1998'S CHANGES RESONATED IN REGION.

Byline: James Bemis Commentary

The great Charles Dickens pegged it just right: ``There's romance enough at home,'' his Mr. Pickwick says, ``without going half a mile for it.''

Adventure, passion, suspense, sorrow; we had them all right here during the past year. Here's my picks for Ventura County's best and worst of 1998:

Best illustration of an idea whose time has come: The county's slow-growth movement came into its own this year, led by activists Richard Francis and Steve Bennett and Thousand Oaks Councilwomen Elois Zeanah and Linda Parks.

The stunning countywide success of the SOAR initiatives demonstrated growth limitation's political appeal across all parties, age groups and sexes. As it does in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, this issue will likely dominate local politics for years to come.

Best farewell tour: No one had a classier send-off than Greg Stratton, ending his long tenure as Simi Valley's mayor and city councilman. No bitterness, no regrets, no tears, just many heartfelt thanks from the city's various constituencies for a job well done. Rarely does a politician end a lengthy career with so many friends and so few enemies.

Best argument for democracy: Despite a last-minute negative advertising blitz paid for by the teachers unions, Norm Walker was the leading vote-getter for his second straight Simi Unified School Board election.

Worst argument for democracy: Judy Lazar, Thousand Oaks' smart, dedicated city councilwoman, lost her seat by fewer than 300 votes. Her loss gave rise to a tearful farewell at City Hall, where a who's who of the city's establishment lined up to heap praise on her.

Best case of justice applied: The sensational dual murder trials of Michael Dally and Diana Haun concluded this year, with the two lovers convicted of killing Dally's wife, Sherri, mother of his two children.

Perhaps the most publicized case in county history, the trials were memorable not only for the crime's brutality but also for revealing a hidden, creepy underside of life here that many would rather not know existed.

Worst case of justice denied: Dan Flynn was the victim of a bitter political battle on the Simi school district board early this year. Despite receiving favorable ratings by board members weeks before, Flynn was unceremoniously dumped on a 3-1 vote when trustee Janice DiFatta inexplicably changed her view of him.

Whatever else can be said, Flynn was a fresh face in a hidebound district

controlled by an entrenched bureaucracy who was never really given a chance to show what he could do.

Best example of living up to hype: The much ballyhooed El Nino turned out to be every bit as powerful as advertised, setting rainfall records and causing devastation throughout the county.

Worst fall from grace: Superior Court Judge Robert Bradley's battle with alcohol ended a long and distinguished judicial career. Six arrests, two drunk-driving convictions and a six-month jail term left Bradley's professional reputation in tatters. His explanation: Horrors experienced in Vietnam drove him to drink.

Best local trend: Despite our continuing cultural decline nationally, Ventura County's performing arts scene thrives. On any given weekend, residents can enjoy local productions featuring the works of Shakespeare, Dickens or Gilbert and Sullivan; hear Mozart, Bach, or Rodgers and Hammerstein; listen to poetry readings; attend book signings; or view art or photography exhibits, all without leaving the county.

Worst local trend: Virtually every city in the county now has those wretched mega-movie complexes where you shell out big bucks to watch dumb movies on a screen barely bigger than your TV set, sitting in all the comfort of a World War I foxhole. Yeech. (For a better alternative, see best local trend above.)

``Auf wiedersehen'' awards go to Assemblyman Nao Takasugi, R-Camarillo; Simi Valley Councilwoman Sandi Webb; Thousand Oaks Councilwoman Elois Zeanah; Moorpark Councilman Bernardo Perez; and Conejo Valley school board members Elaine McKearn, Mildred Lynch and Dick Newman, each ending long years of public service.

In all, it was an exciting, eventful year in Ventura County. However, as Alfred, Lord Tennyson advised, now it's time to ``Ring out the old, ring in the new, . . . ring out the false, ring in the true.'' I don't know about you, but that sounds like awfully good New Year's advice to me.