Georgia DOT chief’s post becomes a hot seat | GainesvilleTimes.com

As Russell McMurry of Hall County was getting sworn in Jan. 20 as Georgia Department of Transportation’s new planning director, the revolving door that is that department’s top job swung again.

That same day, the State Transportation Board voted to promote him to a new and much more challenging job: DOT commissioner.

It marked another unusual chapter for a job that has changed hands six times in 15 years, with a sprinkling of interim commissioners in-between. In the years prior, such turnover was rare; Wayne Shackleford and Tom Moreland served in the post for 21 years between them.

Many factors play into the musical chairs, officials say. They include politics, the allure of higher pay in the private sector and just the pressures of managing a $2 billion department with more than 4,100 employees.

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