Tony Tata is resigning from his post as North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary to pursue other endeavors. Governor Pat McCrory abruptly announced the resignation this morning in a release.
Tata said he will spend more time with family and writing fiction books. In an interview set to air Wednesday night on Time Warner Cable, Tata was asked about a possible run for Congress in 2016.
"I have this saying where I will always go where I feel called to be – where I can serve the greatest need," he said. "Whether that’s DC public schools, Afghanistan, Wake County Public Schools, NCDOT; public service is in my blood."
For months, the legislature has been considering outsourcing a number of jobs in the Department of Transportation. In February, a committee proposed cutting 500 positions, while the latest Senate budget proposal seeks to remove more than 50 long-time staffers. It’s unclear what role, if any, those ongoing negotiations played in Tata’s departure.
His departure came as a surprise to many when it was announced by McCrory Tuesday morning. His exit comes as the Governor is trying to drum up support for a multi-billion dollar bond proposal to improve roads and bridges across the state.
Tata is a former Army Brigadier General and Wake County Schools Superintendent.