Highways secretary Gottlieb to retire
Transportation chief differed with Walker
Madison — Gov. Scott Walker’s transportation secretary is stepping down less than a month after he told lawmakers Wisconsin’s roads would worsen under the GOP governor’s plans.
Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb will retire Jan. 6 and be replaced by Dave Ross, a former mayor of Superior who now serves as Walker’s safety and professional services secretary, according to the governor’s office.
Gottlieb has served as transportation secretary since Walker was inaugurated in 2011. A civil engineer, Gottlieb has at times called for increasing taxes and fees to pay for highways.
That’s a different approach than the one Walker has touted in recent years. Walker has said he will not raise gas taxes or vehicle fees unless an equivalent cut is made in other taxes.
Gottlieb has gone along with that plan, but this month acknowledged it would result in doubling the number of roads in poor condition over the next decade. He made those comments in testimony to the Assembly
Transportation Committee.
Republicans who control the Assembly see a need for more money for roads and believed Gottlieb’s comments helped them make their case. Aides to the governor were frustrated by his testimony, sources told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The decision to leave was Gottlieb’s, Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said. Gottlieb did not return calls Tuesday.
In a statement Tuesday, Walker praised Ross for his work running the Department of Safety and Professional Services, which handles licensing for various industries.
“Dave has always looked to improve the way government operates, and I am confident he will bring the same innovative, taxpayer-first approach to the DOT,” Walker said.
Walker’s statement made no mention of Gottlieb’s job running the Department of Transportation for six years.
GOP praises Gottlieb
Assembly Republican leaders praised Gottlieb, who served with them before joining Walker’s administration.
“Wisconsin is losing one of our most hardworking and articulate public leaders,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (RRochester) said in a statement. “As we’re set to begin the 2017-2018 legislative session and make the tough but prudent decisions regarding the state budget, Secretary Gottlieb’s expertise and candor will be missed.”
“It’s no secret that our state’s transportation funding mechanism has been a hot topic lately, and I appreciate all of the information and insight Secretary Gottlieb has been able to provide,” said a statement from Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), co-chairman of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee.
Gottlieb has long focused on transportation funding. As a lawmaker a decade ago, he co-chaired a panel known as the Road to the Future Committee that examined the long-term challenges for Wisconsin’s highways.
As transportation secretary, he helped lead another task force on the issue in 2013. That panel recommended raising the gas tax by 5 cents a gallon and creating a new mileage-based fee for drivers. Lawmakers immediately shot the plan down.
Two years later, in late 2014, heproposed increasing taxes and fees by $750 million over two years for roads. His ideas again went nowhere.
Funding for highways is expected to cause a major fight as lawmakers develop the state budget in 2017. Republicans control all of state government, but they differ over whether to put more money toward highways.
As transportation secretary, Gottlieb makes about $127,000 a year. Ross will make the same amount — a13% increase over his current pay of about $112,000.