{"id":487,"date":"2016-03-29T00:00:58","date_gmt":"2016-03-29T00:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/?p=487"},"modified":"2016-05-04T15:32:04","modified_gmt":"2016-05-04T15:32:04","slug":"ohio-turnpike-executive-director-randy-coles-discusses-self-driven-cars-infrastructure-policy-and-leaving-a-legacy-of-good-governance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/2016\/03\/29\/ohio-turnpike-executive-director-randy-coles-discusses-self-driven-cars-infrastructure-policy-and-leaving-a-legacy-of-good-governance\/","title":{"rendered":"Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Randy Cole discusses self-driven cars, infrastructure policy, and leaving a legacy of good governance"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"cole09cut-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin the next decade, we\u2019ll see self-driven trucking units \u2013 probably with detachable cargo modules \u2013 carrying goods around the country,\u201d Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Randy Cole told the Campaign Battleground class. \u201cThe major auto-manufacturers have all pledged to have a self-driving option for every car rolling off the line from model year 2020 on. There will be cars produced in the next five years that are driverless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Cole\u2019s self-described career goal is to \u201cmake government more efficient through technology.\u201d Prior to his appointment to the turnpike, Mr. Cole ran his own consulting firm, GovTech Solutions, dedicated to bringing technological efficiencies to government. Following GovTech, Mr. Cole joined State Auditor Mary Taylor\u2019s Office as the Director Audit Services & Technology.<\/p>\n

His time at the Auditor\u2019s Office lead to an appointment to the Controlling Board as its president, where Mr. Cole worked as part of a large team to help close an $8 billionstate deficit, create a $2 billion state surplus, and expand Medicaid in Ohio.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, our Medicaid costs in Ohio are a billion dollars below projections. We\u2019re working toward paying for value [of medical procedures] instead of paying fee-for-service,\u201d Mr. Cole told the class. Mr. Cole\u2019s perspectives on government efficiency and budget policy give him unparalleled insight into infrastructure policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, we set an all-time record in the United States for vehicle mileage traveled,\u201d he said, responding to a question regarding the state of America\u2019s roads and highways. \u201cOn the Ohio Turnpike, we have 53 million trips \u2013 amounting to 3 billion miles \u2013 traveled annually.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though some states are experimenting with a \u201cRoade Usage Charge\u201d or millage-based tax, Mr. Cole maintains there will be other avenues for funding. \u201cTolling is a big part of the answer. It has to be. Funding solutions in the future have to include tolling,\u201d Mr. Cole said. Even so, Mr. Cole notes that Ohio maintains, \u201cnear the lowest tolls for passenger and commercial vehicles in the Midwest.\u201d<\/p>\n

To be successful in politics, Mr. Cole suggests students \u201chave thick skin, short memories, and a very close group of friends.\u201d However, he was quick to remind the class, \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between governing and politicking. Real governance becomes your legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students and others are encouraged to follow Mr. Cole on Twitter @CRandyCole<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWithin the next decade, we\u2019ll see self-driven trucking units \u2013 probably with detachable cargo modules \u2013 carrying goods around the country,\u201d Ohio Turnpike Executive Director Randy Cole told the Campaign Battleground class. \u201cThe major auto-manufacturers have all pledged to have a self-driving option for every car rolling off the line from model year 2020 on. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2519,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55827],"tags":[55959,55951,7196,55943,13956,55939],"class_list":["post-487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-posts","tag-driverless-cars","tag-infrastructure","tag-ohio","tag-ohio-turnpike","tag-policy","tag-randy-cole"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":511,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487\/revisions\/511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uakron.edu\/campaignbattleground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}