TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie has chosen a former top aide to Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevey to be New Jersey's new transportation commissioner.

Gov. Chris Christie announces the selection of new leaders for the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) and Board of Public Utilities (BPU), including a new President of the BPU, two BPU commissioners, and a new Transportation Commissioner while at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014. Jamie Fox will serve again as New Jersey’s next Department of Transportation Commissioner and Richard Mroz will serve as the next President of the BPU.
Gov. Chris Christie announces the selection of new leaders for the state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) and Board of Public Utilities (BPU). (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)
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The Republican governor nominated Jamie Fox to the post on Thursday.

Fox was transportation commissioner and then chief of staff for McGreevey before being named deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He also served as chief of staff to former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli and worked on President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign.

His nomination requires approval of the Democrat-controlled state Senate.

If he gets the job, Fox will be a key player in dealing with transportation repairs and upgrades.

The fund for the projects is running out of money and Christie has opposed raising taxes.

A coalition of New Jersey business groups and planning advocates announced a campaign this week calling for investment in road upgrades and a new funding source for the depleted Transportation Trust Fund.

Officials say that by sometime next year, the fund, which is supported by taxes on gasoline, will not be bringing in enough money even to cover the debt for past road projects.

The ForwardNJ group says the state should be raising $2 billion a year to support infrastructure and transit repairs and upgrades, saying that that the cost of not making improvements is even greater. The group has not endorsed a specific tax hike.

The group says that improving roads would save commuters time and would also provide construction and other jobs.

State Senate President Steve Sweeney has been visiting aging bridges to make the same call.

But so far, Christie's administration has not provided a plan for future infrastructure work.

The previous transportation commissioner, James Simpson, announced in May that he was leaving office in June.

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Profiles of Jamie Fox and several appointees announced by Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday, as issued by his office:

Jamie Fox, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation

A widely recognized expert in transportation issues and New Jersey government, Mr. Fox has served as a senior public official and adviser in New Jersey politics for almost two decades, including service as the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, Chairman of the Board of NJ Transit, Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Chief of Staff to New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey and U.S. Senator Bob Torricelli.  He currently serves on the NJ Local Finance Board, a position he has held since 2004.   He is a registered Democrat.

Richard Mroz, President of the Board of Public Utilities

Mr. Mroz is a lawyer and public affairs consultant with an extensive history of public service in New Jersey.  He previously served as Chief Counsel, Special Counsel, and Authorities Unit Director under Governor Christie Todd Whitman.  He previously served as County Counsel for Camden County.  Today, Mr. Mroz serves on the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, which provides funding to member financial institutions in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.  Since 2012, he has served as a Commissioner of the Delaware River & Bay Authority (DRBA).  He is a registered Republican.

Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula, Board of Public Utilities Commissioner

Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula has served as a member of New Jersey’s General Assembly since 2002. Born in Nellore, India, Chivukula moved south to Chennai as a two-year old as his father searched for work. Mr. Chivukula immigrated to the United States in 1974, and received a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from City College of the City University of New York. Mr. Chivukula is the first Indian-American ever elected to the New Jersey legislature.  He is a former mayor and councilman of Franklin Township, Somerset County’s largest municipality.  He serves as Deputy Speaker and Chair of the Telecommunications & Utilities Committee. Mr. Chivukula is the Vice Chair of the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee and a member of the Transportation, Public Works, and Independent Authorities Committee.  He is a registered Democrat.

Joseph Fiordaliso, Board of Public Utilities Commissioner

A Newark native, Joseph Fiordaliso has served as a Commissioner of the Board of Public Utilities since 2005 and is being nominated for a third term. He is a former three- term Livingston Township councilman, Essex County Director of Planning and Economic Development, and gubernatorial Deputy Chief of Staff.  Mr. Fiordaliso received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Education from Montclair State University.  He also serves on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC) Committee on Critical Infrastructure and Committee on Electricity and is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Conference of Regulatory Utilities Commissioners (MACRUC).  He is a registered Democrat.

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