BART Board Picks Castro Valley Man as President

Bay City News--Retired Oakland fire battalion chief and Vietnam War veteran John McPartland of Castro Valley was elected by his fellow directors Thursday to be the new president of the BART Board of Directors.

McPartland, who was elected to the board in 2008 and is entering the final year of his term, said that among his goals are reinvesting in the transit agency's core system and its fleet of new train cars.

"We need to address the signs of aging in our system and our fleet," he said.

McPartland said he also wants to focus on BART extensions, including an extension to the Warm Springs district in the southern part of Fremont, a project that's beginning to take shape, and an extension to Livermore, a project that is developing more slowly.

In addition, he said, "As a retired combat veteran, I want to ensure that BART continues to contribute in any way possible to support our returning service members as they transition back to civilian life."

McPartland represents District 5, which includes all or part of Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, Castro Valley, Hayward, Sunol, Danville and San Ramon.

He retired from the Oakland Fire Department after 25 years as a chief officer. Before being elected to the BART board, he was a BART safety specialist for six years.

McPartland is the second former BART employee to become the board's president. He succeeds Bob Franklin, who was the first former employee to achieve that distinction when he was elected president last December. Franklin worked in BART's finance and planning departments for six years.

McPartland was elected by an 8-1 margin, with Joel Keller, who represents part of Contra Costa County, casting the lone "no" vote.

Tom Radulovich of San Francisco, who represents District 9 and was first elected to the board in November 1996, was unanimously elected to be the board's new vice president.

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