John Horgan: Deal’s appointment is a ray of hope

By John Horgan
San Mateo County Times
Posted: 06/27/2011 09:55:06 PM PDT

There’s a hint of hope for those who’d like to see an occasional dissenting voice on the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.

With the appointment of Burlingame City Councilman Jerry Deal to the group that governs Caltrain, at least one member of the nine-person body now has a track record of skepticism regarding the rail line’s intimate relationship with the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Caltrain has agreed to allow the planned high-speed setup to utilize the commute line’s right of way in return for infrastructure upgrades.

Until Deal’s arrival on the JPB, the entity had been dominated exclusively by appointees eager to march in virtual lock-step with high-speed rail on the Peninsula. Deal has been a critic of such one-way posture during his tenure on the Burlingame council, which is worried about the impact of the proposed line on its quiet downtown.

Deal replaces the late Omar Ahmad, a San Carlos councilman who passed away unexpectedly in May. Not all that long ago, there had been a concerted push to have Deal named to the JPB, but Ahmad got the nod instead.