NEWS
DOA secretary announces retirement
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by Courtney Johnson
Monday, December 4, 2006
A former University of Wisconsin football player will head one of the state's most important departments starting next year, Gov. Jim Doyle announced Friday.
At a press conference, the governor said Michael Morgan will take over the position of secretary of administration when the current secretary, Stephen Bablitch, retires at the end of the year.
"Michael has excelled at every challenge that he has taken on, and I am confident that he will do the same as the secretary of administration," Doyle said. "He knows he's taking on a very big challenge because we have a big agenda for the second term, from reforming health care to investing in education to making college more affordable, and I want Michael to be there to help me get this job done."
Morgan, who currently serves as the secretary of the Department of Revenue, received both his undergraduate and law degrees from UW. He was a Badger running back from 1974 to 1977.
If his appointment is approved by the state Senate, Morgan will become the first African-American to serve as Department of Administration secretary in Wisconsin. Morgan will be responsible for helping Doyle compile the state's budget — the draft of the budget is then sent to the state Legislature for approval.
"It's one of the most important appointments a governor makes, because this is the person charged with putting together the governor's budget and running, in many ways, the state government," said Matt Canter, a spokesperson for Doyle.
Canter added that Morgan's experience heading the Department of Revenue will be a great asset.
"As we move to put together the budget, Secretary Morgan will have a very clear picture of the economy in the state," he said.
Bablitch, the current DOA secretary, has served in this position since October 2005. A 1979 graduate of UW Law School, Bablitch also served as a prosecutor for the Dane County District Attorney's Office and as secretary of the Department of Corrections.
According to Scott Larrivee, spokesperson for Bablitch, the secretary is leaving his position in order to spend more time with his family.
"The long-distance commute started to kind of take its toll, and he wanted to get back to having more balance in his life," Larrivee said of Bablitch, who lives north of Milwaukee.
Larrivee said Bablitch plans on returning to retirement. Bablitch had retired from Blue Cross and Blue Shield United of Wisconsin before Doyle appointed him to DOA secretary.
The commute will not take as long for Morgan, who lives just southeast of Madison in the city of Verona.
Before his appointment as DOR secretary, Morgan worked in Milwaukee as the executive director of the Fire and Police Commission and as the commissioner of the Department of City Development. He was also the program related investment officer for the Helen Bader Foundation.
A replacement has not yet been named for Morgan's current DOR secretary position.
