Gov. Scott Walker’s repair bill to address the current budget shortfall contains provisions that would likely politicize a number of state agency positions.

The bill Walker said contains items that would help fix the $137 million shortfall in fiscal year 2010 to 2011 also contains language giving Walker the ability to appoint positions within state agencies currently occupied by non-partisan civil servants.

Walker’s spokesperson, Cullen Werie, said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald the provisions did indeed exist.

“Employee positions and their classifications are appropriate to include as a budget item,” Werwie said.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau listed the replacement of classified with unclassified positions, or civil service positions replaced with politically appointed ones, as a non-fiscal item, meaning it would have little to no impact on the state’s budget.

Critics of the provisions said Walker would be increasing his political reach to positions meant to serve the public interest and not a specific political ideology.

“This is another provision where Governor Walker is politicizing agencies so that he can select people that are politically acceptable to him rather than people who are necessarily knowledgeable about the agency and its functions,” said Jay Heck, the executive director for Common Cause in Wisconsin. “It’s a policy change rather than fiscal.”

The provisions affect 36 civil servant positions across 15 agencies, including the Department of Health Services, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Justice, where the bill would modify communications and legislative liaison positions. 

Heck said he expects Walker would make communications people accountable to him, meaning information given out to the public could have a political slant.

“You’re replacing people who are classified or non-political that are carrying out jobs they’re supposed to be doing to serve the people of Wisconsin – that’s what you want. A non-political civil service,” Heck said.

One-hundred years ago, Heck said, positions now held by civil servants were all politically appointed. This practice was ineffective, and civil service reform created positions for employees hired because of merit instead of political position, he said.

The provisions to change classified employee positions to unclassified are one of nine items in the budget bill the Legislative Fiscal Bureau has deemed non-fiscal.