Tim Sheehy, president of MMAC, says there’s an economic case for a regional tax to cover updates to sports and other facilities in the Milwaukee area.
“We need to stop looking at this through the lens of four or five different counties,” Sheehy told “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com . “These assets truly make the whole region a better place to live, work and play.”
Residents who travel between counties for work are already participating on a shared economy, according to Sheehy. He said raising awareness and support are among his group’s biggest challenges.
“It’s not so much convincing them; it’s getting them to think what they’re doing,” said Sheehy. “Everybody in the metropolitan Milwaukee area comes into these institutions and uses them, and then goes back home.”
The Bradley Center is home to the Milwaukee Bucks and hosts a variety of other sports and events; it is considered outdated by NBA standards. Sheehy said there’s value in hosting an NBA franchise, but declined to speculate whether a major remodeling plan could spare the area the expense of building a new center. He said distribution of information about the need for funding should come before spending plans.
“We’ve got to understand that our future is much brighter if we do things together than if we do things separately,” said Sheehy.
