Tom Warne Report, 15 December 2012
ST. PAUL, MN – This week Governor Mark Dayton announced the appointment of Charlie Zelle as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Zelle will begin work at MnDOT on January 15, succeeding Commissioner Tom Sorel, who resigned December 1st, 2012, to become the CEO of AAA Minneapolis.
“Charlie Zelle’s outstanding record of innovation in the private sector will serve Minnesota well, as we build a transportation system, which will serve our needs and support our future growth and prosperity,” said Governor Dayton. The governor said he sought an individual outside of MnDOT to bring new perspective to the agency of 5,000 employees. For more than 20 years, Zelle has served as President and CEO of Jefferson Lines, a Minneapolis-based transportation company providing travel services in 13 states across the Midwest. Jefferson Lines serves over 60 Minnesota communities and specializes in connecting rural areas to destinations throughout North America.
As CEO, Zelle expanded Jefferson Lines, restored and sustained the company’s profitability through new measures of efficiency and growth, and pioneered a national model for public rural transit. Zelle also modernized the company’s bus fleet and developed a “College Connection” program that helps students get back and forth from home and school across five different states. Once Commissioner, Zelle will play no role in managing the daily business of Jefferson Lines, though he will continue to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the company. As commissioner, Zelle will recuse himself from handling any business between MnDOT and Jefferson Lines.
MnDOT has a budget of $2.66 billion for 2013. Officials think the state’s transportation system will face a shortfall of up to $12 billion over the next two decades and the metropolitan region’s transit. The governor does not support raising the gas tax, and said he hopes Zelle can find creative ways to generate revenue and cover shortfalls.