FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ANOTHER WEEK ELAPSES WITHOUT THE LEGISLATURE’S JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING TO FINISH UP THE STATE BUDGET. AS WE’VE REPORTED, THE STICKING POINTS INCLUDE FUNDING FOR STATE HIGHWAYS AND THE PACKAGE THAT INCLUDES PUBLIC FINANCING FOR A NEW MILWAUKEE BUCKS ARENA. THE THREAT OF LOSING THE FRANCHISE MADE US RECALL A SIMILAR SITUATION A GENERATION AGO, DURING THE DEBATE TO BUILD MILLER PARK FOR THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS. IN TONIGHT’S CAPITAL INSIGHT, I MET UP WITH WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO REPORTER SHAWN JOHNSON TO COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE TWO. THROUGHOUT THE WRANGLING OVER THE NEW BUCKS ARENA AND HOW TO PAY FOR IT, A CERTAIN DEJA VU COMES OVER WISCONSIN.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

20 YEARS AGO, 1995, STATE LAWMAKERS WERE CONFLICTED OVER HOW TO PAY FOR A NEW BREWERS STADIUM.

TOMMY THOMPSON:

ALL THE TAXES COME FROM WAUKESHA AND MILWAUKEE. STICK IT TO THEM.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THEN GOVERNOR TOMMY THOMPSON TELLING A NORTHWOODS CROWD TO LET THE MILWAUKEE REGION PAY FOR MILLER PARK. SO REMEMBER ALL THAT? MANY OF US JUST KIND OF REMEMBER THE BROAD OUTLINES OF THIS, WHERE THERE WAS A REGIONAL TAX TO PAY FOR THE BREWERS STADIUM. AND THEN THERE WAS A VERY POPULAR REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR WHO VOTED FOR SAID TAX, VOTED IN FAVOR OF IT, AND LOST HIS JOB. BUT ARE WE REALLY BACK THERE AGAIN?

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

YEAH. WE DID A DEEP DIVE INTO THE ARCHIVES TO RELIVE SOME OF THE DEBATE OVER THE BREWERS STADIUM FROM 1995. HERE’S A LITTLE CLIP FROM BREWERS’ OWNER BUD SELIG MAKING A PITCH FOR THAT DEAL.

BUD SELIG:

PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE ADDITIONAL COST, BUT I WANT TO SUBMIT I THINK THAT ONE THING THAT’S DISAPPOINTING, NOBODY TALKS ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, THE HUGE SHORTFALL, IF WE WERE GONE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO AGAIN THAT WAS FORMER BREWERS’ OWNER BUD SELIG TALKING IN KIND OF THE TODAY TERMS WOULD BE IT’S CHEAPER TO KEEP THEM, WHICH IS WHAT GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER WAS SAYING ABOUT TRYING TO KEEP THE BUCKS IN WISCONSIN BY HELPING TO FUND A NEW ARENA.

SHAWN JOHNSON:

RIGHT. BUT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE ARCHIVES, WE DID FIND SOME KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BREWERS DEBATE OF 1995 AND THE BUCKS DEBATE OF 2015. NUMBER ONE, THE BREWERS DEBATE WAS A STAND-ALONE BILL. IT WASN’T PART OF THE BUDGET. NUMBER TWO, MAJORITY REPUBLICANS AT THE TIME WERE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A BIPARTISAN DEAL. THEY WANTED DEMOCRATIC VOTES FROM THE BEGINNING. THREE, BUD SELIG WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE PR PUSH FOR THE BREWERS DEAL, WHILE THE BUCKS’ OWNERS BASICALLY HAVE BEEN OUT OF SIGHT FOR THIS. THEY’VE LET OTHER PEOPLE PUSH FOR THIS DEAL. TOMMY THOMPSON, THE GOVERNOR AT THE TIME, WAS ACTIVELY CAMPAIGNING FOR THE BREWERS DEAL, MUCH MORE ACTIVELY THAN GOVERNOR WALKER, WHO’S BEEN OUT OF STATE QUITE A BIT THIS YEAR IN WISCONSIN. AND THEN NUMBER FIVE IS REALLY HARD TO QUANTIFY, BUT IT’S APPARENT AS YOU WATCH THESE ARCHIVES, THE BREWERS’ DEBATE REALLY TUGGED AT THE HEARTSTRINGS MORE IN A WAY THAT THE BUCKS DEBATE HAS NOT.

HANK AARON:

WHEN THE BREWERS GO ANYWHERE, NO MATTER WHERE IT IS, WHEN THEY SAY MILWAUKEE OR MILWAUKEE BREWERS, WHATEVER IT IS, THAT MEANS THAT THAT TEAM IS YOURS.

TOMMY THOMPSON:

AND HOW WOULD WE ALL FEEL IF NEXT YEAR IT WAS CHARLOTTE BREWERS? OR THE BUFFALO BREWERS? OR SOME OTHER NAME? EACH OF US WOULD BE DEPRESSED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T REALLY HEAR THAT SAME KIND OF EMOTIONAL LOBBY FOR THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS AS WE DID IN 1995 TO KEEP THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS. WHERE’S THAT LEAVE US THEN?

SHAWN JOHNSON:

YEAH. IT REALLY RAISES ANOTHER QUESTION. I MEAN, ANOTHER OBVIOUS BUT IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE BREWERS’ DEAL AND THE BUCKS’ DEAL IS THAT 20 YEARS HAVE PASSED. A LOT’S HAPPENED IN THAT TIME. THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF SPORTS STADIUMS AND ARENAS AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT HAVE BEEN SUBSIDIZED BY ONE GOVERNMENT OR ANOTHER. SO IT RAISES THE QUESTION MAYBE IF PEOPLE HAVE GOTTEN MORE USED TO THAT AND THEY’RE MORE OKAY WITH IT, COULD ALSO BE THAT PEOPLE ARE MORE TIRED OF IT. WE’LL FIND OUT HOW THAT PLAYS OUT IN THE BUCKS DEBATE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALRIGHT. THANKS, SHAWN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THANK YOU.