L.A. MAYOR TALKS PORTS

MAYOR ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA

Antonio R. Villaraigosa is the 41st mayor of Los Angeles.

He was elected on May 17, 2005 and sworn in to office on July 1, 2005.

Villaraigosa is known for his exceptional skill at building broad bi-partisan coalitions and is considered one of the leading progressive voices in the country.

His mayoral platform emphasizes finding solutions to the major issues facing Los Angeles including education, transportation, public safety, economic development and ethics.

Born Antonio Villar on January 23, 1953, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of East Los Angeles, he is the oldest of four children raised by a single mother, Natalia Delgado. Villaraigosa graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School and attended UCLA, where he received a B.A. degree in history. He is a graduate of the People's College of Law.

At the age of 15, Villaraigosa began his lifelong involvement with the labor movement as a volunteer with the farm workers movement, later he served as a field representative/organizer with the United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA). He also is a past President of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Federation of Government Employees.

In 1994, Villaraigosa was elected to the California State Assembly; four years later, his colleagues elected him the first Assembly Speaker from Los Angeles in 25 years. While Speaker, Villaraigosa oversaw passage of landmark state legislation including the modernization of public schools, the toughest assault weapons ban in the country, the largest urban neighborhoods parks initiative in America, and the "Healthy Families" program that provides healthcare for over a half a million California children.

He ran for mayor of Los Angeles in 2001 and narrowly lost the election. He then was appointed a distinguished fellow at UCLA and USC, where he helped write "After Sprawl" a policy blueprint for addressing the issues facing many urban centers.

In 2003, he won the 14th District Los Angeles City Council Seat. During his tenure on the City Council, he championed many of the issues he is addressing today as Mayor and is widely credited with resolving the MTA transit strike, creating the largest passive park on the Eastside and Los Angeles, and protecting funding for the Arts.

CHRISTOPHER WARD

Christopher O. Ward is currently the (and President of the Port Authority's wholly owned entities: Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation, the Newark Legal and Communications Center Urban Renewal Corporation, and the New York and New Jersey Railroad Corporation).  He was appointed on May 22, 2008.  He previously served at the Port Authority as Chief of Planning and External Affairs, as well as Director of Port Redevelopment from 1997 to 2002.

Immediately prior to being appointed Executive Director of the Port Authority, Mr. Ward served for over two years as Managing Director of The General Contractors Association of New York, Inc. (GCA), where he directed and managed the major trade association that represents the heavy construction industry in the City of New York. 

Before joining the GCA, Mr. Ward spent a year as Chief Executive Officer of American Stevedoring, Inc., a stevedoring and port services company headquartered at the Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal with major operations at the Elizabeth Port Authority Marine Terminal.  Mr. Ward had previously worked at American Stevedoring in the 1990s.

Prior to leading American Stevedoring, Mr. Ward served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the Bloomberg Administration from 2002-2005.   Mr. Ward lead a staff of 6,500 and managed a combined capital and operating budget of over $2 billion.  During his tenure at the DEP, he oversaw the maintenance and ongoing construction of the City's water supply, distribution and wastewater system, carried out Federal Clean Water Act and Clean Air regulation, and managed all conservation programs and hazardous and asbestos material emergencies and remediation.

Prior to his service at the Port Authority, Mr. Ward spent much of his professional career in service to the City of New York in various capacities, such as Senior Vice President for Transportation and Commerce at the Economic Development Corporation, Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Telecommunications and Energy and as Director of Research at the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Mr. Ward holds a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University's Divinity School.  Mr. Ward has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

GARY LABARBERA

Gary La Barbera is President of the New York City Central Labor Council (elected June 2007), and President for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 16 and Local 282. In 1996, the General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters appointed Gary as International Trustee of Local 282, an active membership of 4,000 truck drivers throughout New York City and Long Island. In October 2000, Gary became the first elected president of Local 282 in more than a decade. Gary has subsequently run unopposed for three consecutive terms.
 
Gary became actively involved in Teamsters Local 282 in the early 1980's working as a warehouse forklift operator. He first served as a Steward and was subsequently appointed to the position of Business Agent.           
 
In addition to his role at Local 282, Gary was elected as Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Joint Council 16 in 2001, subsequently, he ran unopposed in 2005 and currently holds the position of President of Teamsters Joint Council 16, a 120,000-member organization representing thirty-four Teamster Locals.
 
Along with his responsibilities to the Teamsters, Gary also serves organized labor in several other leadership capacities. Gary was appointed by then New York State Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer to serve on his Transition Transportation Policy Advisory Committee.   Gary is a member of the Board of Directors of both the New York City Concrete Industry Board and the New York Building Congress. He is also a Vice President of the New York State AFL-CIO, Long Island Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Vice President of the New York State Building and Construction Trades Council, acting President of the Nassau-Suffolk Building and Construction Trades Council and an Executive Board member to New York City Building and Construction Trades Council.   In 2005, he was asked by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve on the Mayor's Commission on Construction Opportunity. Gary was also asked to Chair the New York City Model Code Program Labor Advisory Committee. He also serves on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Blue Ribbon Panel on Construction Excellence.
 
Gary has been a strong supporter to many distinguished charities and educational programs, including the Cardinal's Committee of the Laity, Jewish National Fund, Greater NY Council Boy Scouts of America, Nassau & Suffolk Police Conference, Angel Guardians for the Elderly and the Friends of St. Dominic's. He currently serves a member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Outreach Project, the Samaritan Foundation and American ORT.
 
Gary was born and raised on Long Island where he resides today. He was one of the first members of Local 282 to graduate from Cornell University's School of Industrial Labor Relation Labor Studies Program in 1994. Gary and his wife are the proud parents of three children; two daughters and son. His son is currently serving our country in the U.S. Marines.