DUI Task Force, Fuel Tax Program, Hurricane Isabel, and other subjects.
The Department of Rail & Public Transportation subseries is housed in one archival box and is arranged in alphabetical order. This subseries contains correspondence, memorandums, reports, and other items mainly related to the Dulles Rail Corridor and the Governor's Commission for Rail Enhancement in the 21st Century.
The Highways subseries is housed in one archival box and is arranged in alphabetical order. This subseries includes correspondence, minutes, reports, and presentations regarding Interstate 81 and Routes 25, 29, and 58.
The Virginia Department of Transportation subseries is housed in four archival boxes and is arranged in alphabetical order. This subseries contains correspondence, agency hiring requests, and presentations. Some of the issues in this subseries include Amber Alerts, the Clarkton Bridge, the Joint Legislative Review & Audit Commission, the Report on the Alleged Discriminatory Practices in VDOT's Hampton Roads District, and VTrans2025.
The Public Relations, Activities, & Visits series is housed in one archival box and is arranged in alphabetical order. The series contains speeches, articles, presentations, and photographs related to public relations' activities of Whittington Clement as Secretary of Transportation.
This series mostly contains drafts of speeches or public comments made by Secretary Clement at various public appearances such as the Hampton Roads Maritime Association Meeting, the Ninth Annual Intelligent Transportation Society of Virginia Conference & Exhibition Dinner, the Annual BikeWalk Virginia Conference, and the VTA Annual Meeting. Also included in this series are articles written by Whittington Clement for the "Commentary II" section of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Clement writes concerning various transportation issues including VDOT, public transit, DMV, and the Virginia Capital Trail. Lastly, this series contains publicity photographs of Whittington Clement & Governor Warner. Included are photographs from the Virginia Transit Association Meeting in 2002 and the Virginia Travel & Governor's Tourism Conference of 2004.