Assembly Approval Is A Big Step For New Bucks Arena

As the Wisconsin State Assembly prepared to vote on the proposal for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena, Representative of the 11th District Mandela Barnes was one of many in attendance who stood up to address those in attendance.

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Afforded the opportunity to voice in greater detail the reasons behind their decisions to either vote for or against the proposal, many of the assembly representatives made great points on why not just Milwaukee, but Wisconsin needed the arena to be approved.

Amongst a speech which included a litany of basketball references, there was one very simple thing that Barnes said that stood out though:

"This is Wisconsin’s opportunity to Own The Future."

In that sense, the State Assembly followed the Bucks lead in that regard, owning the future and passing the proposal by a margin of 52 votes in favor as opposed to only 32 against.

Apr 30, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; A Milwaukee Bucks fan holds up a sign thanking the Milwaukee Bucks owners during the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bulls in game six of the first round of the NBA Playoffs. at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Chicago won 120-66. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot of talk about what the Bucks and a new entertainment district could mean for the state and city alike, but at the end of the day it was the economics that led to the proposal getting voted through the Assembly.

Assembly speaker Robin Vos summed that up, saying:

"It is cheaper for us to pass this bill than defeat it and let the team leave."

A common refrain among the representatives was that the initial funding structure didn’t meet their approval, or that of their constituents, but in the time since the necessary adjustments had been made to allow for a relatively comfortable passage through the house today.

The next step towards the realities of the foundations being laid down on a new Bucks arena is for the amended bill that has now been approved by both the Senate and Assembly to be passed on to Governor Scott Walker for his approval, and ultimately his signature.

At times Walker has felt like the political face of the project, and so it was widely unexpected that there should be any problems for the presidential candidate when the final proposal lands on his desk.

According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Walker confirmed that theory too while campaigning in South Philadelphia:

"“It’s critical not only for those who love sports but the main reason I got into it was because it protected state revenues,” Walker said citing the income taxes Wisconsin would lose if the team leaves the state. “That just creates a big hole for everything else…This was really about protecting the taxpayers of the state.”"

Aside from receiving Walker’s signature, the Bucks also need to come to terms with Milwaukee County on a land sale, as well as getting approval for the arena from the Milwaukee Common Council.

When asked about a timeline by the Journal-Sentinel, Bucks president Peter Feigin indicated that it’s possible they could break ground as soon as the fall, stating:

"I’m not overly confident, but I’m confident."

Feigin spoke further on the good news, providing an official statement on behalf of the team as seen on Bucks.com:

"Today, our collective effort to create a world-class sports and entertainment district in the heart of Milwaukee took a monumental step forward thanks to the bipartisan leadership of elected officials in Madison. We’re incredibly grateful for the commitment of state, county and city officials to work together in a historic fashion to help shape this public-private partnership. There’s still work to be done and we look forward to building on this progress with the city and county, but the passage of legislation today makes our future much clearer. The Bucks will not only remain home in Wisconsin, but we’ll soon begin a transformative economic development project that will help revitalize our community and region."

Milwaukee is now as close as it has been to keeping its team, and with a bit of luck, by the time the arena is finished, the Bucks will be one of the league’s best teams and competing for championships.

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