DOT engineer up for commissioner

Golden is not an out-of-state visionary come to shake the department upside down, but a 25-year Georgia DOT engineer and manager who has filled in following the ouster of former Commissioner Vance Smith last September. Golden was a surprise pick then, and appeared stunned that day.

Until then, Golden oversaw about 350 employees in a division working on road signs, traffic alert systems, roadside grass maintenance and patching up pavement, he said, far short of the 4,500 employees in the DOT’s staff. He did not hold one of the top positions such as deputy commissioner or chief engineer.

During the board's search for a commissioner over the past year, board members considered people from outside the DOT and Atlanta, and from the Legislature. But there was always a hitch: disagreement among board members or with the governor, or a candidate's desire for a contract guarantee that could not be met. In the meantime, Golden steadily soothed DOT board members and elected officials with what they called prompt service and clear communication.

Thursday afternoon, Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, could be overheard discussing Golden with a fellow senator, concerning a crosswalk he had wanted in his district for some time. "I asked Keith two weeks ago, and it's done," Mullis said.

The board's vice chairman, Johnny Floyd, echoed Beach on the referendum. If Floyd succeeds Chairman Rudy Bowen this summer, he may work most closely with Golden.

Voters across the state's 12 regions will decide July 31 whether to approve a 1 percent sales tax for each of their regions. The Atlanta region's vote alone could raise $6.1 billion for regional projects, and the DOT would be responsible for delivering all the roadwork.

"We needed to be prepared to meet that challenge," Floyd said. "We needed to do that now."

The commissioner is hired and fired at the will of the 13 board members, who are chosen by groups of state legislators. Smith and his predecessor, Gena Evans, were each ousted by the board. The governor technically has no vote, but always has an opinion, and the board is attempting to avoid political rancor over the decision.

In a statement Thursday, Gov. Nathan Deal praised Golden as "an able partner willing to work with me to get Georgians moving again."

One issue that contributed to Smith's ouster was a coastal road project that spawned a conflict between ensuring Georgia contractors get a fair shake, and ensuring that procurement rules are followed fairly without undue board interference. In that issue, Smith bucked some board members and supported the staff, saying a project where only out-of-state contractors made the finalists for bidding was fairly done and would not be reopened.

Golden couldn't say Thursday what he'd have done in Smith's place, but in general, he said, "I believe the board sets the policy" and the staff would work with them.

On another important issue for the department's future, Golden said public-private partnerships remained "a critical component" of the DOT's future plans. "There's not enough revenue," he said.