What was the inspiration that moved you ahead on these transit programs?

It was slow going at first, but once we demonstrated the feasibility of water transit in operating the Tiburon ferry and armed ourselves with studies from the Spaulding Group and others, we were able to convince the bridge board that it had a mission in life that was more than maintaining the bridge. The real specter was the state taking over the Golden Gate Bridge District and operating it as just another bridge. But, I didn’t develop the program to avoid that potential, because I genuinely felt that we could do a much better job in public transit than Greyhound, which wanted out of the business.

It took us about 12 years to acquire the vital railroad right-of-way that originally ran from the ferry terminal in Sausalito northward through Marin and Sonoma counties. It was no easy job! We didn’t want to loose that right-of-way. It’s too valuable. We did loose part of it in Sausalito and in Mill Valley, but that was before my time, and I would have bought it if I had been around. But, we still had a right-of-way in place from Corte Madera all the way to Willits. A lot of people don’t see it clearly yet, but, if they look 30 years ahead, they will thank the bridge district for buying the right-of-way. Now, we have to bring Marin and Sonoma together with us to develop light rail or some form of transit in that corridor.

What role do you see for Port Sonoma?

It would be wonderful if we could go all the way up to Healdsburg and bring the rail through Sonoma County and then go over to Port Sonoma and put a ferry terminal there. That’s a great spot, because you get to deep water right away, and, with these very quick vessels, you can move across the bay at 28 to 30 knots. You can make that commute, I’m sure, in 35 or 40 minutes, and it will be magnificent. I’ll bet that we could pick up 3,000 to 4,000 passengers a day.

Sonoma, Marin, and the Bridge District need to come together and say, "OK, we want one right here!" And get everybody to support that, because a lot of work has to be done. Then, we have to find the money for the terminal and two or three fast boats and the approach roads, but the railroad goes right through the property. It’s fantastic!

It’s a golden opportunity?

Remember, we started in 1969, that’s 32 years ago, and everybody thought we were absolutely insane to want to bring back the ferry boats. Getting the funds together for the whole transit system was a huge job. The grant funds for buses, ferrys, and terminals was about $450 million. Then, there were operating funds of about $250 million.

I would hope that we could do something very interesting at Larkspur by way of developing parking. I have espoused putting a low level parking structure there. One of the other things that we could do is to have a child-care center there so that working mothers could bring their children to the terminal, leave them there, and go on to the city and come back. I’d also like to see ferry service from Larkspur to Angel Island and from San Francisco to Angel Island. That island is a fantastic recreational opportunity that should be opened up.

What do you see for the future of transit in the North Bay?

It should be enlarged, but the bridge district has a cap on how much subsidy it can put into transit. Any expansion of transit services that requires more than about $30 million in operating subsidies will require Marin and Sonoma counties to go to their constituents for a half or a quarter cent sales tax. They have got to go back to the voters again. It just has to happen.

How do you feel about the future of the proposed regional ferry system?

They are going about it right. I think that Ron Cowan did a very good job when he chaired the initial group. There is going to be a time when the program goes to the legislature. That’s going to be a big hump that they are going to have to get over.

They need more people to come on board from the communities involved. For example, Sonoma could make a terrific impact by coming forward with a resolution, a plan, and a program, including some innovative approaches to Port Sonoma. We need input and motivation out of that group, and the same thing from Marin, which has the potential for another ferry terminal. Point San Quentin would be an excellent spot with its deep water.

Oh boy! I am enjoying my retirement.