Evers, asked if he will propose restoring any collective bargaining rights curtailed under outgoing Gov. Scott Walker, said “that’s part of the budget we haven’t made any determinations on.”

Legislation would be needed to unravel some of Walker’s biggest collective bargaining changes, such as the Act 10 law for public workers or the so-called “right to work” law for private-sector workers. But in a nod to the improbability of passing such a change through the GOP Legislature, Evers said he has considered non-legislative moves such as hiring Cabinet secretaries “that value input of employees.”

“We have very talented people; I think they feel their value has been limited,” Evers said. “So having opportunities for new leadership in these agencies to lift up their voice, I think it’s critically important.”

Evers repeatedly declined to say what his budget will do about his campaign pledge “to implement a sustainable, long-term fix for how we fund our roads.” He said only that such a funding fix will be part of his budget.

He also declined, in the interview, to rule out including any leading options for doing so, such as increasing gas taxes, vehicle fees or collecting highway tolls.