AS
PARTISANS
IN
WASHINGTON% DUKE IT
OUT
AND
DEMOCRATIC% PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATES
TRY
TO
% WIN
FAVOR ON
THE
DEBATE
STAGE,
% THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE
LOOKS
% AHEAD
TO
NEXT
SUMMER'S
% DEMOCRATIC
NATIONAL
CONTENTION
% AND
ALL
THAT
IT
BRINGS.
% IN
TONIGHT'S
CLOSER
LOOK,
WE
SAT
% DOWN WITH
DNC
HOST
COMMITTEE
% FINANCE
CHAIR
AND VICE
PRESIDENT% OF
THE MILWAUKEE
BUCKS, ALEX
% LASRY.
% WE
STARTED
BY
ASKING HOW MANY
% PEOPLE ARE EX ECT
!
EXPECTED
TO
DESCEND% ON MILWAUKEE FOR
THE
CONVENTION% NEXT
JULY.
% >>
THE
CONVENTION
WILL
HAVE
OVER
% 50,000
PEOPLE
THAT WILL
BE
% COMING
INTO
WISCONSIN.
% MANY
PEOPLE
WHO
PROBABLY HAVEN'T
% BEEN
HERE
BEFORE
OR
OTHERWISE
% WOULDN'T
BE
VISITING
WISCONSIN
% DURING THAT
SUMMER.
% SO THIS
IS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO
% HAVE A
LOT
OF
PEOPLE
WHO
% OTHERWISE WEREN'T
GOING
TO
COME
% HERE SEE
WISCONSIN
FOR
THE FIRST
% TIME
AND
GIVE
THEM A
FIRST
% IMPRESSION AND
TO
SHOW
THEM A
% REASON TO
COME
BACK
AND
MY
HOPE
% FOR
THIS
CONVENTION IS
THAT
WHAT
% WE'RE ABLE
TO
DO
IS
PUT
% WISCONSIN ON THE
MAP
IN A
WAY
% THAT
IT
OTHERWISE
COULDN'T BE.
% BECAUSE
NOT
ONLY
WILL WE
HAVE
% 50,000 PEOPLE
COMING
IN,
BUT
% WE'LL
HAVE
MILLIONS
OF
PEOPLE
% WATCHING
IT
ON
TV
AND
SEEING
HOW
% WISCONSIN
HOLDS
UP
UNDER
THE
% NATIONAL
SPOTLIGHT.
% SO THIS
IS MORE
THAN
JUST A
% POLITICAL CONVENTION.
% THIS
IS AN
OPPORTUNITY
TO
OUT
% MILWAUKEE
AS A
TOP
TIER
CITY
IN
% THE
COUNTRY.% >> WHAT
IS
THE
EXPECTED
ECONOMIC
% IMPACT?%>> SO
WE'RE
LOOKING
AT
ABOUT A
% $200
MILLION
PLUS
ECONOMIC
% IMPACT FOR
THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN.
% THAT IS
BASED
ON
PREVIOUS
% CONVENTIONS.
% SO
PHILLY,
CHARLOTTE,
DENVER
% WERE
NORTH
OF
$200
MILLION.
% WE THINK
WE'LL
HAVE
SOMETHING
% NORTH
OF
THAT.
% BEYOND
THAT,
THOUGH,
THE
% IMMEDIATE
ECONOMIC
IMPACT
IS
% GREAT,
BARS,
RESTAURANTS,
% BUSINESSES THAT WILL BE
USED
TO
% HELP
PUT ON
THE
CONVENTION.
% THAT
WILL ALL
B
E
GREAT TO
HAVE% THAT
TYPE
OF
IMPACT.
% I
THINK
WHAT'S MORE
IMPORTANT,
% THOUGH, IS
WHAT
DO
YEARS
TWO,
% THREE AND
FOUR AFTER
THE
% CONVENTION LOOK
LIKE?
% ARE
WE STILL
SEEING AN
ECONOMIC
% IMPACT FROM
THE
CONVENTION?
% ARE WE
SEEING
MORE
CONVENTION
% BUSINESS?
% ARE WE
GETTING
SIMILAR
NATIONAL
% PROFILES
AND
STORIES
COMING
OUT
% ON
WISCONSIN
ON
CITIES
LIKE
% MADISON,
MILWAUKEE,
RACINE,
% KENOSHA?
% THOSE
ARE THE
TYP
E
OF
THINGS
% THAT YOU
CAN'T
REALLY
PUT A
% VALUE
ON,
WHICH
IS
WHY
I
THINK
% WHEN YOU
TALK
ABOUT AN
ECONOMIC
% IMPACT, YOU
NEED
TO
TALK
ABOUT
% IT MORE THAN
JUST
IN
DOLLAR
% TERMS.
% YOU
NEED
TO
TALK
ABOUT
IT IN
% TERMS OF
MEDIA
AND
WHAT
IT
CAN
% DO FOR THE FUTURE OF
THESE
% CITIES
AND
STATE.% >>
I'VE
SEEN
THAT
MILWAUKEE
IS
% DESCRIBED AS
THE
SMALLEST HOST
% CITY
FOR A
CONVENTION SINCE
% 1988.%WHAT
IS
THE
STATUS
RIGHT
NOW
AS
% TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE
ARE
% ENOUGH
HOTEL
ROOMS
EVEN
WITH
% NEARLY HALF OF
THE
DELEGATES
% GOING
INTO
ILLINOIS?
% >>
I
LED
THE
BID.
% WHEN WE PUT
IN
THE
BID,
YOU
HAD% TO BE
ABLE
TO
SHOW THA
T
YOU
HAD
% 20,000
HOTEL
ROOMS
W
ITHIN A
20
% TO
30-MINUTE DRIVE.
% THEY
WOULDN'T HAVE
CHOSEN
US
AS% A
FINALIST
AND
THEY
WOULDN'T
% HAVE
CHOSEN US
AS
THE
CITY
IF
W
E
% DIDN'T
MEET
THAT
QUALIFICATION.
% SO
FROM A
HOTEL
PERSPECTIVE, WE
% HAVE
ENOUGH
HOTEL
ROOMS TO
BE
% ABLE TO
HOS
T
THE
CONVENTION
% WITHOUT ANY
BEING
IN
ILLINOIS.
% WHAT
THEY'VE DONE
IS
THEY
% DECIDED
WAS
THEY
WANTED
TO
PUT A
% SELECT
NUMBER OF THE
TOTAL
HOTEL
% ROOMS,
SO
THEY
I
THINK
ONLY
USED
% ABOUT
3,000
OF
THE
ROOMS
IN
% ILLINOIS.%THERE ARE
STILL
GOING TO
BE
% ANOTHER
15,000
TO
20,000
ROOMS
% THAT THE
DNC
IS
GOING
TO
PLACE
% AND
PROBABLY ANOTHER
10,000
TO
% 15,000 MORE
ROOMS
THAT
PEOPLE
% JUST
COMING
INTO
WISCONSIN WILL
% NEED
TO
UTILIZE.
% SO
I'M
NOT
AS
WORRIED
ABOUT
% WHERE
PEOPLE ARE
STAYING,
% WHETHER
THEY'RE
STAYING
IN
% ILLINOIS
OR
MILWAUKEE
OR
IN
% WISCONSIN.
% I
THINK
IT'S
ACTUALLY
KIND
OF
% NEAT THAT
PEOPLE
ARE
WILLING
TO
% STAY IN
ROSEMONT, ILLINOIS TO
% COME TO
MILWAUKEE.
% AND
THAT'S
HOW
BAD
PEOPLE
WAN
T
% TO
COME
TO
MILWAUKEE, BECAUSE
% THE
DEMAND
IS
SO
HIGH TO
BE
NEAR
% MILWAUKEE THAT
THEY'RE
WILLING
% TO STAY
IN
ILLINOIS, AN HOUR
% AWAY, TO BE
ABLE
TO
COME
TO
THE
% CITY
TO
PARTICIPATE IN
THE
% CONVENTION.
% SO
I
THINK
THAT'S
GREAT.
% I COULDN'T
BE
MORE
THRILLED THAT
% PEOPLE WANT
TO
DO
THAT
AND
% LOOKING
FORWARD
TO
PEOPLE
MAKING
% THAT TRIP
MORE
AND
MORE AFTER
% THE
CONVENTION.% >>
YOU
CHAIRED AS
YOU
SAID
THE
% BID COMMITTEE
BUT
YOU
ALSO
HAD
% THE
NONPROFIT GROUP
RAISING
$70
% MILLION TO
SUPPORT THIS
CON
% VENG.
% HOW IS
THAT
EFFORT
GOING?
% >>
IT'S
GOING
REALLY
WELL.
% ONE OF
THE
THINGS
WE
MOST
WERE
% ABLE TO
SHOW
THE
DNR
WAS
THE
% COMMITMENT
THAT
THE STATE OF
% WISCONSIN, THE
BUSINESS
% COMMUNITY
HAD
TO
MAKING
SURE
% THAT THIS IS
SUCCESSFUL.
% SO WE
ACTUALLY
DOUBLED
THE
% FUND-RAISING THAT
CITIES
LIKE
% HOUSTON
AND
MIAMI
WERE
ABLE
TO% RAISE IN
THE
BID
PROCESS.
% WE
STARTED
WITH A
REALLY STRONG
% NUMBER.
% WE WERE
ABLE
TO
RAISE
$10
% MILLION
DURING
THE
BID
PROCESS.
% I THINK
WE'RE
NOW
WELL
ON
OUR
% WAY TO
GETTING
TO
THAT
$70
% MILLION MARK.
% WE'RE
OPENING UP
TO
NATIONAL
% SPONSORS AND
TALKING
TO
A
LOT
OF
% PEOPLE WHO
DON'T
LOOK
AT
THIS
AS% A
PARTISAN
EXERCISE,
BUT
THEY
% LOOK
AT
THIS
AS A
WAY
TO
REACH A
% BUNCH
OF
CUSTOMERS
WHO
ARE
GOING% TO BE
COMING
INTO
MILWAUKEE AND
% THEY LOOK
AT
IT
AS A
WAY
TO
HELP
% BUILD
UP A CITY AND
BE A PART
OF% A CITY
ENTERING A NEW
MARKET.% >>
WHAT IF
THE
EVENTUAL
NOMINEE
% BANS
CORPORATE
DONATIONS
TO
FUND
% THE
EVENT
AS
CANDIDATE
BERNIE
% SANDERS
HAS
SAID
HE
WOULD?
% >> WHAT
WE'VE
LOOKED
AT
I
S
WE'RE
% TRYING
TO
WORRY
ABOUT
RIGHT
NOW
% PUTTING ON
THE
CONVENTION.
% SO
WE'LL
TAKE
AND
WORK WITH
% WHOEVER THE
EVENTUAL
NOMINEE
IS.
% BUT RIGHT NOW
WE'RE
MOVING
% FORWARD
WITH
THE
BELIEF
THAT
THE
% DNC
HAS
TO
PAY
FOR
THE
% CONVENTION AND
WE'RE
MOVING
% FORWARD WITH
KIND OF
ALL
THE
% PEOPLE THAT
WE'VE
BEEN
TALKING
% TO AND
THAT
WE'VE BEEN ERK
% WITHING WITH.
% I
THINK
WHAT WE
ARE A
REALLY
% TRYING TO SHOW
IS
THE
HOST
% COMMITTEE IS A
NONPARTISAN
% ENTITY.%THIS
IS
NOT
THE
DNC
AND
THE
HOST
% COMMITTEE
ARE
TWO
SEPARATE
% ENTITIES AND
THE
HOST
COMMITTEE
% IS
RAISING
MONEY
NOT
FROM A
% PARTISAN
BASIS, BUT
ON A
% NONPARTISAN BASIS.
% AND THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT WE
ARE
% CONTINUING TO SHOW AND ARE