Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Two Names Surface For Commerce Chief

Two prominent business executives' names are being circulated among Washington insiders as potential nominees for Commerce secretary just a week after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- President-elect Barack Obama's first choice -- withdrew his name, citing a pending investigation into a company that has done business with his state government. Several high-tech industry officials and congressional aides say John Thompson, chairman and CEO of computer security and systems management firm Symantec, and former Time Warner chairman Richard Parsons, are two of the top contenders for the job. A spokesman for Obama's transition team declined to comment.

Thompson announced in November he would retire this spring, and a source confirmed that Thompson has been talking with Obama's transition team. Thompson was spotted on Capitol Hill last week, presumably for meetings with key lawmakers about the Commerce job and Symantec's legislative agenda under its incoming CEO, Enrique Salem, officials said. He is no stranger to Washington, having served on President Bush's National Infrastructure Advisory Committee -- a panel that focused on protecting U.S. national security and economic critical infrastructures. His name had been floated as a contender for the federal government's first-ever chief technology officer.

Parsons, who some sources said is already being vetted by the transition team, became Time Warner chairman in 2003, served as its CEO from May 2002 to December 2007 and stepped down from the board last month. Parsons serves on Obama's economic advisory panel but is also on Citigroup's board. He is said to be a leading candidate to become chairman of the embattled financial giant -- a factor that could impact his Commerce candidacy. Earlier in his career, Parsons worked as counsel for New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and followed him to Washington when he became vice president. He also worked as a senior White House aide under former President Gerald Ford.