Vos tells Milwaukee business leaders to find plan to fund new arena

Talk about it

MILWAUKEE - State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington) is telling Milwaukee business leaders to get their ducks-in-a-row before asking for any state assistance for a new downtown arena.

The state Assembly leader also told the Milwaukee Press Club he’s not in favor of a sales tax to pay for a replacement to the 25-year-old Bradley Center. Vos said he’d prefer to wait for Milwaukee’s business-and-government leaders to get behind a specific plan to pay for a new home for the Bucks, Marquette, and Admirals.

There was not such a plan in 1995, when former Senator George Petak from Racine lost his job for backing the one-tenth-percent sales tax in five Milwaukee area counties that built Miller Park. Vos had a front-row seat to that political battle as a nearly life-long resident of Racine County. Now, Milwaukee Metro Association of Commerce president Tim Sheehy says he’ll create a task force of private sector leaders to consider support for the area’s cultural institutions – and a new arena could be part of those talks.

Also, there’s been talk that the Miller Park sales tax could simply be extended beyond its 2018 sunset date. But legislators would have to approve using it for a Bucks’ arena.

Tags: wisconsin sports, proam, basketball, bucks, government