By James Pilcher
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FAIRFIELD - The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments needs to expand its role beyond transportation planning and help the Tristate move forward as a region, a nationally known public policy expert told the group Thursday.

William H. Hudnut III, the former mayor of Indianapolis and now a senior fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Urban Land Institute, also said Greater Cincinnati has a lot going for it.

"But the secret of the game is to look at where you want to be and work backwards," said Hudnut, who spoke at OKI's annual meeting. "If you apply this kind of vision, you can create a more cohesive and competitive region with a clearer identity."

The remarks came as OKI, the region's metropolitan planning organization, completed a tumultuous year. The agency is made up of representatives from all of the region's cities, counties and other municipalities.

A dispute over a proposed Interstate 75 interchange in Butler County encapsulated a debate over where to put resources - the fast-growing and affluent suburbs or the urban core. Several OKI members have even questioned the agency's role as a regional planner.

Hudnut says such fights are unhealthy, and that the region should put aside what he called "cannibalistic" squabbles for the greater good of the region.

E-mail jpilcher@enquirer.com