Walker, who also won election in November and has been working closely with the lawmaking Fitzgeralds, did not announce the appointment of their father Tuesday. Instead that fell to Department of Transportation Secretary Mark Gottlieb, another Walker appointee and former Republican state Assembly member. The patrol is a division of DOT.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said Walker had a great interview with Fitzgerald and has confidence in him.

The elder Fitzgerald said his meeting with Walker, which also included Gottlieb, focused on his law enforcement background, the state’s budget problems and how that affects the patrol, and what he could do to have the patrol work with law enforcement agencies across the state to avoid duplicating services.

“My experience in the other agencies should help me when looking at the budget in figuring out what direction we should go,” Fitzgerald said.

The fact that he’s the father of two prominent state lawmakers shouldn’t disqualify him from getting the job but he also shouldn’t be given special treatment, said Jay Heck, director of the government watchdog group Common Cause in Wisconsin. He said it would be in everyone’s best interest to slow the appointment process down and vet his qualifications publically to remove any concerns.