Nevin remains player in transportation Nevin remains player in transportation (February 16, 2005)

** SamTrans diversity policy will kick in at next vacancy.

By Marion Softky

Almanac Staff Writer

Former Supervisor Mike Nevin will continue to give clout to San Mateo County in the ongoing wars to protect transportation dollars for the county and the Bay region for the rest of this year.

The board of SamTrans, the county's bus agency, unanimously voted to protect Mr. Nevin's position as a public member of the board when it adopted a new diversity policy February 9. The policy will take effect when the next vacancy occurs.

Thus, Mr. Nevin, who has been a leader in the labyrinth of agencies that control local and regional transportation projects during his 12 years as county supervisor, will continue to serve on key regional agencies until the end of the year.

By remaining on the SamTrans board, Mr. Nevin can continue as chairman of both the three-county Joint Powers Board that runs Caltrain, and the TransBay Terminal Joint Powers Authority, which is planning a major transportation hub in San Francisco where Caltrain and future high-speed rail can connect with other Bay Area rail services.

"If he leaves the SamTrans board, he leaves the TransBay Terminal," said Supervisor Jerry Hill, the new chair of the nine-member SamTrans board. "This is the single most important position. We need a well-informed, assertive advocate."

Mr. Nevin also still represents San Mateo County on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and chairs its Bay Area Toll Authority, which is trying to keep the rebuilding of the Bay Bridge alive.

Mr. Nevin's connections with these agencies are particularly crucial to the SamTrans board in this time of fiscal challenge, Mr. Hill argued.

"Transportation is under attack by the governor," he said. "This isn't about one person. It's about a role that's crucial for transit and transportation in San Mateo County."
New policy

Meanwhile, the new policy adopted by the SamTrans board is intended to respond to the political flap that followed Mr. Nevin's appointment to the board as a public member, without public notice, and the appointment of new Supervisor Adrienne Tissier, also of Daly City, to replace him on the SamTrans board as a representative of the Board of Supervisors.

Critics and editorials all over the county charged cronyism, particularly since the appointments extended the dominance of Daly City on the SamTrans board, with four of its nine members from the county's largest city. They urged an open process to appoint new members, and more even representation from south and central, as well as north, county.

Starting with the next vacancy of a public member on its board, SamTrans will engage in a public process to recruit new public members. The new policy stresses diversity in location of residence, ethnicity, and gender. It calls for:

** Two public members from different areas of the county; the third is from the Coastside.

** A 60-day period for a public-selection process, which would include announcement of a vacancy in two newspapers, requests for applications, and interviews.

** A new restriction: No public member can have held elective office for one full year before being appointed.

Critics hailed the new policy as a step in the right direction, but asked Mr. Nevin to step down immediately.

"This is an issue of good government practice," said former Menlo Park councilman and former SamTrans board member Steve Schmidt. "I can only imagine how Mike Nevin would feel occupying a seat in violation of SamTrans policy."

Mr. Nevin, who is engaged in a fierce political race to succeed state Sen. Jackie Speier when she is termed out in 2006, promised to step down after a year. Meanwhile, he said, he hopes to keep transportation money flowing to the Bay Bridge and other regional transportation projects.

In particular, Mr. Nevin announced that the federal government has officially recognized the TransBay Terminal project. "It's a go," he said. "This will truly be a transportation hub, with CalTrain, high-speed rail, and BART. This is a special year."

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