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?”
FULL STORY: Ray LaHood to Guest Star on Final Season of Mad Men
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
New York’s Deadliest Neighborhoods for Pedestrians
Pedestrian deaths rose last year, but remain below pre-2020 levels.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.