By James Pilcher
The Cincinnati Enquirer

At a time when the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments has become a focal point for how the region should tackle its transportation problems, the agency's board Thursday hired a new director with no planning or transportation experience.

But those involved in the hiring of Mark Policinski said that his strengths as a consensus builder, leader and quick study should overcome his inexperience in transportation planning.

"Mark has extensive experience in government in Washington, and he addressed our concerns about how he would interact with elected officials on the local, state and federal levels," said Boone County Judge-executive and OKI board vice president Gary Moore, who led the selection committee. "One of the things I was looking for was someone who could elevate OKI as an organization within the region, and OKI should be able to make that step forward with Mark at the helm."

Policinski, 52, has been living in the Cincinnati area since 1987, and now resides in Montgomery. He replaces Jim Duane, who retired in September, and becomes the fourth executive director in OKI's nearly 30 years of existence.

Varied background

He's been in the private sector since 1987, having most recently served as vice president of The CoStar Group, a real estate information clearinghouse.

Prior to that, Policinski served as associate deputy secretary of commerce between 1983 and 1987.

Under the contract unanimously approved by the OKI executive committee, he will be paid $145,000 annually, along with a $525 monthly car stipend.

Policinski beat out two other finalists - John Platt, director of New York state's toll highway department; and Jim Youngquist, the executive director of the Atlanta-based Southeast Regional Transit Institute, which represents the directors of metropolitan planning organizations in the Southeast.

OKI, the Tristate's main transportation planning agency, must approve any major project for it to receive federal funds.

Yet several disputes have erupted on the board in recent years over light rail, suburban vs. urban development, and environmental/land use concerns.

"We will take this agency in the direction that the board wants, but I feel extremely excited to be given a mission like this," Policinski said. "We can pull together as a region, although we always have to remember that the decisions we make won't just affect people for years, but for decades to come."

E-mail jpilcher@enquirer.com