Flynn Takes Issue Over Transit Nominee

Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn said Friday he would question the nomination of a former public works director as the citizens’ representative on the county Transportation Commission.

Art Goulet, who for 22 years oversaw the county’s road and building projects, was nominated by Supervisors Frank Schillo and Judy Mikels, but Flynn said Friday he planned to question their choice at the board’s meeting Tuesday.

“I think we ought to discuss it,” Flynn said. “He just retired, and he was a part of the government for a long time.”

Flynn said he would favor someone from the private sector for the opening on the eight-member commission, which oversees all transit in the county and sets priorities for transportation improvements.

Flynn also wondered whether Goulet’s years of advocacy for road-building would put him at odds with the commission’s executive director, Ginger Gherardi, who advocates more spending on public transportation.

“Maybe he’s changed,” Flynn said. “But we need to ask him. . . . It might be too explosive to have those two so close together.”

Goulet said Friday that he oversaw more than just road construction.

“They have forgotten that as one of my responsibilities, I administered bus transportation in the county,” he said. The fact that more money was spent on roads than buses was mandated by federal and state law, he said.

Simi Valley Mayor Bill Davis, who served for eight years on the transportation board, said Goulet’s appointment would create conflict on the commission.

“Nothing will ever get accomplished,” Davis said. “He is the absolute opposite of Gherardi.”

Davis also called Goulet, who retired in March, too biased a champion of road-building and an opponent of expanded public transportation.

“He fought every rail project that came to us,” said Davis, whose term ended Friday. “His nomination is ludicrous.”

Nancy Grasmehr, who served two terms as the board’s citizens’ representative, praised Goulet’s knowledge of transportation issues, but also questioned his priorities.

“There was always tension because he’s such a strong road advocate,” said Grasmehr, a former land-use consultant and past forewoman of the county’s grand jury. “I know we need roads and we need to maintain them. But we also need to get people out of their cars.”

But Schillo said Goulet is ideal for the board because of his long experience as head of the Public Works Department.

“Transportation is what he does, or what he did do,” Schillo said. “He is the center for transportation in the county.”

Mikels agreed. “Why let a good man retire?” she said.

Both said Goulet had returned to private life after he retired and now qualified as a citizen representative.

While public works director, the 63-year-old Goulet led completion of the county administration building, courthouse and jail. He also oversaw the extension of Victoria Avenue that linked Oxnard and Ventura and renovation of the Ventura County Medical Center.

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Times staff writers Tina Dirmann and Doug Adrianson contributed to this report.