The former Secretary of Transportation will join the popular AMC show Mad Men to play a moderate Republican who works across the aisle to deliver badly needed improvements to the nation’s transportation infrastructure.
Ray LaHood, former Congressman from Illinois’ 18th Congressional District and former Secretary of Transportation, will kick off a new stage in his distinguished career, as an actor, joining the final season of the popular AMC show Mad Men.
The script for the final season includes a character modeled on an archetype common in the 1960s, when the show is set, but which might be completely unfamiliar to anyone who grew up in the current political climate—the federal official capable of bipartisan agreement on transportation spending.
“With LaHood, a type of politician most consider extinct will become extant,” says Matthew Weiner, the creator of Mad Men. “Just, you know, not in real life.”
The show’s creators said LaHood was the perfect fit for the part—and even if they’d wanted to hire someone else, they weren’t sure they’d be able to find anyone who could pull off the portrayal of the archetype so thoroughly extinct, other than LaHood himself.
During a recent interview, LaHood said he hadn’t thought about the possibility of being typecast, given his unique pedigree. “There’s got to be more people out there who can play this part, right? asked LaHood. “How could there not be one other person capable of even pretending to work together to make the investments our nation needs?”
Read the full story: Ray LaHood to Guest Star on Final Season of Mad Men
Self-Driving Cars Still Can't Recognize the Difference Between a Wedding Planner and an Urban Planner
Pundits agree that planners need to prepare for self-driving cars. Self-driving cars still need to prepare for planners.
Florida Man Thought the New Comp Plan Included Zoning Changes
A Florida man is accused of not realizing an entirely separate process would be required to implement the zoning changes recommended in a recently approved comprehensive plan.
April Fool's Headlines That Didn't Make the Cut
"Who's the more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?"
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Northwest rail fans eager for Sept. 30 debut of Amtrak’s Airo fleet
Get ready for that new train smell and more seats. But they won’t go faster or run more frequently on the Cascades route in Washington and Oregon.
Brightline Florida files for bankruptcy
The transit company is over $5 billion in debt.
St. Louis Metro to test if single-car trains can reduce operating costs, maintain rider satisfaction
The pilot program will run from October to spring 2027, and begin with one single-car train operating on Metrolink’s Red and Blue lines.
Pennsylvania is building data centers in abandoned mines
Housing data centers in mines provides an alternative to destroying local forests and may spare residents from data centers’ noise and air pollution.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Thousand Oaks
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello