Darrell V. Manning is retiring as chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board.
Manning, 79, has chaired the seven-member board that oversees the Idaho Transportation Department since 2007. The chairman of the board is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the governor.
Manning submitted his resignation letter to Gov. Butch Otter on Nov. 28.
“Few people in Idaho history have had public service careers of the length, breadth, quality or impact of Gen. Manning's,” Otter said in a press release. “He is a state treasure, and one that I and generations of our citizens have appreciated and revered. I'm grateful that he's agreed to remain available to lend his advice, experience and good judgment to crafting Idaho's future.”
Otter has not named a new chairman. Manning told the governor he would be willing to stay on longer until a new chair is appointed.
Manning served as ITD’s first director in 1974 after then Gov. Cecil Andrus combined three separate agencies to form ITD.
Manning left ITD in 1985 when he was appointed adjutant general of the Idaho National Guard.
In a lifetime of public service, Manning has served six Idaho governors: John V. Evans, Phil Batt, Dirk Kempthorne, Otter and twice under Cecil Andrus.
Manning, a native of Preston, has led the State Board of Education, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Division of Financial Management, the Idaho Military Division and the Bureau of Disaster Services (now the Bureau of Homeland Security.)
He spent four terms in the Idaho House of Representatives and one in the Idaho Senate. A veteran pilot who has flown 65 different kinds of aircraft, he served six years in the Air Force, 13 years in the Air Force Reserve and 22 years in the Idaho National Guard.
ITD Director Brian W. Ness praised Manning for his years of service to the citizens of Idaho and leadership on the transportation board.
“I appreciate General Manning’s wisdom, dedication, attention to detail and incredible energy,” Ness said. “He is one of the reasons I’m here at the department. He has been a strong supporter and true mentor. The board, ITD and people of Idaho will miss his many contributions.”
