Transportation Secretary Denied License

While our supposedly environmentally-active Mayor uses 5 gallons of gasoline per day , another prominent politician has been kicked out from behind the wheel:

[Doug MacDonald] , the state's energetic highway chief with the thick Boston accent is selling his wheels, though under unfortunate circumstances.

He was recently unable to renew his license after failing the required eye exam three times.
...
Still, "I expect spending more time on transit will give me lots of ideas about what transit is doing well and what it can do better," he said.

"My parents live in Seattle, and I'm very interested in how to get from Olympia to Seattle on public transportation. I'm seeing a program which isn't as good as it should be, but we already knew that."

But it's unmistakable that he misses the view behind the wheel. People are very tied to their cars and the lifestyle they provide, he said.

"If I had a chance to get back my driving privileges or a restricted license of some kind, I'd jump right on it."

Mr. MacDonald is not as notorious for pushing the anti-car agenda as some in our local governments, but it will be interesting to see how future policy is shaped by his new perspective in being forced to use alternative transportation methods. Of course, he could just follow Mayor Nickels' lead and hire a driver to cart him around in a 17-mpg Cadillac with heated seats with built-in massage and Premium Enhanced Audio with Satellite Radio...

(Jeff Switzer, Everett Herald, 05.01.2006)
(Stefan Sharkansky, Sound Politics, 04.27.2006)