Marin Sanitary Service’s Patty Garbarino Named to Golden Gate Bridge Board

Patty Garbarino, president and CEO of Marin Sanitary Service, was tapped by Marin County supervisors Tuesday to fill a seat on the Golden Gate Bridge district’s Board of Directors.

She replaces Dietrich Stroeh as Marin’s public member on the board. Stroeh, of Novato, died in May after serving on the panel since 1997. He was 80.

Garbarino, 62, of San Rafael, will serve for two years and then be subject to reappointment by supervisors. Garbarino has served as president of Marin Sanitary since 2000. The San Rafael-based refuse and recycling business has 254 employees and a fleet of 100 trucks.

“I look forward to the privilege of serving,” Garbarino said Tuesday. “It’s an absolute honor.”

Garbarino said she doesn’t have an agenda as she joins the 19-member board that, among other things, is working on major suicide barrier and seismic retrofit projects and balancing its budget by raising tolls annually.

“I’m one to listen and learn and think about issues,” she said. “I need to learn and listen to make good decisions for the citizens of Marin.”

Applications for the position were also received from: V-Anne Chernock, Stephen Doughty, Jim Elias, Dennis Fisco, James Grossi, Eric Holm, William McNicholas, Preston Romero and Sandy Stadtfeld. While the supervisors could have interviewed candidates Tuesday, they chose to appoint Garbarino based on her application.

“It’s a truly impressive group,” Supervisor Damon Connolly said of the applicants. “But I believe one applicant from the list holds a unique place of stature in the community. Patty Garbarino has shown leadership in her field.”

The bridge board represents six counties and meets once a month. The Marin contingent includes two county supervisors, Judy Arnold and Kate Sears; an elected municipal official ratified by supervisors, Councilwoman Alice Fredericks of Tiburon; and a member of the general public, which is Garbarino.

Directors are paid $50 per meeting day, up to a maximum of $5,000 in a year, with the exception of the president of the board who may be paid a maximum of $7,500 in a year. Board members also receive health care benefits from the bridge district and are reimbursed for mileage if they travel from outside of San Francisco for meetings.