Former Westport First Selectwoman Diane Farrell, a Democrat who in 2007 was nominated by President Bush to the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, said today her job is secure despite the turn-over in the White House.
“My term runs through 2011. I feel very lucky. I don’t go through some of the ‘sturm und drang’ new appointees go through,” Farrell said at the end of a phone interview on other topics.
If anything Farrell, a Democrat who twice challenged Republican U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays, should enjoy the job even more since Democrat Barack Obama was sworn in as President Jan. 20.
The Democratic wave also swept Shays out of office – he was defeated by Jim Himes of Greenwich.
“I’m really, really excited to be working with the Obama White House and the bank’s mission has become more critical than ever,” said Farrell, who now splits her time between Washington D.C. and a home in Easton.
Farrell said the bank was created in response to the Great Depression and is currently working hard to support small businesses “at a time when credit has become chokingly tight.”
“We’re trying to evaluate our policies almost on a daily basis to be as responsive as possible to U.S. exporters,” Farrell said. “It’s a very intense time.”
