COLUMBUS Valley native gets key post with transportation office

He has worked for ODOT for 17 years.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
CAMPBELL -- A 1969 Campbell Memorial High School graduate has been promoted to a high-level position with the Ohio Department of Transportation.
Richard S. Martinko, 52, as ODOT's assistant director of highway management, will be responsible for the agency's $1.5 billion annual construction program, its materials management, highway maintenance, and snow and ice operations, including 220 highway maintenance facilities.
"Anything that involves the operation of roads is under my purview," he said.
Since 1999, Martinko has served as district deputy director for ODOT's District 2, located in Bowling Green, and has worked for the state agency for 17 years.
"I grew up with an interest in technical stuff," he said today. "My dad worked in the mills for 30 years, and he had a real respect for the engineers. He suggested to me that I try engineering."
Martinko attended the University of Toledo on a baseball scholarship, graduating in 1974 from its college of civil engineering.
"I guess it's a local boy makes good, but I have a lot of challenges ahead of me," he said.
Praise
ODOT Director Gordon Proctor, who promoted Martinko, had high praise for the Campbell native.
"In his position as District 2 deputy director, Rich Martinko has done an outstanding job with internal ODOT operations and with external ODOT relations," Proctor said. "His leadership in all areas of district operations makes him an excellent addition to the central office team."
Martinko and his wife, Suzanne (Vaccaro), a Chaney High School graduate, are in the process of moving from Toledo to the Columbus area. They have two children -- Stephen, 23, a legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Jon Porter, a Nevada Republican; and Lindsay, 21, a Bowling Green University senior, majoring in graphic design.
Martinko still visits Campbell to see friends and family including his mother, Katherine of Campbell; his mother-in-law, Mary Vaccaro of Youngstown, and a brother, Bob, a Poland teacher.
skolnick@vindy.com