Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie is on the list of possible candidates for administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. That’s the top job at the FAA, the big enchilada.
Dubie, who is a commercial pilot and a colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, is not considered the front-running candidate, according to Aviation Week, but he’s on the list. The Washington Post mentioned the leading candidate might be Barbara Barrett, a former deputy FAA administrator under President Reagan.
Peter Freyne, over at
Inside Track, came up with the FAA connection, but I do believe he got the job wrong. He said it was the FAA’s chief operating officer Dubie was in line for. Today, Dubie’s chief of staff Martha Hanson issued a statement with Dubie referring to it as the administrator’s job. That’s also how I read the story in Aviation Week on the subject, which you can see by clicking
here.
Though we would have liked to ask Dubie if he’s planning to run for lt. gov. in 2008, he could not be reached for direct comment Wednesday. He said in his statement that he’s still focused on his work as lieutenant governor and doesn't know what may come of the FAA thing. He also said: "I am aware that my name has been under consideration, and it’s an unexpected honor just to be considered for the FAA administrator’s job at this pivotal time in the direction of our nation’s air travel system performance and infrastructure."
The Republican who lives in Essex said his chairmanship of the Aerospace States Association, his role in creating a Vermont Aerospace and Aviation Association and a column he wrote in Aviation Week in February about making an effort as a pilot to fly more fuel-efficiently raised his profile.
The FAA administrator is appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Current administrator Marion Blakey’s term expires Sept. 13. She has already landed a job as head of the Aerospace Industries Association, according to The Washington Post.
What’s Gov. Jim Douglas, a fellow Republican, think of all this? Spokesman Jason Gibbs said Dubie had informed the governor he was under consideration for the job. "We think it speaks to how well-respected Lt. Gov. Dubie is in the aviation profession," Gibbs said.
Still, Gibbs said, Douglas is counting on Dubie to run for re-election and has every expectation that he will. "The governor is looking forward to running with him in 2008," he said.
- Terri Hallenbeck
