The “public” hearing on the proposed Bucks arena is scheduled to start in Madison at 11 a.m. This hastily called Joint Finance Committee hearing will be televised on Wisconsin Eye, online and on cable.
Unfortunately, while legislators will, I assume, get more details about the proposal, I have a feeling they’ll get a very censored version of it.
From the public notice of the meeting:
The Committee will hear testimony from invited speakers and no public testimony will be allowed.
Gee, I wonder who the invited speakers will be. Surely not anyone who is opposed to it, or supports it in parts but doesn’t agree with some details—say, the details about transferring the $77 million, county-owned Marcus Center for the Performing Arts to the state-run Wisconsin Center District. Or the fact that a significant amount of funds for the arena will come from delinquent suburban property taxpayers who’ll see little direct benefit from the Bucks arena. Or the enhanced powers given to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele in the Bucks deal and in the kitchen-sink, last-minute budget amendment bill. (Curiously, or perhaps not, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has mentioned the Abele item in just one article, even though it likely would have a devastating effect on government transparency. What sort of deal have they struck with Abele and GOP leaders to protect him?)
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After all of the puffed-up statements over the weekend from politicians and the JS about defending open government, it’s sort of ironic—if not downright sad—that our leaders are shutting the doors of government on the public in other ways. Seems they only like transparency when they absolutely, positively, must put up with it.
