Mineta Resigns, Citing ‘Time to Move On’
JACL passes an emergency resolution honoring his longtime service.
CHANDLER, Ariz.—Transpor-tation Secretary Norman Mineta, the first Asian Pacific American to serve as Cabinet secretary, announced June 23 his exit as the Bush administration’s transportation secretary — a position he held for over five years.
Mineta, 74, became the longest-serving transportation secretary since the department was formed in 1967.
“It is time for me to move on to other challenges,” Mineta said in a letter to President Bush. His resignation is effective July 7.
The news came as a shock for many JACLers amidst the flurry of convention activities. JACL Executive Director John Tateishi broke the news during the Youth Luncheon to gasps and looks of disbelief from an audience that has long counted Mineta as an icon.
The next day an emergency resolution was introduced by Alan Teruya of the Tri-Valley JACL to honor Mineta for his service and support of the JACL and the APA community.
The emergency resolution, which was unanimously passed by the national council, thanks the transportation secretary in part for his “many years of dedicated service to the nation and his lifelong support of the JACL, and wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.”
And the gratitude continues to pour in for the man who close friends call Norm. His career has been a series of firsts.
He was first to serve as a Cabinet secretary when President Clinton appointed him to the Commerce Department in 2000. He was first to serve as mayor of a major city — his native San Jose, Calif., where the airport bears his name. He was also first to chair a congressional committee, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, called Mineta a “leader remembered for the amazing legacy of public service.”
“I thank him for his mentorship, friendship and his great contribution to the Asian and Pacific Islander American community and to the people of this country,” said Honda in a statement.
“Norm Mineta has been a dedicated statesman and tremendous leader in the service of our country as a Congressman, Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Transportation,” said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.
White House press secretary Tony Snow announced Mineta’s resignation and quelled rumors of an ousting.
“He was not being pushed out,” Snow said.
Bush said Mineta — the only Democrat in his Cabinet — played a vital leadership role in
strengthening the security of seaports and airports.
“Norm worked hard to help eliminate red tape and liberalize the commercial aviation market,” Bush said in a statement. “After Hurricane Katrina, Norm and his team were able to rapidly repair and reopen the region’s major highways, airports, seaports and pipelines.’’
There had been speculation for years that Mineta was on the verge of quitting, sometimes because of his health and sometimes because of rumors about a shake-up of Bush’s Cabinet.
He is one of only three original Bush Cabinet members still serving. The others are Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.
After the Sept. 11 hijackings, Mineta oversaw the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which took over responsibility for aviation security from the airlines. He also oversaw the leasing of the Chicago Skyway and the Indiana Toll Road to foreign companies in exchange for the right to collect tolls and the passage of a six-year, $286.4 billion highway spending plan in July, after nearly two years of wrangling with Congress.
“The man knew what he was doing,’’ said Alan Pisarski, a Washington-based national transportation policy analyst.
Mineta, the son of Japanese immigrants, was sent at the age of 10 to an internment camp in Wyoming with his parents. Years later as a U.S. congressman he won passage of redress legislation.
“Norman Mineta is one America’s greatest assets,” said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii.
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