SAVE Commission's findings - La Follette School of Public Affairs ...

CHAPTER
FOUR
Actions
GOAL #18
Executive
Branch
Streamline,
eliminating
anachronisms and
look to the future
18.1
Eliminate the offices of
secretary of state and
state treasurer.
18.2
Allow a gubernatorial
candidate to choose a
running mate.
18.3
Place the Governor’s
Office on a sum certain
budget.
18.4
Consolidate functions
where possible.
overnment reorganizations and reinventions
center around themes and visions.
The theme of the Commission’s effort is
efficiency and the vision is government
that is logically structured and user
friendly in terms of where the state is
headed in the next century.
The executive branch involves both Constitutional
and executive agencies.
As the chief executive of the state, the Governor
should have the
right to choose the individual
who is second
in command. While that
has been long accepted
on the national level
with the President and
Vice President, Wisconsin’s
Governor does not
have the ability to select
her or his running mate.
That is done by the voters through the primary
process. The Constitution should be amended
to allow the Governor to select a running mate
of her or his choosing to ensure that, should
the need for succession arise, the policies of
the administration will be fully carried out.
“Create a structure that
encourages and assists strong
executive leadership…to create
a clear policy agenda and
establish accountability.”
William Winter, chairman, Winter Commission
As recommended for other branches of
government, the Governor’s office should be
placed on a sum certain budget basis.
Under Wisconsin’s administrative system,
both the state treasurer and secretary of state
have little to do with policy making. Therefore,
the constitutional offices of secretary of state
and state treasurer should be eliminated and
their administrative functions transferred to
existing agencies.
Throughout the country, the trend toward
giving chief elected officials the authority to do
the job—and then holding them accountable—
is gaining ground. The latest major report on
improving state and local government—the
Winter Commission—strongly urges that governors
have the ability to set state policy agendas
and have the team in place to carry out those
agendas.
Three state agencies now governed by citizen
boards that appoint the secretaries of those
agencies and set their policies should become
part of the cabinet system. The agencies are:
Department of Veterans Affairs; Department of
Natural Resources; Department of Agriculture,
Trade and Consumer Protection. Each one of
the agencies, because of public interest in their
activities, should continue to have citizen advisory
boards to provide guidance.
As part of its review of regulatory and
consumer protection functions, the Commission
found a concern about uneven administration
of programs, duplication, competition
and varied quality in such areas as administrative
rules (see Goal #21) and consumer protection.
Specifically mentioned
was the confusion
that exists in the
consumer protection
area.
The Commission
is not prepared to go
further than to say that
consolidation of like
functions, including
business regulation
and consumer protection, should be on the
agenda. However, formal prosecution relating
to both those functions should remain in the
Department of Justice.
At the present time, six state agencies have
as many as 19 job training programs. The func-
48 CITIZEN • COMMUNITY • GOVERNMENT — WISCONSIN: THE 21 ST CENTURY