Here & Now

Mayor Soglin Discusses Madison Public Market Plans

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW TO STATE CAPITOL NEWS,STATE DEMOCRATS ON THE BOARD ARE CRITICAL OF THE STATE’S FLAGSHIP JOB CREATION AGENCY OF THE WISCONSIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION OVER LOSING OSCAR MAYER AND 1,000 JOBS IN MADISON. FOR HIS PART, MADISON MAYOR SOGLIN HOPES TO INCORPORATE THE PLANT INTO A PUBLIC MARKET CORRIDOR. A MARKET IS A HUB OF OTHER DEVELOPMENT AND BUSINESS. SOGLIN SAYS HE ENVISIONS FRESH FOOD PURVEYORS AS OPPOSED TO A FANCY FOOD-COURT STYLE MARKET. A PLACE WHERE HE SAYS WHERE THE VEGGIES HAVE DIRT ON THEM. MAYOR SOGLIN THINKS THE STATE SHOULD HELP LAUNCH THE PROJECT. WE MET AT HIS OFFICE AND STARTED BY ASKING WHAT HE IS SEEKING FROM THE STATE.

PAUL SOGLIN:

IN SEVERAL OTHER STATES THERE HAVE BEEN COMMITMENTS TO DEVELOP PUBLIC MARKETS WITH AN APPRECIATION OF WHAT IT DOES TO THE STATE AND THE REGION’S ECONOMY IN TERMS OF BUILDING AN AGRICULTURE-BASED SYSTEM FOCUSING ON FOOD AND BEVERAGE SALES AND PRODUCTION. WE’RE ASKING PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF THE STRESS CREATED BY THE CLOSING OF OSCAR MAYER THAT THE STATE ASSIST US IN OUR GOAL TO REACH $14 MILLION, WHICH IS A TOTAL INVESTMENT COST OF CREATING THIS PUBLIC MARKET AT FIRST STREET.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND YOU MET WITH GOVERNOR WALKER. WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSE TO YOUR REQUEST?

PAUL SOGLIN:

WE HAD TWO CONVERSATIONS AND THE GOVERNOR WAS VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE CLOSING OF OSCAR MAYER, AND THE RECOGNITION TO THE FINANCIAL NEED FOR DEVELOPING FOOD-BASED ECONOMY, WHICH IS SO CONSISTENT FOR OUR REGION AND THE GOALS OF THE STATE. PEOPLE ARE SURPRISED THAT MADISON HAS EMBRACED THIS. AND WELL, IF MADISON IS BUILDING AN ECONOMY, IT WILL BE TECHNOLOGY OR THE BIO SCIENCES. WE RECOGNIZE THAT WHAT’S BEEN DRIVING INTERNATIONAL WORLD ECONOMIES FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS: FOOD. AND THE ACCESS TO GOOD, FRESH FOOD IS ESSENTIAL. HERE WE ARE IN ONE OF THE RICHEST REGIONS OF THE WORLD IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO GREAT FOOD, GREAT PRODUCE, AND WE REALLY HAVE NOT FOCUSED ON THAT ASSET.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IN YOUR VISION THIS KIND OF PUBLIC MARKET WILL GENERATE IN TERMS OF JOBS?

PAUL SOGLIN:

WELL, THERE’S REALLY TWO KINDS OF PUBLIC MARKETS IN THE UNITED STATES. I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT 16 OF THEM– AT LEAST, THAT I CAN RECALL. AND SOME OF THEM TEND TO GO TOWARDS WHAT I WOULD CALL “THE FOOD COURT,” WELL-PROCESSED FOODS, PEOPLE BUYING THINGS FOR COMPANY COMING OVER ON SATURDAY NIGHT. THEY REALLY ARE NOT GREAT GENERATORS OF JOBS. THERE ARE OTHER PUBLIC MARKETS SUCH AS WHAT WE SEE AT THE EASTERN MARKET IN DETROIT, WHICH IS FOCUSED ON AGGREGATION AND A MAJOR CONNECTION TO THE FARM COMMUNITY, TO STORAGE, TO PROCESSING, AND THAT IS THE MARKET WE ENVISION. AND THAT HAS THE BENEFIT OF CREATING THOUSANDS OF PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMY.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MEANWHILE, KRAFT-HEINZ SAYS IT IS SEEKING A BUYER FOR THE OSCAR MAYER BUILDING. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT AND HOW DOES THAT INTERACT WHAT YOU SEE OF THIS CORRIDOR WITH THIS PUBLIC MARKET, INCLUDING THAT SPACE?

PAUL SOGLIN:

WELL WE’RE HOPING ANY BUYER IS GOING TO COMMIT TO JOBS AND FOOD PRODUCTION AT THE SITE. RIGHT NOW WE ARE ASKING, AS WOULD ANY POTENTIAL BUYER, NOT THAT WE’RE GOING TO BUY, BUT WE’RE ASKING TO SEE THE PERFORMANCE, WE’RE ASKING TO SEE THE DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDINGS AND THE LAYOUTS. I’M GOING TO TRY AND ARRANGE FOR OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE AND MYSELF, A COUPLE OF COUNCIL MEMBERS TO TAKE A TOUR OF THE BUILDING. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT’S THERE. WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE IS TO COMPLEMENT WHAT WE SEE IN THAT CORRIDOR AS JOB CREATION BASED ON FOOD.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND THIS IS GOING FORWARD MORE IMMEDIATELY. WILL MADISON’S ECONOMY BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE LOSS OF THESE 1,000 JOBS?

PAUL SOGLIN:

WE’RE IN A RELATIVELY HEALTHY PLACE RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS WHO ARE HIRING, HIRING SKILLED WORKERS. WE HAVE TALKED WITH PAT SCHRAMM FROM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WHO, UNFORTUNATELY, HAS HAD TO DO THIS BEFORE– GOING ALL THE WAY BACK– WELL, INCLUDING THE LAYOFF WHEN GM CLOSED IN JANESVILLE. I’M CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN WORK WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, WORK WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES. KEEP IN MIND: 1,000 JOBS. LESS THAN 400 OF THOSE PEOPLE LIVE IN THE CITY OF MADISON. THE REMAINING 600 ARE IN SURROUNDING TOWNS AND COMMUNITIES. AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT THOSE COMMUNITIES UNDERSTAND THAT THEY ARE JUST AS IMPACTED AS WE ARE, AND THAT THEY, TOO, HAVE TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT TO EMPLOYERS YOU’VE GOT TO HIRE. THE OTHER PART IS, OF COURSE, OUR CONCERN ABOUT THE FOLKS WHO ARE IMPACTED: THE RESTAURANTS, THE DRY CLEANERS, THE TAX PREPARERS… ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PROVIDE SERVICES AND GOODS TO THOSE 1,000 EMPLOYEES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MAJOR HIT, OBVIOUSLY. SHOULDN’T ELECTED HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SEE THAT THIS COMING GIVEN THE BUYOUT AND THE AGE OF THE MADISON PLANT?

PAUL SOGLIN:

YOU WOULD THINK SO. WE RESPONDED VERY QUICKLY AND WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS MET WITH OSCAR MAYER OFFICIALS, EXPRESSED OUR CONCERNS, AND MADE IT CLEAR THAT THE CITY WAS HERE, AND WE WERE AVAILABLE TO WORK WITH THEM IN REGARDS TO ANY CHANGES. I CAN’T SPEAK FOR WHAT HAPPENED AT THE STATE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

MEANWHILE, COMING INTO THE HOLIDAYS, WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HAVE FOR THE 1,000 PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING AT LAYOFF?

PAUL SOGLIN:

WELL, I THINK THE MESSAGE REALLY IS NOT FOR THEM. THE MESSAGE IS FOR ALL THE EMPLOYERS WHO ARE DOING WELL, WHO ARE SITTING ON CASH, WHO ARE CONTEMPLATING EXPANDING AND SAYING TO THEM, WITHIN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS TO THE NEXT 12 MONTHS, NOW IS THE TIME TO COMMIT. NOW IS THE TIME TO DO THAT EXPANSION AND TO HIRE THESE 700 LINE WORKERS WHO ARE SKILLED, WHO ARE PROVEN, AND WHO ARE GOING TO BE READY TO GO TO WORK IN THE NEXT 12 TO 18 MONTHS.