After just under a year with Macquarie as their Washington DC director, DJ Gribbin may be headed back into government to work as General Counsel at US Department of Transportation (USDOT). The White announced it was nominating him last night.

We wrote "may be headed back" because his appointment may face jingoistic anti-privatization opposition in the US Senate which has to confirm him.

Before he went to Macquarie Gribbin was Chief Counsel at the Federal Highway Administration, a constituent agency of USDOT, when Mary Peters was Federal Highway Administrator.

Tribute to Macquarie

Gribbin says in an email: "In this new role, I will be working for my prior boss, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. This rather unexpected career change is primarily a result of Mary's ascension to the President's Cabinet."

Gribbin adds: "While I am excited to be re-joining the Bush Administration and working with the exceptional people at USDOT, I will miss my friends and colleagues here at Macquarie. Even with the limited time I spent working for Macquarie, it has been easy to see why they are so successful at what they do. They have an entrepreneurial culture that is second to none, and I'm confident they will continue to be a real leader in the US PPP market."

Gribbin left FHWA when Mary Peters stepped down in mid-2005 and with his family moved from northern Virginia to Costa Rica where he learned Spanish and did volunteer work for about six months. Prior to working for Peters he was business development director for Koch Industries in Washington DC.

Will Dems block Gribbin?

We think it is likely some in the US Senate will oppose Gribbin's confirmation, based on his work for Macquarie, and his role in pushing toll concessions. Some senators will see political gain in taking a stance against the "sell out" of "American assets". They may use Gribbin's nomination as an opportunity to tap into such sentiment by opposing his confirmation. At the least he seems likely to face tough questioning at his confirmation hearing.

Though we can't find any poll data, in Indiana there was, and apparently still is, majority opposition to the ITR concession even though the road is being well operated and modernized. In New Jersey a poll recently showed 54% opposition to 17% in favor with 29% not sure or saying 'it all depends...' The issue seems to stir deep emotions among a considerable segment of the electorate.

Having worked for one of those devilish foreign companies seeking toll concessions Gribbin is an obvious political target in Senate confirmation hearings.

Complicating any attack on Gribbin however is the fact that it is prominent Democrats at the state level who are most active in pursuing the biggest toll concessions - in Pennsylvania (Gov Ed Rendell) and New Jersey (Gov Jon Corzine). And it was a consummate Democrat politician, City of Chicago mayor Richard Daley who started the whole process two years ago with the concessioning of the Chicago Skyway to Cintra and Macquarie.

The White House announcement spells out Gribbin's name as David James Gribbin IV but he normally goes by a play on his initials "DeeJay" as his familiar first name.

TOLLROADSnews 2007-01-11