MADISON — Governor Scott Walker's office says Railroad Commissioner Jeff Plale has resigned.
Walker's office issued a news release Tuesday, January 5th saying Plale quit Monday. The release didn't offer a reason for Plale's departure and the governor's spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to an email.
The governor has cited two railroad commission workers caught having sex on state time as justification for a bill to overhaul the state civil service system. Walker said existing rules kept state managers from firing the employees.
Word broke last month that no one pushed to fire or discipline the workers beyond a reprimand. Plale, who made the final disciplinary decision, said he was following the Office of State Employment Relations' recommendations.
One of the workers was an aide in the state Senate when Plale was a state senator.
Walker on Tuesday announced the appointment of Yash Wadhwa as the new Commissioner of Railroads.
The appointment is effective January 11, 2016.
“Yash Wadhwa’s extensive experience in engineering and transportation will be a great contribution to the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads,” Governor Walker said in a statement. “We welcome him to the administration and thank him for his willingness to serve Wisconsin.”
According to Walker's office, Wadhwa has over 44 years of consulting experience in numerous engineering fields including civil, environmental, and transportation engineering. He has worked on infrastructure projects for various municipalities in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area. In addition, Wadhwa has served as a board member for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce and President of the Wisconsin Association of Consulting Engineers, as well as the Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers.
Wadhwa has a M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in Glendale with his wife Usha and is active in community organizations.
This appointment requires Senate confirmation.