• State Rep. Dom Costa

House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody has appointed state Rep. Dom Costa to the Port Authority board of directors.

Costa is a former Pittsburgh chief of police and serves as chairman of the Allegheny County legislative delegation in the House of Representatives.

“He understands better than most how the city of Pittsburgh is interconnected with the rest of Allegheny County,” Dermody said in a press release issued this afternoon. “He has been a consistent advocate for mass transit in the state budget process and he approaches his work in Harrisburg with the kind of regional perspective that will be crucial to the success of the Port Authority going forward.”

Costa is the fifth new board appointee under a new state law restructuring the board, that takes effect later this month. The board will become an 11-member entity with representatives selected by the Governor, County Executive and Democrat/GOP caucuses of the House and Senate.

Other appointments that have been made to date: Democratic Senate Leader Jay Costa appointed State. Sen. Jim Brewster; Republican Senator President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati appointed Republican businessman and politician D. Raja; and county executive Rich Fitzgerald reappointed former board members John Tague and Thomas Donatelli.

Fitzgerald, along with Gov. Tom Corbett and House Republicans has additional appointments to make by mid-September.