MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The Latest on Gov.-elect Tony Evers Cabinet appointments (all times local):
11:52 a.m.
Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers is dismissing Republican complaints about his first four Cabinet picks all being from Milwaukee.
Evers announced the selections Wednesday. He says concerns about a lack of geographic diversity will dissipate in coming days when he announces other Cabinet picks.
Evers says he made his picks based on talent “and these four people have it at a very, very high level.”
Evers chose Joel Brennan to be Department of Administration Secretary; Preston Cole to head the Department of Natural Resources; Kevin Carr as Corrections Secretary; and Sara Meaney to lead the Tourism Department.
Cole is a forester and says his priority will be prioritizing science within the Department of Natural Resources. Carr says there is an “unprecedented opportunity” for criminal justice reform in Wisconsin.
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11:18 a.m.
Some Republicans are bemoaning a lack of geographic diversity in the first four Cabinet picks announced by Gov.-elect Tony Evers.
All four of his selections announced Wednesday are from Milwaukee. Two of them are African American, one is a woman and the fourth is a white man.
Republican Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, of Kaukauna, tweeted that “Hopefully the rest of the state will eventually be represented in this administration.”
And Republican state Rep. Scott Krug, of Nekoosa, tweeted that choosing Department of Natural Resources and Tourism secretaries from Milwaukee is “not very encouraging so far.”
Evers chose Joel Brennan to be Department of Administration Secretary; Preston Cole to head the DNR; Kevin Carr as Corrections Secretary; and Sara Meaney to lead the Tourism Department.
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9:52 a.m.
Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers has chosen four prominent Milwaukee leaders to hold top-level Cabinet positions in his new administration.
Evers’ transition team announced Wednesday that Joel Brennan, chief executive officer for Discovery World, will serve as his top aide heading the Department of Administration. Brennan previously served as campaign manager for Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Preston Cole, commissioner of neighborhood services under Barrett, will lead the Department of Natural Resources.
U.S. Marshal Kevin Carr will be secretary of the Corrections Department. Carr previously worked 30 years in the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department before becoming a marshal in 2010.
And Evers also named Sara Meaney, chief marketing and development officer at Milwaukee Film, to be his Tourism secretary.
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