The Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) board of directors elected Johan De Nysschen to be the new chairman of the board at its monthly meeting Thursday.
The 11-member board includes nine new appointees by Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, who were approved by the City Council Tuesday. Eight appointees took the oath of office at CARTA’s Thursday meeting.
Mr. De Nysschen, former chief operating officer for Volkswagen North America, told the board that autonomous vehicles are the future of public transportation and hinted at an eminent announcement from the city.
“If you don’t continue to evolve, you’re going to get left behind,” he said.
“We’ve got a very, very good idea of what’s next.”
Mr. De Nysschen said high-tech auto companies would be attracted to “Gig City” and the area’s upward trajectory. He cited Chattanooga 2.0, an education collaborative for local children and young adults, and the new nuclear fuel manufacturing facility in Oak Ridge, which opened in August.
EPB’s platform would give Chattanooga a competitive advantage, he said.
“Everything is connected to everything,” he said, but the idea is a complex one, and autonomous vehicles, also called self-driving vehicles, are not right “around the corner,” he said.
He painted a broad picture of parking lots for autonomous vehicles, which would drive down the street two inches apart and provide “individual mobility” in collaboration with, or perhaps instead of, mass transit.
Mr. De Nysschen characterized himself as “passionate” and “naive.” He said he is concerned about the gap between Chattanooga’s obvious prosperity and a growing number of “under-employed households.” He said 40 percent of Chattanooga households are under-compensated at their jobs or have jobs missing a certain “value added” factor that was part of his study.
His study blames “individual mobility” for holding those families back.
Mr. De Nysschen said CARTA’s strong foundation is a good one for the future he sees.
“There’s a lot of room to grow,” he said.
Mr. De Nysschen replaces John Bilderback as chairman. Jenny Park, one of two board members still serving their terms, abstained from the chairman vote. Appointee Daniela Peterson did not attend the meeting.
CARTA attorney Allen McCallie officiated the chairman nominations. After Mr. De Nysschen’s nomination, no time was given for more nominations before the vote.
The board elected Patricia McKoy treasurer for four more years. Ms. McKoy represents Hamilton County.
Elections for the vice-chair and secretary positions were deferred to the March meeting.
The other new appointed members confirmed by City Council on Tuesday are:
Charita Allen
Stephen Culp
Corey Evatt
Evann Freeman
Bill Nye
Daniela Peterson
Arcie D. Reeves
LeAndrea Sanderfur