CROWDS OUTSIDE THE FISERV FORUM
FOR GAME SIX SHOWED JUST HOW
MUCH WISCONSIN IS BURSTING WITH
PRIDE OVER THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS'
NBA CHAMPIONSHIP WIN.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>> AND THE CELEBRATION PLAYED ON
INTO THE WEEK, INCLUDING WITH A
BUCKS VICTORY PARADE THROUGH
DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE.
IN THE LEAD, BUCKS PLAYERS
THEMSELVES AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS,
LIKE THE GOVERNOR, MAYOR AND
MILWAUKEE COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID
CROWLEY.
JUST HOW MUCH DO THE CHAMPS AND
THEIR ORGANIZATION MEAN TO
MILWAUKEE AND, BY EXTENSION, THE
STATE?
WE ASKED DAVID CROWLEY, WHO
JOINS US NOW.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE
AND CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THIS IS AN AWESOME OPPORTUNITY.
AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL BY MY
VOICE, IT WAS AN AGREED PARADE.
>> LOTS OF CHEERING.
>> WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR
HEAD AS YOU RODE THROUGH THE
STREETS IN THE VICTORY PARADE
THIS WEEK?
>> THIS MEANT A LOT FOR
WISCONSINITES, MILWAUKEEANS, THE
WHOLE REGION.
I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A LIFELONG FAN
OF MILWAUKEE BUCKS.
IT WAS PHENOMENAL.
THE FIRST TIME WE WON A
CHAMPIONSHIP RIGHT IN OUR OWN
BACKYARD.
YOU THINK ABOUT THE BREWERS BRES
YEARS AGO.
BUT TO SEE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT
AND REALLY COME OUT TO SUPPORT
THIS TEAM, SUPPORT THIS CITY WAS
JUST AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.
>> SO SEEING THE CROWDS FOR THE
GAMES AND THE AFTER-PARTY, WAS
IT LIKE, YES, THE INVESTMENT,
WHICH WAS ROUGHLY $250 MILLION
IN PUBLIC FINANCING TO KEEP THE
BUCKS IN MILWAUKEE AND CONSTRUCT
THE ARENA, IT PAID OFF?
THE INVESTMENT PAID OFF?
IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE THINKING?
>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.
I REMEMBER BEING PART OF THE
LEGISLATURE AS AN AIDE AND I
THINK IT HAS PAID OFF.
THANK YOU TO HERB KOHL FOR
MAKING SURE THAT THE BUCKS STAY
HERE, THE OWNERS FOR THEIR
COMMITMENT TO THIS REGION.
BUT THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE
ECONOMIC BOOST FOR A LOT OF
DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS,
ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WITHIN THE
DISTRICT IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE,
TO SEE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
COMING INTO THIS CITY, SPENDING
THEIR MONEY, JUST LET YOU KNOW
THAT THIS IS SOMETHING NEW FOR
US.
AND WE SHOULD GET USED TO BEING
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE.
HAVING THE BUCKS RIGHT NOW AS
THE WORLD CHAMPIONS, SEEING THIS
GREAT RUN WITH THE BREWERS, THIS
IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO GET USED
TO.
SO WE SEE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT
AND IT'S BEEN GREAT TO SEE SO
MANY FOLKS SPENDING THEIR
DOLLARS, PATRONIZING OUR
COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH THE
PAST TWO YEARS THAT WE HAVE
SEEN.
>> DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SPIN-OFF
ECONOMIC EFFECT THERE HAS BEEN
FROM THE BUCKS AND THEIR
PRESENCE?
I MEAN, IS THERE LIKE A DOLLAR
AMOUNT THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELF
AND OTHERS IN THE CITY TALK
ABOUT?
>> YOU KNOW, AFTER READING SOME
OF THE REPORTS, YOU KNOW,
ANYWHERE BETWEEN $2 TO $3
MILLION WERE BEING SPENT RIGHT
HERE DURING THOSE HOME FINAL
GAMES.
EVEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE
AWAY GAMES, WE STILL HAD TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AT THE DEER
DISTRICT PATRONIZING LOCAL
RESTAURANTS AND BUSINESSES.
AND SO WE SEE A LOT OF MONEY
BEING SPENT.
BUT NOW IT'S ABOUT HOW DO WE
MAKE SURE THAT THOSE DOLLARS
BEING SPENT HERE LOCALLY, WE CAN
CAPTURE THOSE DOLLARS RIGHT
HERE.
I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE
OPPORTUNITY IT BRINGS WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT THE LOCAL SALES TAX
FOR US TO BE ABLE TO INVEST
THOSE DOLLARS BEING SPENT HERE
LOCALLY.
>> DOES RALLYING AROUND THE TEAM
CREATE UNITY AMONG PEOPLE, UNITY
THAT WE REALLY NEED ABOUT NOW?
>> YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR MISSION AND
VISION HERE IN MILWAUKEE COUNTY
IS THAT WE BELIEVE WE CAN BECOME
THE HEALTHIEST COUNTY.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SPORTS,
RIGHT HERE IN MILWAUKEE, IN THE
MOST DIVERSE COUNTY THROUGHOUT
THE WHOLE STATE, YOU SEE ALL
TYPES OF PEOPLE, NO MATTER THEIR
AGE, NO MATTER WHAT THEY LOOK
LIKE, NO MATTER WHO THEY LOVE.
THEY WERE AT THAT BUCKS ARENA.
SO I GOT TO GIVE A GREAT THANKS
AGAIN TO ALL SPORTS FANS BECAUSE
IT'S ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE
PLACES YOU CAN GO RIGHT HERE IN
OUR OWN BACKYARD.
WE SEEN PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER
FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, FROM ALL
ACROSS THIS REGION TO COME
CELEBRATE, TO COME SUPPORT OUR
MILWAUKEE BUCKS.
SO IT WAS A GREAT THING TO SEE.
AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN CONTINUE TO
HAVE THIS TYPE OF MORALE BOOST
FOR MANY YEARS TO COME.
>> NOW, I KNOW THAT AS PART OF
THE STATE FINANCING PACKAGE,
MILWAUKEE COUNTY HAS TO FOREGO
SOMETHING LIKE $4 MILLION A YEAR
IN SHARED REVENUE FROM THE STATE
AND THERE ARE CERTAINLY SOME
PEOPLE WHO WOULD SAY THAT MONEY
COULD BE GOING TO NEEDED
SERVICES UNRELATED TO
PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WE COULD HAVE
BEEN USING THESE DOLLARS.
THERE WERE DIFFERENT CHANGES IN
THE LEGISLATION THAT REQUIRED US
TO GIVE THE $4 MILLION IN OUR
SHARED REVENUE BACK.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS
IS ABOUT GIVING US SOME TOOLS,
GIVING LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THE
OPTIONS TO RAISE DIFFERENT TYPES
OF REVENUES.
AND THIS IS WHAT THE LOCAL SALES
TAX CAN DO FOR US.
IT HAS ALSO GIVEN US AN
OPPORTUNITY AS WELL TO REALLY
BRING MORE PEOPLE TOGETHER.
BUT WE DO NEED THOSE DOLLARS.
BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE GOING TO
THE STATE LEGISLATURE, BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS WITH FOLKS ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE AISLE WHY WE NEED
THE LOCAL SALES TAX.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN WITH
THAT $4 MILLION IT'S NOT GOING
TO SOLVE ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS.
SO BETWEEN NOW AND 2027, IN THE
NEXT SIX YEARS, WE'RE FACING
ABOUT A $150 MILLION BUDGET GAP.
TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE.
OUR MILWAUKEE COUNTY TRANSIT
SYSTEM BUDGET IS $150 MILLION
ALONE.
EVEN IF WE TALK ABOUT THE $4
MILLION WE NEED THE ADDITIONAL
REVENUES TO MAKE SURE OUR BUSES
ARE RUNNING TO GET PEOPLE TO
WORK, TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE GREAT
PARKS PEOPLE CAN ENJOY.
ALSO TO MAKE SURE WE CAN INVEST
LOCALLY IN OUR YOUNG PEOPLE,
SENIORS AS WELL AS EVERYTHING
ELSE THAT MAKES US GREAT.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
MILWAUKEE COUNTY EXECUTIVE DAVID
CROWLEY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
GO, BUCKS.