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Milligan is a
public-service model
Editorial
Tallahassee Democrat
February 19, 2007
Before taking office, Gov. Charlie Crist signaled
that party affiliation was less important to him
than competence and a commitment to public service
by announcing that Democrat Bob Butterworth would be
Florida's new secretary of the Department of
Children and Families.
Now Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democrat,
has sent a similar signal. Ms. Sink announced this
week that former Comptroller Bob Milligan, a
Republican, would become her agency's insurance
consumer advocate.
In his former job, Mr. Milligan was the state's
chief fiscal officer, a responsibility that now
falls to the CFO. Widely known for his independence,
the former Cabinet member endorsed Ms. Sink for the
CFO position over Republican Tom Lee, the former
Senate president.
In announcing the appointment Wednesday, Ms. Sink
said Mr. Milligan, a retired U.S. Marine Corps
general, was "a role model of integrity, honesty and
accountability in government."
Those certainly were the qualities he was known for
as comptroller, and the CFO's decision to bring him
back to state government, especially in the midst of
Florida's insurance crisis, is a plus for consumers.
Ms. Sink said she plans to work with lawmakers to
enhance the powers of the insurance consumer
advocate - the idea being to at least level the
playing field between the interests of Floridians
and those of the industry.
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