Rendell Picks Ex-CEO As Pa.'s Stimulus Watchdog

Rendell said he first met Naples during his tenure as Philadelphia mayor and knew him as one of the "movers and shakers" in the business community.

Naples, a West Point graduate who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army, also helped lobby during the 1990s to keep the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, Rendell said.

Naples said it took some persuasion from Rendell for him to take the job since he is unfamiliar with Pennsylvania state government. What helped, he said, is Rendell's agreement to form a working group of administration officials who report to Naples.

"Nothing's going to get done if it's all just Naples saying, 'Hey, let's do this,'" Naples said.

Naples is also a member of a stimulus committee appointed by Rendell that is expected to meet twice a month. The committee held its first meeting Tuesday.