Mead to step down as DOT inspector general

Mead to step down as DOT inspector general    Kenneth M. Mead will step down as the country’s longest serving U.S. Transportation Department inspector general, effective Feb. 11.
   Mead announced his resignation in a letter Monday to President Bush. He has held the DOT inspector general post since 1997.
   In his letter, Mead praised Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta for his leadership. “From several standpoints, the last five years in particular have been tumultuous ones for transportation, and I believe our country was most fortunate to have Secretary Mineta at the helm, especially on 9/11 and the period thereafter,” he said.
   DOT’s Deputy Inspector General Todd J. Zinser will serve as acting inspector general until a successor is appointed.