Contract Delayed for Transportation Chief

Members of the Ventura County Transportation Commission have delayed approving a new contract for the agency’s longtime executive director.

Following a 30-minute closed-door performance evaluation Friday, the commission opted to appoint two members of the commission to meet with Ginger Gherardi before proposing a new contract at next month’s meeting.

Commissioners Bill Smith and Michael Wooten “will meet with Ginger Gherardi and discuss various aspects of the contract she presently works under,” said John K. Flynn, the commission chairman and a Ventura County supervisor.

In a summary of the performance evaluation, commissioners credited Gherardi with being a knowledgeable director. “She does an outstanding job, and we’re all pleased with her performance,” Flynn said.

But commission members also said that Gherardi needs to improve her interpersonal skills when dealing with various public works directors and city managers throughout the county.

Commission member David M. Smith, the mayor of Camarillo, said Gherardi’s positive attributes outnumber her shortcomings 99 to 1. “I wouldn’t want that [1%] to get blown out of proportion,” Smith said.

Gherardi, who earns $94,000 a year plus benefits, has served as the commission’s executive director since the agency was formed in 1988.